FAFSA confusion - who counts as parent when I claim boyfriend's daughter on taxes?

For FAFSA purposes, only legal parents count, so your boyfriend (her biological father) should be listed. The fact that you claim her on taxes doesn't matter for FAFSA. They look at legal parent relationships only. Since the mom isn't in the picture and dad has no income, this might actually help her get more aid!

i went through something similar with my step kid. fafsa only cares about biological or adoptive parents, not who claims the kid on taxes. sounds like your boyfriend should be the only parent listed since bio mom is gone. but make sure he has an FSA ID setup before you start the application even tho he has no income

Let me clarify something important here: FAFSA only recognizes legal parents - biological or adoptive. Since you're the boyfriend, not a legal parent (even if you financially support her), you are NOT included on the FAFSA. The student will only list her biological father. Since the mother is absent, there's no second parent to list. The father's zero income will actually qualify her for significant aid, likely maximum Pell Grant eligibility. This unusual situation might trigger verification, so keep documentation ready showing the father's legal status and household situation. Your tax information is completely irrelevant for her FAFSA - even though you claim her as a dependent on your taxes.

WRONG ADVICE ABOVE!!! If they live together as a household and she provides more than 50% support, she IS considered a parent for FAFSA!!! I know this because my cousin went through this exact situation!!

Just went through this process with my daughter. FAFSA only wants legal parents on the application. In your case, that means only your boyfriend (the biological father) should be listed, and since he has no income, your daughter will likely qualify for a lot of aid. However, be prepared for verification - the financial aid office might require proof of the household situation. Also, make sure your boyfriend creates his FSA ID well before starting the application - this can take time to process! And don't worry about the biological mother - if she's not in the picture, she's not included.

In our case, they asked for a letter explaining the family situation, plus documentation that the remaining parent had legal custody. If your boyfriend has any legal paperwork showing he has custody (even if it's from years ago), keep that handy. They may also ask for proof that the mother is not involved - a statement from your boyfriend might be sufficient for that.

Just to add to what others have said - the FAFSA specifically defines a parent as biological or legally adoptive parents. The fact that you claim her on your taxes doesn't make you her parent for FAFSA purposes. Since her father has zero income, she'll likely qualify for a significant amount of need-based aid, including potentially a full Pell Grant. This is actually advantageous! However, because it's an unusual situation (single parent with zero income), it may trigger verification. Keep documentation ready showing the father's legal custody status and your household arrangement. And make sure he creates his FSA ID well in advance - this is required for him to sign the FAFSA electronically.

When I was trying to reach a real person at Federal Student Aid about a similar verification issue last year, I spent HOURS on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual human at FSA in about 15 minutes. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me so much frustration when trying to resolve our unusual household situation. Definitely keep this in your back pocket if you end up needing to talk to someone directly about your verification documents.

btw forgot to mention make sure the father fills out the fafsa not you, since ur not the legal parent. also if the father has been claiming any government benefits like disability or unemployment those need to be reported even tho they aren't taxable income

Yes, document any non-taxable income like disability benefits. For FAFSA purposes, this still counts as income even though it's not taxed. However, the good news is that with only disability income, your student will likely still qualify for significant need-based aid. When completing the FAFSA, the application will ask if the parent receives certain federal benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, or SSI - answering yes to any of these can qualify the student for an automatic zero EFC (now called 0 SAI - Student Aid Index), which maximizes their aid eligibility.

As someone who's helped multiple students through unusual FAFSA situations, I want to emphasize a few key points: 1) You're absolutely right that only the biological father should be listed as the parent, regardless of who claims her on taxes. 2) His SSDI income actually needs to be reported on the FAFSA, but since he likely qualifies for means-tested benefits, she should get automatic maximum aid eligibility. 3) Start the application early because verification is almost guaranteed with a single-parent household with only disability income. 4) Have documentation ready: custody papers, proof of benefits, and a signed statement explaining the mother's absence. The silver lining is that her aid package will likely be very generous! Make sure the father completes and signs the FAFSA himself using his own FSA ID.