FAFSA household size confusion - 21yo son's taxes and non-dependent grandmother

Your FAFSA household size should be 4 - you, your spouse, your daughter, and your son. Your son counts in your household size if you provide more than half his support, even if you don't claim him on taxes. Your mother would NOT count because she only lives with you part-time and you don't provide more than half her support. And yes, if your son is included in household size, FAFSA will require his tax info as a contributor regardless of whether you claimed him.

when i did my fafsa last year i put my brother who was 22 and they didnt ask for his taxes. he lived at home but had a job. got confused too lol

The household size vs. contributor questions always trip people up! Your son's tax info will DEFINITELY be required if you list him in the household. My sister went through this exact scenario last year with her kid who had a part-time job. But your mother wouldn't count in household size unless you provide more than 50% of her support for the full year, even if she lives with you part time.

You're overthinking this - FAFSA is looking for who YOU support financially, not who you claim on taxes. Those are different things. Your household size should be 4 (you, spouse, daughter, son). Your son needs to be included because you support him by providing housing. Your mother is NOT included because she's only there part-time and you don't provide majority support. And YES, your son WILL need to provide his tax information as a contributor. This is absolutely required for any household member over 18 who is not in college. FAFSA calculations include ALL household income, not just the parents'.

If your son lives with you and receives more than 50% of his support from you (housing, food, insurance, etc.), then he MUST be included in household size (making it 4) AND he MUST contribute his tax information. There is no way around this - it's a mandatory requirement for FAFSA. Your mother is not included since she only lives with you part-time and you don't provide majority support. If you try to exclude your son from household size to avoid providing his tax information, you risk being selected for verification. During verification, they'll discover the discrepancy and your daughter's financial aid could be delayed or reduced.

in my experience u shld just put ur daughter, u & husband only... thats it! my brother worked & lived at home when I applied & we didnt need to add his stuff at all, SAI was lower that way too

Been trying to call Federal Student Aid about this EXACT situation for my nephew's application. Wait times are insane! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a FAFSA agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed what others are saying - your 21-year-old son IS part of household size if you provide more than 50% support (housing counts big here), and his tax info WILL be required as a contributor. Grandmother is NOT included if she's only there part-time and you don't provide majority support. So household size = 4.

One important clarification: When determining if you provide more than 50% support, you need to calculate ALL costs - housing (including fair market rent value), food, utilities, car expenses, insurance, medical costs, clothing, etc. Add ALL those up, then determine how much you provide vs. how much he pays himself. If you're right on the edge of 50%, you might be able to legitimately exclude him, but housing is usually a big expense that tips the scales. If you do exclude him, be prepared to document your calculation if selected for verification.

After my daughter's first FAFSA got selected for verification because I miscounted household size, I learned my lesson! Don't mess with these numbers! Better to include everyone who should be included, even if it seems unfair that your son's income might reduce your daughter's aid. The alternative is dealing with verification, which delays everything and is a HUGE PAIN!!! Just make sure your son knows he'll need to create an FSA ID and be ready to enter his tax info from last year.

One final note - make sure your son completes his contributor information promptly. All contributors must submit their information before the FAFSA can be processed. If he delays, it will hold up your daughter's entire financial aid package. The school's priority deadlines for financial aid are important - missing them can mean less aid for your daughter.

Just went through this exact situation last month! Had the same confusion with my 20-year-old who works but lives at home. Here's what I learned: if you're providing free housing, you're almost certainly providing more than 50% support even if he pays for other things. Housing costs are usually the biggest expense when you calculate fair market rent value. I ended up including my son (household size 4 in your case) and yes, he had to provide his tax info as a contributor. It was awkward but necessary. Don't risk verification by trying to exclude him if you truly provide majority support - the delays aren't worth it!