Divorced in 2023 - should FAFSA include my ex's income from our joint 2022 tax return?

in the same boat!! got divorced last summer but filed jointly for 2022. I just put MY income from MY w2 only. that's what the finaid office told me to do when i called them. don't include ur ex's income!

This is actually a very common situation. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, if you were divorced AFTER the 2022 tax year but BEFORE filing the FAFSA, you should report ONLY your income from 2022, not your ex-spouse's. You'll need to separate out your individual income from the joint tax return. The StudentAid.gov instructions specifically state you should report only your portion of the AGI and taxes paid. You may need to: 1. Use your W-2 or other earning statements to determine your specific income 2. Divide certain tax elements proportionally (like deductions) 3. Be prepared to provide documentation if selected for verification The system may flag your application for verification because the IRS data retrieval tool won't match your reported numbers to your joint return. This is normal for your situation.

OMG the financial aid system is SO STUPID about divorce situations!! When I got divorced in 2021, I had to deal with this exact thing and ended up getting flagged for verification TWICE because the systems couldn't handle that my reported income didn't match my joint tax return!!! Even after I sent in all my W-2s and divorce papers, they kept sending me more forms to fill out! My daughter almost missed her first semester because of this garbage. Call your school's financial aid office DIRECTLY and document EVERYTHING!!

I work in financial aid, and here's what you need to do: 1. Report ONLY your income on the FAFSA (just your W-2 amounts) 2. For the tax return information, you'll need to calculate your proportional share of deductions, credits, taxes paid, etc. 3. You should gather these documents now for verification: - Your 2022 W-2(s) - The joint 2022 tax return - Your divorce decree showing date of divorce - A signed statement explaining how you calculated your portion Almost everyone in your situation gets selected for verification, so be prepared. The good news is that once you submit these documents, the verification usually goes smoothly.

I just went trhough this with my son's FAFSA! It was a NIGHTMARE trying to get ahold of anyone at the FSA who could help. i spent 3 weeks calling and getting hung up on or waiting for hours!!!!! Finally I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in 20 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed I only had to report my income from the W2 and explained exactly how to handle the verification when it came (which it did). Saved me hours of frustration!

Dealing with FAFSA after divorce is SO frustrating. Remember you'll likely need to do this every year until your child graduates, so keep good records. My advice: 1. Create a folder with all your income documents separated by year 2. Make a simple spreadsheet showing how you calculated your portion 3. Keep a copy of your divorce decree handy 4. Document all communications with financial aid offices Once you get through the first verification, subsequent years get easier because you'll know exactly what documentation they want.

my cousin had this same problem and her kids fafsa got rejected twice!!! be super careful

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!