Unusual Living Situations

<p>So my adoptive parents are divorced, and they originally decided on joint custody, but a few years ago my mom filed for sole custody. Things went sour after my mom remarried and I ended up moving in with my dad. He's working on getting custody but I don't know if that will happen before I have to apply for financial aid. To make matters more complicated, we also live with my grandfather who pays for our house with his 401k. So if things were to remain this way, would I have to put my mother's information on the financial aid? And what if she refuses to help?? </p>

<p>Custody really doesn’t matter. What matters is who you lived with most in the 12 months prior to filing your FAFSA. That is your custodial parent for financial aid purposes.</p>

<p>However, if you apply to any colleges that require non-custodial parent information either because,they are Profile schools or use their own forms to get that info…you will have to include financial info from both parents. </p>

<p>It is all about which parent you lived with for the most days in the previous year. So say you are filling out the FAFSA and related financial aid paperwork in January 2015 (for entry to college fall 2015). If you have lived with your dad for more days than your mom in 2014, then you put in your dad’s info.</p>

<p>But it also depends on what kinds of schools you apply to. If you apply to schools that require the CSS profile and or have their own forms for non-custodial parent information, you WILL have to get information from your mom (and her husband) as part of your application for need based aid. No info, probably no aid. You can tell by reading up on the financial aid website of each college whether they require the CSS Profile. Most top colleges do.</p>

<p>No INtparent…it’s not who the student lives with for the calendar year…it is who the student lives with most in the 12 months prior to,the date the student files their FAFSA. </p>

<p>Thanks so much! I had no idea that they didn’t even consider custody… </p>

<p>Sorry, @thumper1, you are right. I usually in the first few days of January, so forgot this. :)</p>

<p>Nope, Hugmic, it’s not legal custody, but with whom you actually lived with the most for the last year before actually filing the FAFSA. Something that can be used to some advantage. My friend makes an excellent income, but her ex does not. They live near each other. They made sure their college bound son lived with Dad a bit more than Mom, so that his info could be used as the custodial parent for FAFSA purposes which meant he got some PELL money and subsidized loans. Some of his PROFILE schools also treated NCP financials less heavily than custodial, so that he did get financial aid that he would not have gotten with Mom as the custodial parent according to NPCs. Some, not all, colleges, that is. </p>

<p>Your grandparents’ financials will not enter the picture.</p>

<p>Thank you! (: so they won’t consider my grandfather’s income? Even though we live with him and pays for the house?</p>

<p>As I understand it that would have to be included in the FAFSA submission as other support received. If there is a big disconnect between the income and the circumstances (going to private school on an annual family income of $12000) the reviewers will ask for more information.</p>

<p>Ah makes sense, thank you. (:</p>

<p>yeah, so you don’t report the income of the grandparents on any of the FAFSA forms. But if you are verified, they might want to know where the money comes from to live on, if the income of the custodial parent is too low. They will check to be sure you are not missing reporting any income streams.</p>

<p>But I don’t think living with the grandfather constitutes ‘income’ to the grandson. The FAFSA does not ask how much it costs for rent or mortgage, for food or other things. OP may be asked to verify the income, and he can do that.</p>

<p>There is no ‘other income’ to report from the grandfather. He’s not giving the OP money. If he gave him a car or a vacation it would not be reported as the income of the student.</p>

<p>He does receive income though, 401k and I think maybe something for him being in the military. </p>

<p>You and your dad need to have his tax return at hand and a list of his assets when you fill out the FAFSA. If you are expecting to go to college in fall of 2015, you will need the 2014 tax return and the value of assets that day you fill out the FAFSA. Any 401K withdrawals are reported as income on the return and also on the FAFSA. </p>

<p>Thanks! (: </p>