Do FAFSA and Common App parent info need to match if using only one parent's income?

You're asking about two different systems that serve different purposes. For FAFSA, you're absolutely correct to only include the custodial parent's information (yours) if you're divorced. That's following proper FAFSA guidelines. For the Common App, it's actually best practice to complete all the parent information sections as accurately as possible, even if that includes the non-custodial parent. Colleges understand these are different systems with different requirements, and they won't consider it suspicious or inconsistent. Common App is primarily for admissions, while FAFSA is specifically for financial aid calculations based on custodial household income.

we had the same thing last yr when my son applied. put both parents on common app but only me (mom) on fafsa since im custodial parent. worked fine no problems at all with his financial aid packages!!

This is a common source of confusion! To clarify: Common App and FAFSA serve different purposes and have different requirements. FAFSA: Only include the custodial parent's information (the parent with whom the student lived more during the past 12 months). If time was split equally, use the parent who provided more financial support. Common App: Complete all parent sections as requested. Many colleges use this information for a complete picture of the family, not just for financial calculations. Some colleges may also require the CSS Profile, which DOES ask for non-custodial parent information for certain schools. That's separate from both Common App and FAFSA. To ensure everything goes smoothly, I recommend keeping documentation of your custody arrangement handy in case it's requested during verification.

When I was filling out college apps like 2 years ago I remember this exact situation being so confusing lol. My parents are divorced and I ended up putting both on Common App but only my mom on FAFSA since she's who I live with most of the time. Then later some schools asked for additional divorce documentation and some didn't care at all. Totally depended on the school!

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO BE CONFUSING! They WANT you to make mistakes so they can deny aid or flag your application for "verification" which is just code for "we're going to make you jump through a million hoops." My daughter's FAFSA got flagged for verification last year because of a similar parent info situation and we ended up missing deadlines because they kept asking for more and more documents. The schools don't talk to each other, the systems don't talk to each other, and families get caught in the middle. It's RIDICULOUS!

When I was dealing with this exact issue (divorced parents, only reporting custodial parent on FAFSA), I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid for clarification. Called dozens of times and got disconnected or waited forever. Finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an FSA agent in about 10 minutes. They confirmed it's completely fine to have different parent information on Common App vs. FAFSA since they're separate systems with different requirements. You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me so much stress knowing I was doing it right.

One additional point to consider: Some more selective private colleges require the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, and the CSS Profile does often require non-custodial parent information even if FAFSA doesn't. Check if any schools on your daughter's list require the CSS Profile so you can plan accordingly. Each college sets its own policy on whether they require non-custodial parent information on the CSS Profile.

wait im confused about something else - i thought fafsa changed this year and now asks about "contributors" not parents? does the contributor have to be the custodial parent or can it be anyone? my situation is complicated bc im mostly with my stepdad but my bio mom is technically custodial parent...

When my son was applying for colleges last year, we were in the same situation and I remember being so stressed about it all! What we ended up doing was putting both parents on Common App but just me as the custodial parent on FAFSA. Then for the 3 schools that required CSS Profile, we had to provide info for both parents which was a whole other headache because my ex wouldn't cooperate at first. My advice is to start early and get all your documentation organized NOW. We kept a folder with the divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns, etc. Half the schools never asked for anything but a couple did want verification.

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My ex and I divorced 3 years ago and I've been dreading this whole process. It's reassuring to hear from so many people who've successfully navigated this. A few questions for those who've been through it: 1) Should I give my daughter's dad a heads up that some schools might request his info for CSS Profile, or just deal with it if/when it comes up? 2) For the schools that asked for additional documentation, was it usually right after you submitted applications or closer to when aid packages were finalized? I'm trying to set realistic expectations for the timeline. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this confusing process!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm what others have said - it's totally normal to have different parent information on Common App vs FAFSA! We were in the exact same situation (divorced, I'm custodial parent) and I was so worried about inconsistencies too. Here's what I learned: 1) Common App wants complete family info for admissions purposes, 2) FAFSA only needs custodial parent info for aid calculations, 3) Colleges see this all the time and don't consider it suspicious. My biggest tip: start gathering documents now (divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns) just in case you get selected for verification. Also, if any schools on your daughter's list require CSS Profile, check their non-custodial parent policies early so you can plan accordingly. The whole process felt overwhelming at first but it worked out fine - she got great aid packages and is happily in college now!

I went through this exact same situation with my son two years ago and completely understand your stress! Here's what worked for us: We put both parents on Common App (full family picture for admissions) but only me (custodial parent) on FAFSA (for financial aid calculations). Zero issues with any of the schools - they totally understand this is how divorced families handle these different systems. The key thing is being consistent within each application. So on FAFSA, always only include custodial parent info. On Common App, include whatever parent info they're asking for. Don't overthink it - admissions offices see this scenario constantly and know exactly what's going on. Your daughter's financial aid won't be impacted by having different parent info on these two separate systems!

I'm a newcomer to this process and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! My situation is very similar - divorced parents, I'm the custodial parent, and I've been losing sleep over whether having different parent info on Common App vs FAFSA would cause problems. Reading everyone's real experiences here has given me so much peace of mind. It sounds like the key takeaway is that these are separate systems serving different purposes, and colleges completely understand this. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about organizing all documentation upfront (divorce decree, custody agreement, etc.) just in case. One quick question - for those who went through verification, was there anything specific you wish you had prepared differently? I want to make sure I'm as ready as possible if we get selected. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your experiences!

