FAFSA asking if I remarried but my new spouse died - How to answer as widow?

I think you should answer 'No' since your current marital status is now single/widowed. The FAFSA is looking for your current status, not your history. When they ask for tax info though, that might be different depending on how you filed taxes in the reporting year.

This is actually a common situation with specific guidelines. For the 2024-2025 FAFSA, you should answer based on your marital status ON THE DAY YOU COMPLETE THE FAFSA. Since your spouse passed away, you would select 'No' or 'Unmarried' for your current marital status. The form will then likely have a follow-up question about whether you're widowed, divorced, etc. However, for the financial information sections, you'll still need to report your 2022 tax information, which would include your spouse if you filed jointly that year. There should be instructions in that section about how to separate out your information if needed. The most important thing is that your answers match your documentation if you're selected for verification.

i went thru something similar but it was divorce not death (sorry for your loss btw). put your CURRENT status when filling it out, not past status. fafsa is super confusing with this stuff!!

My daughter's financial aid got COMPLETELY messed up because I answered one of these status questions wrong. I put I was married (technically true) but was separated and filing taxes separately. They ended up asking for my ex's information which was a nightmare to get. The FAFSA people are IMPOSSIBLE to reach by phone too - I spent HOURS trying to get someone to help fix it. My advice - answer with your CURRENT legal status, not past.

For the specific issue of remarriage followed by becoming widowed, the official guidance is to report your current marital status as of the date you sign the FAFSA. Since your spouse passed away, you would select 'Unmarried' and not 'Remarried.' Then for your financial information, you'll use your 2022 tax return. If you filed jointly with your late spouse in 2022, you'll need to separate your income from your spouse's when completing the financial sections. There are specific worksheets available on the studentaid.gov website to help with this calculation. This situation actually has a formal process for handling it correctly. FAFSA refers to it as a 'special circumstance' where your current household situation has significantly changed from your tax reporting year.

Trust me, just call them directly before submitting. I guessed on something similar (I got divorced mid-year) and it caused my kid's whole application to get flagged for verification which delayed everything by MONTHS.

Quick followup question - did you file taxes jointly with your late spouse for 2022? That's what's going to matter most for the financial portion of your FAFSA application.

One important thing to note - if you do answer 'No' to being remarried (which is correct), but then your 2022 tax return shows married filing jointly, you may get flagged for verification. This is normal and doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Just be prepared to provide documentation about your spouse's passing if requested. The financial aid office at your daughter's school can also help with special circumstances adjustments if your financial situation has changed dramatically since 2022.

just wondering - doesnt the student have to report if a parent died within a certain timeframe? i thought there was a question about that somewhere on the fafsa. might affect how much aid they get.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is definitely a confusing situation, but you're getting good advice here. I went through something similar when my mom became widowed during my FAFSA year. The key thing to remember is that FAFSA wants your current status when you're filling it out, not your history. So you'd answer "No" to remarried since you're currently widowed. One thing I'd add - make sure to keep copies of everything (death certificate, 2022 joint tax return, etc.) because you'll likely need them if you get selected for verification. Also, don't stress too much about getting flagged for verification - it's super common when there are discrepancies between current status and tax filing status, and the financial aid offices are used to handling these situations. They're generally pretty understanding about major life changes.