Divorced mom with custody - who fills out FAFSA when child support ends?
I'm at my wits end trying to figure out the FAFSA for my oldest son who starts college this fall. I'm a divorced mom with 90% custody of my four kids. I handle everything - health insurance, phone bills, daily expenses - and I claim them all on my taxes. My ex pays child support, BUT that ends for my oldest son in July right before he starts his freshman year. Here's where I'm completely confused: my ex-husband earns literally 10 times what I make (not exaggerating). Since I won't be receiving child support for my son during his college years, who should fill out the FAFSA? Will they look at my ex's income even though he won't be contributing anything? I'm worried my son won't qualify for financial aid if they consider my ex's income, but we definitely need the help with my income alone. Anyone dealt with this custody/income disparity situation before?
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Alejandro Castro
the parent who has them the most time is supposed to fill it out. so you would. my cousins mom had the same situation
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Maggie Martinez
•Thank you! That's what I thought, but I wasn't 100% sure. Did your cousin still get decent financial aid even with the higher-earning parent not filling it out?
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Monique Byrd
The FAFSA rules are specific about this. As the custodial parent (90% custody), you're the one who should complete the FAFSA. For FAFSA purposes, the custodial parent is defined as the parent with whom the student lived the most during the 12 months prior to filing. Your ex-husband's income won't be considered in the calculation, regardless of the child support situation. Make sure you accurately report your income and any child support received during the tax year used for the FAFSA (which will be 2023 for the 2025-2026 FAFSA). The child support you received in the past will count as untaxed income, but if it ends before the school year, that won't affect future years' applications.
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Jackie Martinez
•Wait, this can't be right. I filled out FAFSA last yr and my husband (not the bio dad) had to put his income even tho he doesn't support my daughter AT ALL. The system is so unfair!!! Why should step-parents income count but not the actual bio parent who makes way more????
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Monique Byrd
•That's a different situation. When a custodial parent remarries, the stepparent's income DOES count for FAFSA purposes, regardless of whether they contribute to the student's education. However, for divorced parents who haven't remarried, only the custodial parent's income is considered. The system isn't perfect, but those are the current rules.
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Lia Quinn
You are definitely the one who needs to fill out the FAFSA as the custodial parent. One important thing to note - if you have a legal divorce agreement that specifies who covers college expenses, that's separate from FAFSA requirements. The FAFSA only cares about which parent the student lived with more during the preceding 12 months. Since that's clearly you at 90%, you are the parent who completes the form. Also, be prepared with documentation showing you have primary custody in case you get selected for verification. This happens randomly, but having your custody paperwork ready will make the process smoother. Your son should qualify for aid based on your income alone, which is the good news here!
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Maggie Martinez
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! Our divorce agreement doesn't specify anything about college expenses (big oversight on my part, I realize now). I'll gather my custody documentation just in case. Do you know if they'll count the child support I received previously even though it will have ended?
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Lia Quinn
•Yes, they'll count child support you received during the tax year used for the FAFSA (likely 2023 for a 2025-2026 application). However, there is a special circumstance appeal you can file with your son's college financial aid office explaining the change in circumstances. When child support ends, that's a significant change in income that many schools will consider. You'll need to contact each school's financial aid office directly after filing the FAFSA to explain your situation and ask about their professional judgment/special circumstances process.
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Haley Stokes
Had almost identical situation with my daughter. Definitely file as the custodial parent. But be prepared for a NIGHTMARE trying to actually reach someone at FAFSA if you have questions or problems!!!!! I spent WEEKS trying to get through on their phone line. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through in like 20 mins. They have this video that shows how it works https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Lifesaver when you need to talk to an actual human who can explain all the custody/child support stuff. Worth it because we ended up getting way more aid than we thought based on just my income!
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Maggie Martinez
•I had no idea there were services like that! I've already tried calling a few times and kept getting disconnected. I'll check this out - thank you for the suggestion!
