FAFSA for divorced parents - dad on disability, mom higher income with 4 dependents - who should report?
My daughter is starting her sophomore year at University and we're trying to figure out the FAFSA situation. For her freshman year, she didn't qualify for any financial aid or grants. But things have changed - her dad has been on long-term disability for almost 14 months now and his income has dropped significantly. I'm her mom and actually earning more than him now, but I'm supporting 4 people in my household plus helping my daughter. We're divorced and live separately. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, should we use her dad's information since his income is lower? Or mine even though I have more dependents? I'm confused about which approach would get her the most aid without doing anything improper. Thanks for any help!
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Avery Saint
For a dependent student with divorced parents, FAFSA says to use the parent who provided more financial support during the past 12 months, not just who makes more or less money. So if your daughter lived with you more or you provided more support, it should be your info regardless of who might get her more money. That's what the financial aid officer told me when I was in a similar situation.
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Ryan Vasquez
•Thanks for the response. She actually splits her time pretty evenly between us when she's not at school. He pays for her car insurance and phone, I handle medical and clothing expenses. Would we need to literally calculate who paid more?
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Taylor Chen
When my parents divorced i put my dads info cause he made less and i got way more financial aid that way lol. No one ever questioned anything 🤷♀️
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Keith Davidson
•This is incorrect advice that could cause serious problems. The FAFSA requires the information of the parent who provided more financial support in the past 12 months, regardless of income level. Providing false information on the FAFSA is considered fraud and can result in fines up to $20,000, imprisonment, or both. Additionally, the student would have to repay any aid received fraudulently and could be ineligible for future federal aid.
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Ezra Bates
The 2025-2026 FAFSA rules specifically state that for divorced/separated parents, you report the info for the parent who provided MORE FINANCIAL SUPPORT in the last 12 months. If it's roughly equal, then it's the parent the student lived with more. If that's also equal, then you can choose the parent whose information would be more beneficial for aid purposes. However, there's another factor to consider: the household size matters significantly in the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation. Your household of 4 dependents could actually work in your daughter's favor even with higher income compared to her father with presumably fewer dependents. My suggestion: Do a simulation with both scenarios using the Federal Student Aid Estimator on studentaid.gov before deciding.
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Ryan Vasquez
•This is really helpful, thank you! I didn't realize the calculator could help compare both scenarios. I'll definitely try that approach. I think we're truly 50/50 on support and time, so it sounds like we do have some flexibility in choosing which parent reports.
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Ana Erdoğan
When my kid applied for FAFSA last year we had to deal with a similar situation, my husband got laid off but the FAFSA was using income from before that happened and we couldnt get any help. so frustrating!!
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Ezra Bates
•That's where a financial aid appeal can help! With your husband's layoff, you could have submitted a special circumstances appeal with documentation of the change in income. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will use 2023 tax information, but financial aid offices can adjust for significant changes in circumstances like disability, job loss, or medical expenses that happened after the tax year being used.
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Sophia Carson
I'VE BEEN CALLING THE FEDERAL STUDENT AID HELPLINE FOR 3 DAYS STRAIGHT with a similar question about divorced parents and NEVER got through!!! This is ridiculous how are we supposed to do this right when no one will answer basic questions?!?!?
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Elijah Knight
•I had the same problem last month but finally got through using Claimyr.com - it basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Was totally worth it to finally get my dependency override questions answered.
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Keith Davidson
Financial aid administrator here: The comments about using the parent who provided more support are correct, but there's another important consideration. With your ex-husband on long-term disability, you may qualify for what's called a "Professional Judgment" adjustment. This allows financial aid offices to adjust the SAI calculation based on special circumstances. Steps you should take: 1. Complete the FAFSA with the appropriate parent based on the support test 2. After receiving the SAI, contact the university's financial aid office directly 3. Request a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Appeal" 4. Provide documentation of the disability and income reduction This approach is completely legitimate and often results in significantly improved aid packages when there's been a major change like disability or job loss.
