FAFSA child support reporting confusion - split between kids or full amount?

For the FAFSA, you should report the TOTAL child support received for ALL children in your household. Unlike the NYS TAP which specifies only the student's portion, FAFSA wants the full amount. From the FAFSA instructions: "Enter the total amount of child support you received in 2022 for ALL children in your household." So if you reported the full $10K, you did it correctly! Regarding your SAI of 17000, that's on the higher end for Pell Grant eligibility but your student should still qualify for subsidized loans. The child support isn't what's hurting you as much as the life insurance policy liquidation that bumped your AGI. That's considered a one-time event though, so if your 2023 income is substantially lower, you might want to file a Professional Judgment appeal with the financial aid office.

ive been thru this exact situation lol. u put ALL child support for ALL kids on fafsa. thats what the financial aid ppl told me when i called. tap is different idk why. also that life insurance thing is gonna hurt u this year but next year when u do fafsa again it wont be there so ur aid might be better

A Professional Judgment (PJ) appeal is definitely something you should look into. Since your 2023 income is significantly lower than what was reported on the 2022 tax return (which is what the 2024-2025 FAFSA used), you can ask the financial aid office to review your current financial situation instead. For the PJ appeal, you'll need to provide documentation of your reduced income - pay stubs showing the elimination of overtime, a letter from your employer confirming the change in compensation structure, and any other evidence of reduced income. Each school has their own process for this, but typically it involves a form and supporting documentation. Regarding your younger child wanting to attend a private school - make sure they understand the financial implications. Have them run the Net Price Calculator on the private schools they're considering to get a realistic picture of what your out-of-pocket costs might be. Many private schools offer institutional aid, but rarely enough to make them as affordable as SUNY schools.

The whole FAFSA system is RIDICULOUS!!! They PENALIZE divorced parents who actually RECEIVE child support while deadbeat parents pay NOTHING toward college!!! My ex hasn't paid a dime in 7 years but my daughter's aid was calculated like I'm rolling in money!!! The system is BROKEN and punishes responsible parents! I had to take out Parent PLUS loans for everything and now I'm drowning in debt at 53!!! And don't get me started on how they count child support for siblings who aren't even in college!!! Pure INSANITY!!!

My sister went through something similar last year with her FAFSA. She spent hours on hold trying to talk to someone at Federal Student Aid to ask about the child support question. She eventually got through using some service called Claimyr that got her past the hold times (claimyr.com). They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed she needed to report all child support for all children, not just the student.

idk if this helps but im a financial aid counselor and see this question all the time. for FAFSA you report ALL child support for ALL kids. for TAP you only report for the student. its confusing bc they have different rules for some reason. your SAI sounds right based on your income+that life insurance payout. next year will be better with lower income.

Thank you all SO much for the helpful advice! I'm definitely going to pursue that Professional Judgment appeal right away. And for next year when both kids are in college, I'll make sure to report the child support correctly on both FAFSA and TAP (full amount on FAFSA, split on TAP). I've already had a preliminary talk with my younger one about college costs. She's adamant about this one private school with a good program in her field, but I've made it clear we need to see the actual numbers before committing to anything. We're going to visit both some private options and a couple of SUNYs with similar programs. This forum has been such a lifesaver - I was really spiraling thinking I had messed up the FAFSA and potentially cost my kid thousands in aid. I feel like I can actually breathe now!

my daughter just finished college and i wished someone told me to appeal when my income changed! we lost out on so much aid cuz i didnt know about that professional judgmetn thing. also divorce makes fafsa 10x more complicated so dont feel bad for being confused everyone is

As someone who's been through the FAFSA process with multiple kids, I can confirm you did the right thing reporting the full $10K! The instructions are definitely confusing because different aid programs have different rules. One thing I'd add about the Professional Judgment appeal - make sure to submit it as soon as possible. Many schools have deadlines for these appeals, and the earlier you get it in, the better your chances of getting additional aid for the current year. Also, keep copies of everything you submit. For planning ahead with both kids in college next year, your SAI should actually go down significantly just from having two students enrolled simultaneously. The FAFSA formula divides the parent contribution between enrolled students, so even without the income change, you should see better aid packages across the board. Good luck with everything! The first year is definitely the steepest learning curve, but you've got this.