There are new rules for which parent will complete the 2024-25 FAFSA if the student’s biological or adoptive parents are single, separated or divorced.
The primary or custodial parent is now defined as the parent who provided more financial support in the 12 months prior to application. This parent will complete the FAFSA. However, if the biological or adoptive parents live together at the time of filing, both parents will have to be contributors to the FAFSA regardless of their marital status.
There is no basis for a parent to be the custodial parent for purposes of completing the FAFSA based on the following:
- Which parent the student lives with the most.
- Which parent has legal custody.
- Which parent claims the student on their taxes.
How will a student know which parent to include in the FAFSA?
The FASFA application process includes a new Parent Wizard that asks students a series of questions to determine which parent should be included in the FAFSA. FAFSA asks the student which parent provided more financial support in the 12 months prior to application.
What if the parents provided equal or 50/50 support?
FAFSA asks the student to include the parent with either greater income or greater assets.
How does the student determine who provides more financial support?
The Department of Education is not providing guidance on measuring or calculating financial support to students. This means it is solely up to the student to make this determination based on their judgment. The student’s decision on which parent provides the most financial support cannot be verified by the financial aid administrator.
What if the student doesn’t live with their parents or receives no support from their parents?
If the student is determined to be a dependent student based on FAFSA’s definition but doesn’t receive financial support from their parents, FAFSA asks the student to include the parent with either greater income or greater assets.
How does FAFSA define “separated” status?
There is no definition of “separation” in the FAFSA legislation. This means a student’s biological or adoptive parents can be informally separated, and only one parent will complete the FAFSA as long as those parents are not living together.