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Ryan Vasquez
•This is extremely helpful! I had no idea about the Professional Judgment option. Do most schools have a specific form for this, or is it usually just a matter of contacting the financial aid office directly? And would having this review affect her aid for the current year or only for next year?
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Keith Davidson
•Most schools have a specific form, usually called "Special Circumstances Appeal" or something similar. It's typically found on the financial aid section of the university's website or by contacting the office directly. This adjustment can affect the current academic year if you submit it promptly. You'll need documentation like the disability determination letter, current income statements, and possibly a written explanation of the situation. I'd suggest gathering these documents before contacting the financial aid office.
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Brooklyn Foley
we went thru something simlar when my husband got hurt at work. honestly dealing with FAFSA was a nitemare. they kept asking for more forms and then saying they never got them even tho we had confirmation numbers. waste of time if u ask me
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Ezra Bates
•I understand the frustration with documentation issues. For anyone facing this problem: always keep copies of everything you submit, note the date and time, and get confirmation numbers. If documents are "lost," having this information when you call can make a huge difference in resolving the issue quickly. Also, submitting documents through the studentaid.gov portal rather than mail or fax can reduce the chances of items being lost.
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Ryan Vasquez
Thank you everyone for all the incredibly helpful advice! I'm going to try the aid estimator with both scenarios, but it sounds like we'll probably use my ex-husband's information since his income is significantly lower due to disability. Then we'll definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review at her university's financial aid office. I feel much more prepared now - this has been so helpful!
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Avery Saint
•Just make sure you're following the support test correctly! Even if his income is lower, if you provided more support over the past year, you're supposed to use your information. The financial aid officers can spot inconsistencies when they review applications.
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Ryan Vasquez
•You're absolutely right - I'll go through our expenses carefully and figure out exactly who provided more support rather than just assuming. Better to do it correctly than have problems later!
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Mei Wong
I went through a similar situation with my daughter last year when my ex-husband lost his job mid-year. One thing I learned is that you can actually update your FAFSA information if there's been a significant change in circumstances since the tax year being used. The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses 2023 tax data, but since your ex-husband's disability started in 2024, you may be able to get what's called a "data change" to reflect his current lower income. Contact the financial aid office at your daughter's university - they can often make adjustments for situations like long-term disability that happened after the base tax year. This could potentially give you even better aid than just choosing which parent to report!
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KingKongZilla
•This is really great information about the data change option! I hadn't heard of that before. So even though we'd be using 2023 tax information, they can adjust for the disability that started in 2024? That makes a lot of sense since his current situation is so different from what the 2023 taxes show. I'll definitely bring this up when I contact the financial aid office along with the Professional Judgment review. Thank you for sharing your experience - it's reassuring to hear from someone who went through something similar!
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Aisha Khan
Just wanted to add another perspective on this - I work at a university financial aid office and see these situations frequently. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that if your daughter's father is receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), this information should definitely be included in any Professional Judgment appeal. Disability benefits are treated differently in the aid calculation and can significantly impact the final determination. Also, make sure to keep detailed records of all medical expenses related to the disability, as these can sometimes be factored into the appeal process as well. The key is comprehensive documentation when you approach the financial aid office - the more complete picture you can provide of the changed circumstances, the better they can assist you.
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Brielle Johnson
•This is incredibly valuable insight from someone who actually works in financial aid! I hadn't thought about the SSDI benefits being treated differently in the calculation. My ex-husband is receiving SSDI, so I'll make sure to include all that documentation. The point about medical expenses is really helpful too - there have been quite a few costs related to his condition that we've been paying out of pocket. It sounds like I should gather everything: the disability determination letter, SSDI award letters, medical bills, and a clear timeline of when everything started. Having someone from the inside confirm that these comprehensive appeals are common and successful gives me a lot more confidence about approaching this process. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your professional perspective!
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