FAFSA confusion - reporting divorced parent's joint 2022 tax return for 2025-2026

For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you'll need to follow these guidelines: 1. Only report the custodial parent's information. That means the parent your grandson lived with more during the 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA. If equal time, then it's the parent who provided more financial support. 2. The custodial parent will need to report their portion of the income from the joint return. There's a worksheet in the FAFSA to help separate this out - basically they'll report only what they earned individually. 3. Household size would include: the student, the custodial parent, and any other dependents that the custodial parent supports more than 50% (so just the kids that live primarily with that parent). 4. The step-mom doesn't need to provide info or sign anything if she's not the custodial parent.

ya this stuffs confusing!! when my parents got divorced we messed up our fafsa like 3 times lol. i think u only count the parent they live with most of the time and only that parents kids. my brother messed up and counted both parents income and got way less aid!!!

I work in financial aid at a university, and this is actually a common situation. Here's the accurate information: 1. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you need to report ONLY the custodial parent's information (the parent the student lived with more in the past 12 months). 2. To separate income from a joint return, you'll need the W-2s from 2022. The custodial parent reports ONLY their individual income, not the entire joint amount. 3. For household size, include: the student, the custodial parent, and any dependents that the custodial parent provides more than 50% support for, regardless of who claimed them on taxes. 4. The step-parent who is now divorced from the custodial parent does NOT need to provide information or sign anything. I recommend you gather all the 2022 W-2s and tax documents before starting the application. Also, make sure to save all documentation showing the date of separation/divorce as the financial aid office may request this for verification.

Great question about the investment income. For jointly owned investments, the income should be split based on actual ownership. If they each owned 50% of the investments, then report 50% of that income. If there's documentation showing a different ownership split, use that instead. If the investments were solely owned by one spouse (like an individual brokerage account), then 100% of that income goes to that spouse regardless of filing status. You may need to look at the actual investment account statements from 2022 to determine this.

I went through EXACTLY this nightmare last year. The FAFSA people gave me wrong info THREE TIMES when I called!!! Then they put us through verification which delayed everything by MONTHS. It was awful. Here's what finally worked: We got a copy of both W-2s, highlighted the custodial parent's income only, and created a signed statement explaining the divorce situation with dates. Our school's financial aid office accepted that, but FAFSA initially rejected it. Honestly, trying to get someone at Federal Student Aid on the phone was the WORST part of this whole process. I spent HOURS on hold and then got disconnected repeatedly.

FAFSA MAKES NO SENSE!!! Went thru this with my kid last year and we had to submit for a professional judgment review because the initial SAI was COMPLETELY WRONG based on joint returns from when we were married. Make sure u document EVERYTHING and be prepared to fight for the correct aid amount!!

For professional judgment we had to provide: separation agreement, proof of separate addresses, all W-2s, a breakdown of who earned what income (we made a spreadsheet), and a signed statement explaining everything. Start collecting all that now just in case! Our SAI dropped by over 6000 points after correction which meant my kid got way more grant money!

Has anyone else noticed that the FAFSA instructions COMPLETELY contradict the actual practice? The written guidelines say one thing but when you call they tell you something else! I spent hours trying to figure out if my ex's new spouse's income counted (it doesn't) but the FAFSA hotline person insisted it did until I spoke to a supervisor.

To summarize the correct approach for your grandson's situation: 1. Determine which parent is the custodial parent (who the student lived with more in the past 12 months) 2. Use only that parent's individual income from 2022 (use W-2s to separate it from the joint return) 3. For household size, include the student, the custodial parent, and any other people that the custodial parent supports more than 50% 4. Keep documentation of the divorce and separate residences in case of verification 5. Complete the FAFSA section that asks if the tax return parents are still married - answer "no" and it will guide you through the process If you encounter any issues after submission, contact the financial aid office at your grandson's school directly. They often have more authority to help with these situations than the general Federal Student Aid helpline.

As someone who just went through this exact situation with my daughter last year, I wanted to add that you should also be prepared for potential delays in processing. When there's a divorce involved and you're separating income from a joint return, FAFSA sometimes flags the application for additional review. My advice: submit the application as early as possible (ideally in January) because if they do select you for verification, it can add 4-6 weeks to the process. Also, make copies of everything - the W-2s, divorce decree, and any worksheets you create showing how you separated the income. Some schools will ask for these documents even if FAFSA doesn't initially request them. One more tip - if your grandson's dad remarried after the divorce, the new spouse's income WILL need to be included if they filed jointly for 2022 and are still married now. But since you mentioned the step-mom is "no longer in the picture," that shouldn't apply here. Good luck with the application!