FAFSA household size confusion with stepchildren and child support - which parent reports what?

I went thru this exact thing last year. For your husbands section, he should ONLY count the kids who live with you full time (so 5 total). The child support he pays gets reported in a different section - there's a specific question about child support paid for children not in the household. And yes, if bio mom has no income and isn't the custodial parent, that's why they're not asking for her info. Just you and dad need to submit.

when i did this the fafsa ppl told me to count ALL the kids that get more than 50% of support from parents even if they dont live with u!!! this is why fafsa is so confusing!!! id say 8 to be safe

For blended families, FAFSA follows these specific rules: 1. Household size includes only people who physically live in the home AND receive more than 50% support 2. Child support paid is reported separately under "Additional Financial Information" 3. For the parent section, since your husband is the biological parent and you're married to him, both your incomes must be reported 4. The biological mother's information is NOT required if she's not the custodial parent Your husband should report 5 in the household size question. The child support he pays will be counted elsewhere and actually helps reduce your SAI (Student Aid Index).

my cousin filled her fafsa wrong about thishousehold thing and had to resubmit 3 times!!! major headache!

If you're having trouble getting actual answers from FSA about this, try Claimyr (claimyr.com). I used their service last month when I had a similar household question and couldn't get through on the regular FAFSA helpline. They got me connected to an actual agent in like 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it for peace of mind when dealing with complicated family situations.

I'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS NIGHTMARE!!! The whole FAFSA system is NOT designed for modern families at all!!! I spent WEEKS trying to figure this out for my stepkids. Here's what finally worked: - Household = only people who ACTUALLY LIVE WITH YOU more than 50% of the time - Child support is reported separately - it's actually beneficial for your SAI - Bio mom with no income doesn't need to report if she's not custodial parent Also - keep screenshots of EVERYTHING because FAFSA has been a disaster this year and they keep losing information!!!

I think the other kids who get child support count in the household number too? The FAFSA asks about dependents that receive more than half support from you, not just who lives with you. At least that's what I remember from when I filed.

Financial aid counselor here. For clarity on the household size question: - For FAFSA purposes, household includes only people physically living in the home more than 50% of the time AND receiving more than 50% support from the parents - Child support paid gets reported separately in the "Additional Financial Information" section - Child support paid actually benefits the SAI calculation by reducing it - Your husband should report 5 people in the household Regarding the biological mother not being included: if your stepdaughter lives with you and her father more than 50% of the time, then you are considered the custodial household for FAFSA purposes, which is why only you and your husband need to provide information regardless of the biological mother's income status.

Update: My husband just completed his section and it went smoothly! He reported our household as 5 people and found the section to report child support payments separately. Thanks everyone for your help - it made the process so much easier having the right information ahead of time.

Congratulations on getting it sorted out! As someone who's helped dozens of families navigate FAFSA for blended situations, I'm glad to see the community provided such clear guidance. For other families reading this thread, I'd add one more tip: always keep documentation of custody arrangements and child support orders handy when filling out FAFSA. Sometimes financial aid offices will request verification of these details later in the process. The distinction between household size and child support paid is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of FAFSA, so you're definitely not alone in the initial confusion!