FAFSA confusion with divorce, multiple kids in college & 2023 joint taxes for 2025-2026

divorce + fafsa = nightmare!! going thru this now with my ex. we divorced last yr & i had to do a special circumstance form because our income changed so much. Not sure about your tax situation tho

For 2025-2026 FAFSA, you need to understand a few key points: 1. The parent who provides MORE THAN 50% of the student's financial support is the one who should fill out the FAFSA, regardless of who claims them on taxes. So yes, if you're providing most support for both kids, you would list yourself as the contributor for both. 2. Since your 2023 taxes were filed jointly, you'll need to determine your individual portion of the income and assets from that joint return. This gets tricky and you might need to work with a financial aid officer at your children's schools. 3. You might qualify for a special circumstance review if your financial situation has changed significantly since 2023 (like due to the divorce). I recommend calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly to explain your situation. They can give you specific guidance for your case.

It's not always a 50/50 split. Schools may ask for W-2s and other documentation to determine your individual income. Some schools use a formula based on the percentage of income you contributed to the household, while others might request you complete a specific institutional form. Typically you'll need: - Your W-2s from 2023 - Documentation showing which assets are solely yours post-divorce - Your divorce decree once finalized in November - Documentation of support provided to each child Each school handles this differently, so I suggest contacting the financial aid offices at your children's specific schools once you submit the FAFSA.

I went thru this last year the FAFSA is going to be confusing becuase you filed jointly in 2023 but will be divorced in 2024 before the FAFSA deadline. I think you can ask for a professional judgment review to update your status but it depends on the school. Also your kids might need to list both parents anyway depending on teh custody arrangement so you might need your ex to cooperate anyway for all the information.

Save yourself HOURS of frustration and use Claimyr to get through to an actual human at Federal Student Aid. I spent 3 weeks trying to get clarification about my divorce/FAFSA situation (kept getting disconnected or 2+ hour wait times). Then I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an FSA agent in under 20 minutes who answered all my specific questions. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Seriously, for complicated situations like divorce + joint taxes + multiple kids in college, you need personalized advice from FSA directly, not just forum opinions.

Two important things no one mentioned yet: 1) When you fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA, your divorce will already be final (Nov 2024), so you'll be filing as a divorced parent, BUT using 2023 tax info from when you were married. This is a common scenario FSA deals with. 2) The support test is based on who provides more FINANCIAL support, not where they live more often. So if you're paying more than 50% of education, housing, food, medical, etc. for BOTH kids, then you should be the contributor parent for both FAFSA applications, regardless of tax claiming. Document EVERYTHING related to your financial support of both children. The school might request this during verification.

Based on the latest FAFSA updates, here's exactly what you need to do: 1. Since you provide more than 50% financial support for both children, you will be the contributing parent for both FAFSA applications, regardless of tax claiming status. 2. For the 2023 joint tax return issue, you'll initially enter the full household AGI from your joint return, but then you should: - Have your W-2s and other income documents ready - After submitting FAFSA, contact each school's financial aid office to explain your divorce situation - Request a "Special Circumstance Review" due to the change in marital status - They'll likely ask for your portion of the 2023 income and current financial information 3. Keep careful records of all expenses for both children to demonstrate you provide majority support. The key is completing the FAFSA first with the information available, then working with each school to adjust based on your changed circumstances.

hey i think ur overthinking this! when i did my sons FAFSA after divorce, i just entered my own w2 info and explained we filed jointly but were now divorced. financial aid office just had me fill out a form showing which income was mine vs ex's. wasn't that complicated tbh

why is fafsa still using 2023 taxes anyway??? my income is TOTALLY different now than it was 2 years ago. the whole system is so stupid!!!!

I went through a similar situation last year and here's what helped me navigate it: First, yes - you'll be the contributor parent for both kids since you provide majority financial support, regardless of who claims them on taxes. The new FAFSA rules are clear on this. For the joint 2023 taxes issue, here's what worked for me: 1. Complete the FAFSA initially using your joint return info 2. Immediately contact each school's financial aid office to explain your situation 3. They'll likely ask for your individual W-2s from 2023 to separate your income from your ex's 4. Be prepared to provide your divorce decree once it's finalized Pro tip: Start gathering documentation NOW - your 2023 W-2s, bank statements showing you pay for kids' expenses, any support documentation, etc. Having everything organized made the process so much smoother. Most schools are experienced with divorce situations and were actually very helpful once I explained what was happening. Don't stress too much - this is more common than you think!