Update: I took everyone's advice and reported only my income from my W-2. I also prepared a folder with my divorce decree, 2022 tax return, and W-2s in case of verification. Got notification that I was selected for verification (not surprised based on everyone's comments), and I've already submitted all the documentation to my daughter's school. The financial aid counselor said this happens all the time with divorce situations and they should be able to process everything within 2 weeks. Thanks for all your help!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone going through a similar situation (divorced in late 2023), I was completely lost on how to handle the income reporting. The advice about only reporting your own W-2 income and being prepared for verification with organized documentation is exactly what I needed to hear. It's reassuring to know this is a common situation and that financial aid offices are familiar with handling it. I'm going to start gathering my documents now - divorce decree, 2022 tax return, and W-2s - so I'm ready when verification comes. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm marking December 1st on my calendar and will look for the renewal option. It's good to know I keep my FSA ID but still need to file a new application. And I appreciate the tips about filing early for priority deadlines and using the Professional Judgment process if our financial situation changes. This has been really helpful!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - when you do fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA in December, make sure you're on the official studentaid.gov website. There are a lot of scam sites that charge fees for "help" with FAFSA when the real application is completely free. I almost fell for one of those sites my first time around! Also, if you run into technical issues (which unfortunately happen pretty often with the FAFSA website), don't panic - just try again later or early in the morning when there's less traffic on the site.

One more thing to keep in mind: When you submit your FAFSA this way, your calculated SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) will be based primarily on your dad's income since your mom had none. This is exactly how the system is designed to work, so don't worry that you're doing anything wrong. The main thing is to be truthful about your current family situation (parents are married) and the 2022 financial information (only dad filed taxes, mom had no income).

I just went through something very similar! My parents got married in late 2022, but my mom hadn't worked or filed taxes that year either. What really helped me was keeping all the documentation organized from the start. Make sure you save screenshots of each page as you complete the FAFSA showing your mom's "Will not file" status and $0 income entries. Also, if your dad's tax return shows your mom as a dependent, keep a copy of that handy too - it actually supports your story if questions come up later. The whole process felt overwhelming at first, but once I submitted it, everything went smoothly. Your school's financial aid office can also be super helpful if you run into any roadblocks - they deal with these situations all the time!

Thank you all for your helpful responses! I feel much clearer now about how to approach this. I'll follow the advice to: 1. File the FAFSA listing myself as the custodial grandparent 2. Include the 2023 Social Security benefits as required 3. After acceptances, contact each financial aid office about a professional judgment review 4. Provide documentation of both the legal custody arrangement and the June 2025 end date for benefits 5. Look into scholarships specifically for students who've lost a parent I really appreciate everyone taking time to explain this complicated situation. It's frustrating that the system makes it so difficult to navigate these non-traditional family situations, but at least we have a clear path forward now.

I'm glad you found all the advice helpful! One additional tip - when you contact the financial aid offices after acceptances, ask specifically about their "Special Circumstances" or "Professional Judgment" process. Some schools have specific forms for this, while others just want a letter and documentation. Getting on their radar early in the process (like January/February) can really help since these reviews take time. Also, don't be discouraged if you have to explain the situation multiple times to different people at each school. Unfortunately, these cases are complex and not every staff member will be familiar with the nuances between custody and guardianship. The key is persistence and good documentation. Your granddaughter is lucky to have you advocating for her through this process!

just make sure u keep all ur tax documents n stuff in case they do verification. my sons school asked for like a million forms after we got the $0 SAI. took forever but they eventually confirmed it was right

Congratulations on the $0 SAI! That's actually fantastic news for your daughter. As others have mentioned, the updated FAFSA formula is much more generous, especially for single-parent households. With your income level and household size of 3, this result makes perfect sense. I'd recommend creating a folder to organize all your financial documents (tax returns, bank statements, etc.) in case your daughter gets selected for verification. It happens to about 1 in 4 students, but it's usually routine paperwork rather than an indication of errors. The best part is that this $0 SAI will help her qualify for maximum aid at whatever college she chooses. Many schools use the SAI for their own need-based grants too, so she could receive even more aid beyond the Pell Grant. You should definitely celebrate this outcome rather than worry about it!