What Divorced, Separated and Two Household Families Need To Know About the FAFSA and CSS Profile<\/b><\/p>\n
Financial aid forms<\/a> can seem tricky for any household, but this is especially true for students who have divorced or separated parents or two household families. Throw into the mix the fact that different Colleges and Universities require different financial aid forms, and you make the situation even more complicated. Not to worry – there is an <\/span>easy way<\/span><\/a> to get answers. Read on to learn how your situation should be handled on both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Knowing how the two most common financial aid forms approach your specific situation will give you a leg up when creating your school list and filling out these forms.\u00a0 Many students end up needing to complete both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, and they do not always look at each family the same way when collecting information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First things first\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n Am I A Dependent Student?<\/b><\/p>\n This guidance pertains specifically to students who are considered dependents for financial aid purposes. The FAFSA assumes every student is dependent unless they meet <\/span>certain criteria<\/span><\/a> including, but not limited to, being at least age 24, married, an orphan, an emancipated minor or someone with their own legal dependents.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>CSS Profile determines dependency status through a list of questions and then will direct you to complete the appropriate information based on your answers<\/span>. Therefore, you may be considered independent for FAFSA but not for the CSS Profile.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If yes – Who\u2019s Financial Information Must I Include?<\/b><\/p>\n Depending on which financial aid application you are completing, you will need to report financial information from various parents\/guardians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m Filling Out The FAFSA<\/b><\/p>\n For purposes of the <\/span>FAFSA<\/span><\/a>, include information on applicable biological parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians, and sometimes step parents.<\/span><\/p>\n Who Is Applicable?<\/b><\/p>\n 2022-2023 Filing Year<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Both Parents Live Together<\/span><\/i> – Even if the parents are divorced or separated, if they live together, both should report their financial information.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents Live Separately, But Still Live As A Married Couple<\/span><\/i> – Report financial information on both parents.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents Live Separately And Are Separated Or Divorced<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For 2024-2025 Filing Year And Beyond<\/b><\/p>\n The <\/span>FAFSA<\/span><\/a> will require families to report the financial information on the parent (and step parent, if applicable) that provides the most financial support regardless of who the student lives with most.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m Filling Out The CSS Profile<\/b><\/p>\n The <\/span>CSS Profile<\/span><\/a> generally takes a more thorough look at a family\u2019s financial picture. The manner in which they treat divorce and separated families is no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n Who Must Report?<\/b><\/p>\n Support from up to four individuals meeting any of <\/span>the following criteria<\/span><\/a> may be considered when completing the CSS Profile:<\/span><\/p>\n Biological parents<\/span><\/p>\n Adoptive parents<\/span><\/p>\n Step parents<\/span><\/p>\n Partner of parent<\/span><\/p>\n Legal Guardians<\/span><\/p>\n The form also asks for deceased parents, though their financial information does not come into play.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents Are Married To Each Other<\/span><\/i> – Include information on both parents.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents Are Separated\/Divorced But Not Remarried<\/span><\/i> – Include information for student and custodial parent on one form. Have the non custodial parent <\/span>create a separate \u201cstudent account\u201d<\/span><\/a> using their own information.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents Are Separated\/Divorced And One Or Both Are Remarried or Partnered<\/span><\/i> – Include the information for the student, custodial parent, and custodial parent\u2019s partner\/spouse on one form. Have the non custodial parent plus their partner\/spouse <\/span>create a separate \u201cstudent account\u201d<\/span><\/a> using their own information.<\/span><\/p>\n The custodial parent is considered to be the parent with whom the student lives most of the year. If the non-custodial parent is not able or available to complete the profile, the student may submit a waiver request to the school. Determination is made on a school by school basis to accept or reject the waiver.<\/span><\/p>\n My Situation Has Recently Changed<\/b><\/p>\n Both the FAFSA and CSS Profile use income information as reported on your prior prior tax return. That means, if you plan to start school in 2023, you will report income from your 2021 tax return. So, what if your family situation is <\/span>not accurately reflected<\/span><\/a> by that return? Maybe there has been a divorce, marriage, separation or death in the meantime.<\/span><\/p>\n My Financial Aid Forms Haven\u2019t Been Filed<\/b><\/p>\n If the financial aid forms have not yet been filed, the biggest task will be to break apart the tax return from the applicable tax year to manually calculate your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) and other tax information requested on each form as it would have been calculated had the change already occurred. You may need the help of a tax advisor for this if you are unsure how to proceed, or work with a professional from <\/span>College Aid Pro<\/span><\/a>. You will not be able to use the DRT (Data Retrieval Tool) feature that the Department of Education has in place to automatically pull your tax information into your FAFSA application.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I Already Submitted My FAFSA And CSS Profile<\/b><\/p>\n\n
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