Can I use a different parent on FAFSA?

If your parents are divorced, separated, or were never married and don’t live together, you fill out the FAFSA based on your custodial parent. If you live with both parents equally, you fill out the FAFSA based on the parent who gave you more financial support in the last year.

Who is considered a parent for purposes of the FAFSA?

If you’re not sure whether you are a dependent student, go to StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency. For reporting purposes, “parent” means your legal (biological or adoptive) parent or stepparent, or a person that the state has determined to be your legal parent.

Can I put my grandma on FAFSA?

(Grandparents are not considered to be parents for federal student aid purposes unless they have adopted the student. Thus, while the grandparents can cosign the parent’s Parent PLUS loan, they cannot borrow from the Parent PLUS loan program on their own.)

Can I put my brother on my FAFSA?

If your parents have another child in college, they can transfer much of their information from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form into a new FAFSA form for your sibling(s).

Can you be independent of your parents on the FAFSA?

You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with this process. If you do not provide their information on the FAFSA form, the application will be considered “rejected,” and you might not be able to receive any federal student aid.

What do you call parents who live together on FAFSA?

Divorced or Separated Parents Who Live Together If your divorced parents live together, you’ll indicate their marital status as “Unmarried and both legal parents living together,” and you will answer questions about both of them on the FAFSA form.

Does my mother need my biological father’s information on the FAFSA?

Since you live with your mother, she is responsible for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Your biological father’s information is not reported on the FAFSA. Your stepfather’s information is only required while he is married to your mother.

Who is responsible for filling out the FAFSA?

Generally, if you can control which parent is responsible for completing the FAFSA, the child will get more financial aid if the parent with the lower income (including the income of that parent’s spouse, if the parent remarried) is responsible for completing the FAFSA.