FAFSA 2024-25 confusion: Parents' marital status - current or 2022 tax year?

You should report their CURRENT marital status - meaning separated. The FAFSA specifically wants the marital status as of today, not when the taxes were filed. The fact that their 2022 taxes were filed jointly is a separate issue from their current marital status. The FAFSA instructions are clear about this (even though it seems counterintuitive).

my brother put wrong martial status and got flagged for verification last yr took AGES to fix. make sure u get it right first time!!!!

The FAFSA instructions are very specific about this. You must report their CURRENT marital status as of the day you complete the form, not their status during the tax year. So if they're separated now, you select "separated." Then for the financial information, you report what was filed on their 2022 taxes. Yes, this creates a seeming mismatch, but it's how the system is designed. If selected for verification, you may need to provide documentation of their separation date.

this happens all the time! dont worry about it - fafsa wants current status because theyre calculating future aid not past aid. they know ppl get divorced or married between tax year and application.

Actually, I think you need to be careful here. If they're separated but not legally separated, the FAFSA might still consider them married. There's a difference between physically separated and legally separated according to FAFSA rules. Did they actually file legal separation documents?

I just dealt with this exact situation. The FSA customer service line takes FOREVER to reach someone, and I ended up waiting for almost 2 hours only to get disconnected! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in about 10 minutes, and they explained that I needed to list the current marital status, then provide additional documentation because my parents' status had changed since the tax year. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - saved me so much frustration.

my cousins parents were separated but got back together and it messed up their fafsa big time lol just saying make sure whatever u put is accurate

After you submit, print out a copy of your FAFSA for your records. If you get selected for verification (which is random but happens more often with status changes), you'll want to have documentation ready. This should include: 1. The 2022 tax return showing joint filing 2. Documentation of their current separation (utility bills or leases showing separate addresses) 3. A statement explaining the change in marital status Being prepared ahead of time can save weeks of processing delays.

Just wanted to add that if your parents are truly separated (living apart with intent for permanent separation), you should also be prepared to report only one parent's income and assets going forward. Since they filed jointly in 2022, you'll use that joint return for the 2024-25 FAFSA, but you'll need to determine which parent you lived with more in the past 12 months - that's your "custodial parent" for FAFSA purposes. Their income and assets (and any new spouse's) will be what counts for future aid calculations. This can actually work in your favor financially if the custodial parent has lower income than what the joint return showed.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you report "separated" as the current marital status, the FAFSA will then ask you to identify which parent is your custodial parent (the one you lived with most during the past 12 months). This is crucial because it determines whose financial information you'll need to provide in addition to the 2022 joint tax return. Make sure you're clear on this before you start filling out that section, as it affects which parent's current assets and any new spouse information you might need to include. The custodial parent determination can be tricky if you've been splitting time between both parents since the separation.