FAFSA confusion - mom files taxes with dad but they aren't married - how to report?

Wait, if they aren't married, how are they filing taxes together? I thought only married couples could file jointly. Are you sure they're filing correctly with the IRS?

This is an important distinction for FAFSA purposes. If your parents live together but aren't married, BOTH need to provide their information on the FAFSA. The system requires both parents' information if they live together, regardless of their marital status or how they file taxes. But something doesn't add up - unmarried couples cannot file joint tax returns with the IRS. Each person must file their own return if they're not legally married (or qualifying as 'head of household' in some cases).

I got confused by this too! For FAFSA, if your parents live together (even if not married), you have to report BOTH of their information. Put zeros for your mom if she has no income. The system might flag you for verification because no-income parents often get extra review, but that's normal.

From my experience with FAFSA, you need to include both parents if they live together, regardless of marital status. Your mom should be listed with $0 income if that's accurate. Make sure you indicate her filing status correctly though - she should be filing her own return as 'single' or possibly 'head of household' if she qualifies. And yes, households with a zero-income parent are often selected for verification, but it's not a big deal if your information is accurate. You'll just need to provide documentation proving the reported income (or lack thereof).

omg the FAFSA system is so confusinggggg. why cant they just make it simple????

If you need to talk to someone at Federal Student Aid to verify how to handle this specific situation, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I wasted days trying to get through to FAFSA last month about a similar parent reporting issue, then found this service that got me through to an agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - totally worth it because the agent walked me through exactly what to do.

I went through this exact scenario with my partner's kid last year! Here's what we learned: 1. For FAFSA, unmarried parents who live together BOTH need to provide info 2. Your mom would report her income as $0 if she doesn't work 3. Your dad reports his income separately 4. Both should be listed as "unmarried and both legal parents living together" 5. They would have separate tax filing statuses (not joint) The FSA system has a specific category for this situation. Just make sure your dad isn't claiming your mom as a dependent on his taxes, which would be a different scenario.

One more important point: when you're entering the tax information, make sure you use the Data Retrieval Tool if possible. This pulls information directly from the IRS and reduces the chance of verification. For your mom with zero income, you'll likely need to enter that manually, but your dad should use the DRT if eligible.

Great to hear you got it sorted out! This is definitely one of those FAFSA situations that seems way more complicated than it actually is. Your experience will probably help other students who run into the same thing. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is such a lifesaver when it works - saves so much time and reduces errors. Good luck with the rest of your application process!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with something similar but slightly different - my mom and stepdad have been together for 10+ years and live together but never officially got married. My stepdad has been supporting me financially though, so I'm wondering if I should include his information too even though he's not my biological parent? The FAFSA wording about "step-parents" is confusing when they're not legally married. Has anyone navigated this situation?