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Do You Know About FAFSA in the Orlando, Florida Area? 

The October 21, 2019, Wall Street Journal had an enlightening article about FAFSA and the Divorced Parent by Cheryl Winokur Munk, explaining what divorced parents, unwed parents, and blended families need to know about the college financial aid forms. 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA requires personal and financial information from dependent students and their parents in order to determine eligibility for federal financial aid. It is important to fill out the Fafsa correctly since it determines the aid you receive. 

These were the points the article made regarding the biggest questions blended families and those divorced or unmarried parents have about filing for financial aid. They were: 

1. Who is the parent? A parent refers to a biological or adoptive parent or a person determined by the state to be a parent. Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older siblings, uncles or aunts, and widowed stepparents are not considered parents on the FAFSA unless they have legally adopted the student, according to the US Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office. 

2. In case of a divorce, which parent must provide financial information on the FAFSA? Only one parent needs to provide information. That is the custodial parent. For FAFSA purposes, that is the parent that the student lived with more time during the past 12 months. If the student lived the same amount with both parents, then the parent that provided the most financial support during the past 12 months should provide the financial information. 

3.     What if the custodial parent is remarried? Custodial parents who are remarried are required to include their spouse’s financial information on the FAFSA. 

4.     What happens if a divorced or separated couple is still living together? As long as the student’s parents are living together, both incomes generally need to be reported, even if they consider themselves separated, for example. 

5.      What about legal parents who are unmarried but living together? Biological or adoptive parents who are unmarried but living together should choose the option on the FAFSA that states: unmarried and both legal parents living together. 

6.      What happens in the case of a same-sex marriage? A couple in a same-sex marriage is considered to married on the FAFSA, if they were legally married. 

7.       What happens, if now divorced parents were married and filing jointly on tax returns used for FAFSA? Where possible, the financial information should be separated and only the custodial parent’s information should be reported, even if tax information may say otherwise. You can contact Frank, an organization that provides families with free help filling out the FAFSA. 

Remember, if you have questions, you can call the Federal Student Aid for assistance with answering income-related questions. You can also call the university’s director of financial aid if you have a unique predicament or questions. 

If you have more questions regarding a Marital and Family Law matter, you may call Ann Marie Giordano Gilden at Ann Marie Giordano Gilden, P.A. at 407-732-7620 and set an initial consultation. You may also visit my website at: https//:www.AnnMarieGildenLaw.com

This article is for informational purposes only; and it does not form an attorney client privilege. 

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