As someone new to this whole college financial aid process, I can't tell you how much this thread has helped ease my anxiety! My ex-husband and I divorced two years ago, and I've been dreading having to navigate all these forms. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - it's clear that having different parent information on Common App versus FAFSA is completely normal and expected for divorced families. I'm definitely taking the advice about getting all documentation organized early. It sounds like having your divorce decree, custody agreement, and tax returns readily available can save a lot of headaches if you get selected for verification. The reassurance that admissions offices see this situation constantly and know exactly how to handle it makes me feel so much more confident about moving forward. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this has been more helpful than any official guidance I've found online!

As a newcomer to this community and the college financial aid process, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and reassuring experiences! My daughter and I are facing this exact situation - divorced parents, I'm custodial, and we've been so stressed about potential inconsistencies between forms. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. The key points I'm taking away are: 1) Common App and FAFSA serve different purposes so different parent info is totally normal, 2) colleges see this constantly and aren't suspicious, 3) organize documentation early (divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns), and 4) check if any target schools require CSS Profile since that may need non-custodial parent info. This thread has given me so much more confidence moving forward. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you hear from real families who've successfully navigated this process!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to echo what so many others have said - this thread has been an absolute lifesaver! My situation is nearly identical: divorced for 4 years, I'm the custodial parent, and I've been absolutely terrified about messing up my son's financial aid by having inconsistent information across applications. Reading through everyone's real experiences has completely changed my perspective. I now understand that Common App and FAFSA are separate systems with different purposes, and colleges expect to see different parent information for divorced families. The consistent message from families who've successfully gone through this is so reassuring! I'm definitely taking the advice about organizing all documentation upfront - divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns, etc. It sounds like being proactive can make a huge difference if verification comes up. Also planning to research CSS Profile requirements for our target schools since that seems to be another layer to consider. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your experiences and advice. This community support means the world to stressed parents like us who are just trying to do right by our kids!

As a newcomer to this community and someone currently going through this exact situation, I can't express how grateful I am for this thread! My daughter and I have been stressed for weeks about the parent information differences between Common App and FAFSA. I'm the custodial parent after a divorce 3 years ago, and I was genuinely worried that colleges would think we were being deceptive by having different parent info on different applications. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - it's clear that this is an incredibly common situation that admissions and financial aid offices handle all the time. The key insight that these are separate systems serving different purposes (admissions vs. financial aid) really helps it make sense. I'm definitely taking all the practical advice to heart: organizing our divorce decree, custody agreement, and tax returns now rather than waiting, checking which schools on our list require CSS Profile, and understanding that consistency within each application matters more than consistency across applications. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this has been more valuable than any official guidance I've found online. It's such a comfort to know we're not alone in navigating this process!

As a newcomer to this community and the college financial aid process, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! My family is in the exact same situation - I'm divorced and the custodial parent, and I've been absolutely panicking about whether having different parent information on Common App versus FAFSA would somehow jeopardize my child's financial aid opportunities. Reading through everyone's real experiences here has been such a relief. The consistent message from families who've successfully navigated this process is that colleges completely understand this situation and see it all the time. It makes perfect sense that Common App (for admissions) would want complete family information while FAFSA (for financial aid) follows specific custodial parent guidelines - they serve different purposes! I'm definitely taking everyone's advice about getting organized early with all the documentation (divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns) and researching CSS Profile requirements for our target schools. It's so reassuring to know that what felt like an impossible contradiction is actually just standard operating procedure for divorced families. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and advice - this community support has been invaluable for a stressed parent just trying to do right by their kid!

As a newcomer to this community and someone currently facing this exact dilemma, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences! My ex and I divorced two years ago, and I've been absolutely stressed about navigating the parent information requirements across different applications. Reading through all these real-world examples has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that having different parent info on Common App versus FAFSA is not only normal but expected for divorced families. The explanation that these systems serve different purposes really helps it all make sense: Common App needs the complete family picture for admissions decisions, while FAFSA follows specific custodial parent rules for financial aid calculations. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice about getting all our documentation organized early (divorce decree, custody papers, tax returns) and checking CSS Profile requirements for the schools on our list. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - knowing that so many families have successfully navigated this process gives me confidence that we can too!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm going through this exact same situation - divorced parent, custodial parent trying to figure out the FAFSA vs Common App parent information requirements. I was honestly losing sleep over whether having different parent info on these applications would somehow flag our family or hurt my daughter's financial aid chances. Reading through everyone's real experiences has been such a relief! The consistent message that colleges see this situation constantly and completely understand why divorced families would have different parent information on Common App (complete family picture for admissions) versus FAFSA (custodial parent for financial calculations) makes so much sense. It's reassuring to know these are just different systems serving different purposes, not some contradiction we need to worry about. I'm definitely taking all the practical advice to heart - organizing our divorce decree, custody agreement, and tax returns now rather than waiting, and checking which schools on our list might require CSS Profile. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community support means everything to parents like me who are just trying to navigate this process successfully for our kids!