Hi. So my parents are divorced and although I live with my mom, my parents have joint custody (even though I hardly see my dad) and my dad claims me on taxes (while my mom claims my sister on taxes…originally so that she could get better aid at colleges). On the FAFSA, am I supposed to list the info for the parent I live with or the one who claims me on taxes? What about the CSS Profile? And is it unethical that my dad claims me on taxes but I don’t live with him?
Sorry, I’m very clueless. This might be a simple question, but I’m unsure. I’m a little annoyed because my dad makes $90k while my mom makes $20k so this will significantly lower my amount of aid.
I know on the FAFSA you file the income of the parent that you live with the majority of the year. It does not matter who claims you on their tax return - so it would be your mother’s information.
On the CSS, they ask for information from both parents.
Okay, thank you! So for FAFSA-only schools, does this mean I would have better financial aid overall since they don’t ask for my dad’s info? My parents thought the person who claims you on their tax return is the one who is supposed to fill out the FAFSA, which is why I thought my aid would be a lot lower than my sister’s overall.
I have one additional question. Not sure if this is the right forum but it’s related to my first question. On college applications, for the questions verifying residency for in state schools, should I provide the information for the parent I live with or the parent who claims me on taxes if both live in the same state?
If they both live in the same state, and you’ll qualify for instate under either, does it matter? If you graduate from a school in that state, I don’t think anyone will question it. I’d put the address where I live.
No it’s not. You can get claimed by a parent you don’t live with.
You use your mom’s info for FAFSA since you live with her. Just note that the FAFSA only guarantees you federal aid. It may very well be that your mom’s income only makes you eligible for Pell and not any additional aid (not that the Pell isn’t helpful!)
In some states (ex. California) that does matter if you are trying to claim residency through that parent. If you have residency through either parent, it doesn’t matter.
It will also matter if your parent wants to claim the AOTC as you must be a dependent. Once you are 18, and if child support ends, your mother may want to look into claiming you. It really depends on the arrangement they have or the court orders.
Use your home address since that is most likely going to be the same address that is on your school records. You will be granted in-state tuition, just by the fact that you have attended high school in your home state and are graduating from that school.
Remember that any child support being paid by your dad will have to go on the FAFSA
You are looking to apply to UNC-Chapel Hill & NYU; will require the CSS Profile. NYU will require the the non-custodial profile to determine your eligibility for aid.
Maybe you will get better aid. Most schools thst use the FAFSA ONLY for need based aid determination do not guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students. So at some schools, you might just get a Direct Loan…and that’s it…which you would get anywhere you applied.
You need to put the oarent with whom you lived greater than 50% of the time for the 366 days prior to your FAFSA submission. As noted, you would include only that parent’s info on the FAFSA. But remember too…that oarent needs to include all child and spousal support on the FAFSA as well. Your oarent will be using 2015 tax info to complete the 2017-2018 FAFSA when it becomes available in October.
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would have better financial aid overall since they don’t ask for my dad’s info?
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Probably NOT…UNLESS…you happen to go to a RARE school that gives great aid based only on FAFSA. VERY FEW schools do this.
If you’re instate for Calif and get into a UC, THEN you’d get great aid because of mom’s low income (MUST BE INSTATE AND graduated from a Calif high school!!). But, in other cases, mostly likely you would NOT get much aid going to a FAFSA only school.
I live in NC. The schools I’m applying to that use FAFSA only (I believe) are University of South Carolina at Columbia, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Appalachian State University and East Carolina University. The ones I’m applying to that use both FAFSA and CSS Profile are UNC Chapel Hill, NYU and Emerson.
Interestingly enough, my sister goes to UNC Wilmington and got great aid, and they are a FAFSA only school.
NYU is not known for giving good aid. Did you run the net price calculator for these schools? The university of South Carolina is out of state for you. Do they offer instate tuition to NC residents? UNC-Wilmington, Appalachain, and East Carolina you might be fine. If you sister aid is affordable at those school chances are yours will be too. However UNC-Chapel Hill and NYU maybe not. Run the NPC at each school to be sure it’s affordable.
Based on the limited family financial information that OP has provided, I believe that she WOULD receive better financial aid if her NCP info. is not provided. This belief is based simply on the fact that if her father’s income of $90k is considered, she will not receive any Pell grant money. If only her mother’s income of $20k is considered, she will likely have an EFC of close to or at $0, meaning that she will be eligible for close to or at the full Pell grant amount of $5,815.