Used to live with mom...Now living with dad?

<p>Hi everyone! I'm currently a junior and will be applying to colleges soon. I had a few questions about Financial Aid? First of all, I have spent my entire life with my mother and I recently moved in with my father... who would I use for my FAFSA? I would prefer to use my mother's because she's a single mother of 4 kids while my father is married and only has two children. Therefore, I would be getting more financial aid using my mother's information. If it helps, they were never married. Also, I am still being accounted for on my MOTHER'S tax returns...?</p>

<p>You use the parent you are living with when you file the fafsa.</p>

<p>Would I be allowed to use my mothers? I’m claimed on her tax return so it still looks like I’m living with her… and neither of my parents are helping to pay for college either.</p>

<p>You have to use the parent you lived with most in the year you are filing info for. So if you are starting school in 2012 you will file FAFSA using 2011 data. You will report the parent you lived with the most in 2011.</p>

<p>As long as all of the paperwork says that you live with your mom, then you’ll be living with you mom.</p>

<p>My high school has that I live with my dad on file… but what if I apply for college using my moms address as well as use my moms address for the fafsa? It just doesn’t seem fair that I’ve been living my entire life with very little money and when I apply for financial aid they use my father’s income instead…</p>

<p>These are the rules on the FAFSA forms.

If you are living with your dad, it is his information you are supposed to provide. You (and your parent) are required to digitally sign FAFSA and say that the data you supply in it is true.</p>

<p>I believe it is a federal offense to lie on the FAFSA.</p>

<p>HI,</p>

<p>Unless I am mistaken, there is still time to move back with mom. Do they live near each other? Many times, even if not in the same school district, if parents have joint legal custody, child can attend school of either parent.</p>

<p>Everyone can calm down. I’m not going to lie on the FAFSA. I’m just trying to figure out if it’s possible for me to use my mother’s income instead of my father’s especially considering she is the one that will be helping me pay for college.</p>

<p>If you’re living with your dad, you have to use your dad’s info.</p>

<p>If you want to use your mom’s info, they you have to live with her. There isn’t a way to live with your dad, but use your mom’s info. It’s irrelevant that your dad isn’t going to help you with college costs.</p>

<p>How is your mom able to help you with college costs if she’s low income and supporting 4 kids?</p>

<p>Off-topic…but this is why FAFSA should require both parents’ info if both parents are involved with the child’s life. There’s too much temptation for lying, fraud, etc. </p>

<p>Why not just live with your mom?</p>

<p>OP wrote that mom lives in another city in different thread</p>

<p>Sybbie, one of the points I was trying to make that even if the parents live in different cities, the residence of either one, even if OP not living there may allow student to attend HS there. Obviously if the are far apart, that wont work, but if not, student can move back to mom, and be with her more than 1/2 the time.</p>

<p>If the OP lived in the time period that FAFSA states with one parent more than the other, that is the custodial parent for FAFSA. Period. Them’s the rules. If the OP can document that she was with Mom slightly more than Dad during that time period, Mom is still the custodial parent even if Mom is in a different city. </p>

<p>Around here with so many kids from split up families, the kid often files the custodial parent as the one most advantageous, though most of the time, it doesn’t make that much difference. The chances that it does only occurs for PELL and state low income grants if one parents financial make the kid eligible, or if the FAFSA only, or school that does not use NCP financial’s is generous. If it’s close enough to make a case, it’s worth doing, but you gotta document if the parent chosen is in a different area.</p>

<p>*Around here with so many kids from split up families, the kid often files the custodial parent as the one most advantageous, *</p>

<p>That’s why when both parents have been involved with the child, then both parents’ income should be considered for FAFSA. Pell grants and other grants should not be given to children from “split up famililes” when both parents are involved (such as shared custody, visitation, etc) and one of the parents’ income happens to be low enough for Pell and other free money. No wonder our fed and many state gov’ts are broke…too much free money given away because of “game-playing” and musical houses. </p>

<p>And, the whole “I lived with low income parent 51% of the time” is just BS. No one documents that (a piece of paper sure isn’t proof) and there’s often little that can be done to verify that claim if the parents live within a close area. there are 365 days in a year, no one, not even the school, can claim/prove that the student in shared custody lived with richer parent one day more than the other.</p>

<p>Mom2, I agree with you, but only if states are willing to mandate tuition and child support to continue while kid in college. Some are.</p>

<p>OP, are you applying to private schools that use the CSS PROFILE and/or their own financial aid application which considers home equity, non-custodial parent’s income & assets? </p>

<p>If you have a step parent involved, then for PROFILE schools, then the income & assets of three people will be considered. If you have two step parents, then it would be four people. Remember “third party agreements” are not considered by the colleges, meaning
pre nuptial agreements stating no financial help from a step parent for step children’s college education will be ignored.</p>

<p>Child support and alimony is supposed to reported by the custodial parent. If not received, clearly it isn’t counted. One reason the FAFSA goes by CP only is because sadly too many families are split and too many NCP refuse to complete the forms and refuse to contribute. This causes an issue in terms of PELL grants that are for our neediest and can make the difference as to whether these kids can get any higher education. Any system has its abuses and loopholes and FAFSA has those too. I do know a number of families who have gamed the system when the NCP has the money and the CP does not.</p>

<p>*Mom2, I agree with you, but only if states are willing to mandate tuition and child support to continue while kid in college. Some are. *</p>

<p>I don’t think that mandate must be passed first…after all, there is no such mandate for intact homes. </p>

<p>That said, I think that if FAFSA did require the info for both parents when both have been involved with the child’s life, then legislation would quickly follow.</p>

<p>I know that in Calif with the Blue and Gold rules that if the custodial parent makes less than $80k per year, then the student gets free tuition/fees at a UC, there is a lof of game-playing in order for the lower income parent to claim to be custodial…even though that state has a lot of shared custody arrangements. When you add Pell on top of that for those who qualify, that can be up to $19k per year in tax-payer money. That’s just ridiculous if the NCP has the means to contribute (and often is secretly contributing).</p>

<p>Mom2, a number of states DO have such legislation required divorced parents to pay tuition, including NJ and NY (obvioulsy subject to reasonableness). I understand the point that there is no requirement for intact families, but being divorced means the state gets involved in your life, and can and does impose a number of requirements. Thats life. </p>

<p>I agree with you, there has to be a fairer way. I dont like it when the rest of pay and NCP doesnt contribute or contributes secretly.</p>