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Alejandro Castro
•i tried calling fafsa like 12 times last month and it was always busy busy busy. gonna try this too
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Asher Levin
HOLD UP EVERYONE! The FAFSA rules just changed for 2024-2025 and the new system is completely different! They don't use custody percentages the same way anymore - now they use something called the "contributor" system. The parent who provides the MOST financial support is supposed to fill it out, not necessarily the one with more custody time. They switched from using the term "custodial parent" to "contributor" specifically because of situations like yours. Do NOT listen to outdated advice here!!! Check the studentaid.gov site for the latest rules before you submit anything!!!!!
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Lia Quinn
•This isn't quite correct. The term "contributor" in the new FAFSA refers to parents, stepparents, or other individuals who are required to provide information on the FAFSA. For divorced parents who aren't remarried, the rule is still that the parent with whom the student lived more during the 12 months prior to filing completes the FAFSA. If the student lived equally with both parents, then it's the parent who provided more financial support. The terminology changed, but for clearly unequal custody situations like the OP described (90/10 split), the parent with greater custody still completes the form.
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Maggie Martinez
•Thanks for the warning! I'll definitely check the current rules on the official site. The last thing I want is to make a mistake that costs my son financial aid opportunities.
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Jackie Martinez
The system is SO UNFAIR for divorced parents!!! My ex makes triple what I do but since my daughter stays with me most of the time, my FAFSA SAI score was really high and she barely got any aid. Then her dad refused to help pay anything even though he could totally afford it!! There was nothing in our divorce papers about college so I was stuck. Make sure you have something in writing about your ex contributing to college costs regardless of what FAFSA says!!!
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Maggie Martinez
•I'm so sorry that happened to you and your daughter. Unfortunately, there's nothing in our divorce agreement about college expenses - big oversight on my part years ago. I'm worried we'll be in the same boat, with him not contributing anything while I struggle to help my son. Did you find any solutions or programs that helped in your situation?
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Jackie Martinez
•We ended up having her apply to a bunch of private scholarships and she got a part-time job. She also had to take out loans which I HATE. But honestly? She ended up picking a cheaper state school instead of her dream school. Just be prepared for that possibility. Its so unfair that kids suffer because of divorce finances!!!!
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Serene Snow
dont forget to submit the css profile too if ur kid is applying to private schools!!! its different from fafsa and some schools require both!!! my son almost missed out on aid because i didnt know about it
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Maggie Martinez
•Thank you for mentioning this! He's applying to a mix of state and private schools, so I'll look into the CSS Profile too. Is that process similar to the FAFSA?
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Lia Quinn
•The CSS Profile is more detailed than the FAFSA and is used by about 400 mostly private colleges. One key difference: unlike the FAFSA, the CSS Profile often DOES collect information from both divorced parents, even the non-custodial one. Each school sets its own policy though, so check with each private school about their requirements. The CSS Profile also costs money to submit ($25 for first school, $16 for each additional), though fee waivers are available for eligible families.
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Monique Byrd
Since your question is about the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, I want to clarify: The FAFSA now uses the concept of "contributors" rather than "custodial/non-custodial" terminology. For divorced parents, generally the parent who provided more financial support and with whom the student lived more during the preceding 12 months will be the contributor who completes the FAFSA. Based on your 90% custody situation, that's clearly you. Make sure to use your 2023 tax information when completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA, and report any child support received during that tax year. Then, as others have mentioned, contact each school's financial aid office to explain that the child support has ended, which constitutes a significant change in circumstances that may qualify for a professional judgment review.
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Maggie Martinez
•Thank you for the updated information! This makes me feel much better about the situation. I'll definitely reach out to the financial aid offices after submitting the FAFSA to explain the change in circumstances with the child support ending.
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Sofia Hernandez
I'm going through something similar right now! My ex makes way more than me but I have primary custody. What really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything - custody schedules, who pays for what expenses, etc. Also, don't forget that even though child support is ending for your oldest, if you're still receiving it for your other three kids, that will still count as income on the FAFSA. But the good news is that as the custodial parent with 90% custody, you're definitely the one who should fill it out, and your son should qualify for aid based on your income level. The system actually works in your favor in this case, unlike some of the horror stories here about remarriage situations!
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