Divorced parents filing jointly - Will ex's income count on FAFSA despite legal separation?

Unfortunately, this is a tricky situation with the FAFSA. Under the new FAFSA Simplification Act, if you're separated but filed taxes jointly, the system will likely require both incomes since that's what appears on your tax return. The FAFSA uses your tax information as the primary financial reference point. However, there are options! You should absolutely file a special circumstances appeal with each college's financial aid office after you submit the FAFSA, explaining your separation situation and documenting that your spouse provides no support. Most schools have processes for these situations.

my sister went thru this exact thing last year!!! The fasfa counted her ex's money and she got hardly any aid. then she had to do all these appeals at every single school. huge headache. maybe dont file jointly next year?

You need to contact each college financial aid office directly after submitting the FAFSA. They call this a "professional judgment" review or "special circumstances appeal." You'll typically need: 1) Legal separation documentation 2) Proof of separate households 3) Documentation showing you're providing 100% support 4) Letter explaining your situation. Don't skip this step! Financial aid officers have significant discretion to adjust your SAI (Student Aid Index) for these situations. Just be aware the process varies by school - some make it relatively easy, others require extensive documentation.

Ugh I hate the FAFSA so much!!! This EXACT thing happened to me but in reverse - my husband and I were separated when my daughter applied and his income got counted even though he hasn't contributed a PENNY since she was 5!!!! FAFSA doesn't care about your real situation, they just want to deny aid to as many students as possible. The whole system is broken.

I went through a similar situation with my daughter last year. After struggling to get someone on the phone about our special circumstances (which literally took DAYS of calling), I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a FAFSA agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for over a week. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - it seriously saved me so much time and frustration. The agent walked me through exactly what documentation I'd need for my special circumstances and how to properly document everything for the financial aid offices. Just knowing the right process made everything so much easier.

The agent told me to make sure I had: 1) A copy of the separation agreement 2) Documentation showing separate addresses 3) Bills showing I was covering all educational/living expenses 4) A personal statement explaining the situation. The most important advice was to contact each school's financial aid office IMMEDIATELY after submitting the FAFSA - don't wait for them to contact you. Every school has a different form for special circumstances.

Yes, unfortunately you do need to submit separate appeals to each school. This is because each institution handles professional judgment reviews independently - the FAFSA just provides the initial data, but schools have their own policies for adjustments. Some schools have simple online forms, others require specific documentation packages. I recommend creating a master folder with all your documentation, then adapting it to each school's requirements. Start a spreadsheet to track submission dates, contact info, and follow-up schedules for each school.

Absolutely start earlier! Submit the FAFSA as close to the opening date as possible (typically October), then immediately begin the special circumstances process with each school. This gives financial aid offices plenty of time to review before they start making aid offers. One more tip: the CSS Profile (required by many private schools) actually has a section where you can explain special circumstances directly on the form, so be sure to detail your situation there if any of your son's schools require it.

i saw a tiktok that said if ur separated but file jointly the FASFA will count BOTH incomes nomatter what!!!! they said its like the number 1 mistake people make and u cant fix it afterwards so ur basically screwed!!! is that true???

wasnt there something in the news about FAFSA changing all their rules? maybe the rules are different now and the advice people are giving is outdated??

Thank you everyone for all this helpful advice! I'm going to: 1) Get all my documentation together now 2) Submit FAFSA as early as possible in October 3) Immediately start the special circumstances process with each school 4) Keep detailed records of all communications. I also talked to my ex about possibly filing an amended return to separate our taxes, but my accountant advised against it since it could trigger other complications. Fingers crossed the appeals process works out. I'll update here after we get through it to help others in similar situations!

That sounds like a solid plan! One additional tip from my experience - when you're gathering documentation, also include any court orders or legal documents that specifically address child support (even if it's $0). Some schools asked for this as part of their review process. Also, don't get discouraged if some schools initially deny your appeal - you can often request a second review or speak with a supervisor. The squeaky wheel really does get the grease with financial aid offices. Good luck with everything, and definitely do update us on how it goes!

As someone new to navigating FAFSA complications, I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. Isabella, your situation sounds incredibly stressful but your methodical approach is inspiring. I'm curious - for those who have been through the special circumstances appeals process, roughly how long did it take to get responses from the financial aid offices? I'm trying to plan my own timeline and wondering if I should expect weeks or months for schools to review these cases. Also, did any schools ask for additional documentation beyond what you initially submitted, or was the standard package (separation agreement, proof of separate households, support documentation) usually sufficient?