Can the Noncustodial Parent's Income Affect Financial Aid?
A student who has separated or divorced parents often needs to discuss the college financial aid application process with both parents. They need to decide whether each parent will help to pay for college. The conversation may become complicated if the parents aren't on the same page. Even if the parents don't agree on who will contribute toward the student's college tuition and expenses, the student often must still include parental information on the financial aid documents for loans and scholarships.
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Purpose of Parental Information on FAFSA
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The U.S. Department of Education requires every student to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for financial aid through federal programs. The FAFSA asks for financial information recorded on the student's tax returns and W-2 forms from employment. If the applicant is a dependent student, the FAFSA also requires income information provided by the applicant's parents.
Dependent Students
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A parent's income will only affect an applicant's FAFSA if the applicant is a dependent student. The U.S. Department of Education publishes a list of criteria to determine an applicant's status as a dependent or independent student. For example, an applicant might be an independent student if she is a veteran of the U.S. armed forces, if she has children of her own who are dependent on her for more than half of their financial support, if she is married or if she meets one of the other requirements. In addition, graduate-level students enrolled in master's degree or doctoral degree programs are independent students for FAFSA purposes.
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Divorced or Separated Parents
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When a student has divorced or separated parents, the student must include the income information of the parent with whom the student lived more during the immediately preceding 12-month period. If the student lived primarily with the custodial parent, the student might not need to provide the noncustodial parent's income information. If the custodial parent and noncustodial parent both spent exactly six months with the student during the preceding year, however, the student might need to include the noncustodial parent's income information if the noncustodial parent provided more overall financial support than the custodial parent.
Unmarried Parents
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The FAFSA rules treat unmarried parents similarly to divorced or separated parents. If a dependent student's parents never married, the student should still answer the FAFSA by referring to the parent with whom he lived for more time during the preceding 12-month period; this approach likely means that the noncustodial parent's income won't affect the student's financial aid eligibility. If the student spent equal amounts of time between both parents' households, the student must provide income information for the parent who provided the greater amount of financial support.
Students Without Parental Contact
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If neither parent has custody of a student applying for financial aid, the FAFSA still requires parental information as if the student does live with at least one custodial parent. However, if the student has no contact at all with either parent or doesn't know where the parents live, the student might try to qualify as an independent student. The FAFSA treats an applicant as an independent student if the applicant is an emancipated minor, is a dependent ward of a state court or was a child in the state foster care system at any time after reaching the age of 13 years.
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