Sometimes there are family situations that make filling out the FAFSA a little less clear. One such scenario is if your parents are not married to one another. Perhaps they were never married, or maybe they are now divorced. Either way, you need to know how to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid properly. Here are a few things to know.
- The custodial parent is the one who helps you fill out the application. If you are not sure which parent this is, all you need to do is calculate who you lived with more days during the last 12 months. It doesn’t matter who has legal custody. The parent whose house you were in more is the one considered to be supporting you financially.
- Child support counts. However, you don’t have to reports any other income or assets from the non-custodial parent. In the odd case that both parents are supporting you equally, you have to go with the income of the parent who makes more money.
- Check with your private college to see if they count both parents. It won’t impact the amount of federal aid you receive, but you will have to fill out a separate financial aid form at the university.
- If your custodial parent is remarried, then you are going to have to count your stepparent’s income as well.
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