FAFSA household size confusion - filing separately with 2 kids but form shows no dependents?
I'm completely stuck on the FAFSA household size question. This year I filed taxes separately from my husband (first time). I'm claiming our 2 daughters, so I thought I'd put household size as 3 (me + 2 kids). But when I enter 3, the dependent section becomes blank even though my youngest daughter still lives with me! If I include my husband in the count (making it 4), will that mess up my application since we filed separately? I'm so confused about whether he counts in household size when we're filing separately. Anyone dealt with this before?
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Zoe Walker
For FAFSA purposes, your household size should include you, your spouse (even if filing separately), and any dependents who receive more than half their support from you - regardless of who claimed them on taxes. So you should put 4 for your household size. Filing status doesn't change who counts in your household for financial aid purposes.
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Ryan Kim
•Oh that makes sense! So even though we filed separately, I still count him in household size? The form was so confusing because when I put 3, it wouldn't let me add dependents.
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Elijah Brown
I had the EXACT same problem last week! The FAFSA form is so frustrating. When I called, they told me that for FAFSA purposes your marital status matters more than your tax filing status. Spent 2 hrs on hold though ugh
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Maria Gonzalez
•2 hours?? Thats crazy. I gave up after 45 min last time
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Ryan Kim
•Wow, 2 hours is ridiculous! Did they at least solve your problem when you finally got through?
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Elijah Brown
@original poster - Yeah they fixed it but honestly it was such a waste of time. The agent said they're getting swamped with calls about the new SAI calculation system. If you're still having trouble, try Claimyr.com - my friend used it to skip the wait line when she had issues with her Parent Plus loan application. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Ryan Kim
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check that out if I can't figure this out. The new FAFSA is so much more complicated than before.
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Natalie Chen
This is why I HATE the new FAFSA!!! They completely overhauled everything and made it 10x MORE confusing. Last year my daughter almost missed out on her full Pell Grant because of weird household questions like this. If you're married, you HAVE to include your spouse in household size even if you file taxes separately - it's a completely different calculation than taxes!!!
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Santiago Martinez
•True but the new SAI formula is actually more generous for many families. My EFC last year was $9800 but my SAI this year is only $4300! Worth the hassle for us.
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Samantha Johnson
To clarify the FAFSA household size question: For the 2025-2026 application, you need to include: 1. Yourself 2. Your spouse (even if you file separately) 3. Your children who receive more than 50% support from you 4. Others who live with you and receive more than 50% support Your tax filing status (separate or joint) doesn't affect your FAFSA household size. The system may have glitched when you entered 3 because it knows you're married from earlier questions.
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Ryan Kim
•Thank you for breaking this down so clearly! I think I messed up because I answered the marital status question as "married" but then tried to exclude my husband from the household count. I'll try entering 4 and see if that fixes it.
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Nick Kravitz
my cousin had this same issue and found out household size for taxes and fafsa are totally different things. she filed separate too but still had to count her husband for fafsa. the form is super glitchy this year tho
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Ryan Kim
•It's really confusing! Did your cousin's financial aid amount change much with the new system?
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Nick Kravitz
•ya she actually got more money with the SAI than the old EFC system! like $3000 more in grants
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Ryan Kim
Update: I finally got it to work! I put 4 for household size (including my husband) and was able to complete that section. Turns out tax filing status and FAFSA household definition are completely different things. For anyone else confused - if you're married, you count your spouse in the FAFSA household regardless of how you file taxes. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Zoe Walker
•Glad you got it sorted out! And just so you know for next steps - your Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation will use both your income and your husband's even with separate tax filing. Make sure you have both tax returns handy for the contributor section.
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Connor O'Neill
Congrats on getting it figured out! This is such a common confusion point with the new FAFSA. I'm a first-time filer and was worried I'd make the same mistake. Your experience really helps clarify that marital status and tax filing status are treated completely differently for financial aid purposes. Definitely saving this thread for reference when I fill out my form next week!
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Andre Laurent
•So glad this thread helped! I made a ton of mistakes on my first FAFSA application last year and wish I had found discussions like this. One tip - make sure you have all your tax documents ready before you start, including any 1098-T forms from your school. The new system saves your progress but it's still easier to complete it in one sitting if possible. Good luck with your application!
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