FAFSA marital status when long-separated with no contact - what to report?

i had this exact problem last year. technically ur still married so thats what u should put. but u need to immediately contact the financial aid office at ur kids school and explain the situation. they can do a 'professional judgment' thing where they remove the need for the absent parents info.

Thank you for responding! Did you have to provide any specific documentation to prove you were separated? I don't have a legal separation document since it wasn't a formal process.

This is actually a common situation with FAFSA applications. Here's what you need to know:\n\n1. For FAFSA purposes, you should select \

this is so helpful I had no ideea u could do this!!!! my sister has same problem she was told she needs to put married and was so stressed.

Thank you so much! This is incredibly helpful. I'm gathering my documents now. I don't have court documents but I do have utility bills in only my name for years and letters from my children's school listing me as sole guardian. Would that be sufficient?

DONT PUT MARRIED!! I did that and regretted it SO MUCH. I was separated (not legally) for 3 yrs and put married because that was

Oh no, that sounds terrible! So should I actually wait to submit until I've spoken with financial aid offices? I was hoping to get the application in as early as possible.

While I understand where the concern is coming from, I would advise against providing incorrect information on the FAFSA. Technically, you should mark your actual legal status. However, contacting the schools immediately after submitting is essential. Each school handles these situations differently, which is why communication with each financial aid office is so important.

My brother want tru this exact thing with his exwife. its called a Professional Judgment. he got a letter from his pastor saying they been separated. the financial aid people fixed it but it took like 2 month so do it early!!

I work in a college financial aid office, and this situation comes up quite frequently. Technically, you need to select \

Thank you for this insider information! This is my first time going through this process, and I had no idea about the new SAI calculation. Would you recommend I reach out to the schools before I even submit the FAFSA, or should I submit first and then contact them?

I had the EXACT same situation when my daughter applied 2 years ago. I ended up having to call the Federal Student Aid helpline about 10 times because my ex wouldn't provide information and the system kept rejecting my application. After the first few attempts and hours on hold I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they got me connected to an actual FSA agent within 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. \n\nOnce I finally got through, the agent helped me document the situation and override the requirement for my ex's information. It was such a relief! Definitely worth it when you're dealing with these complicated situations the standard forms don't handle well.

Thank you for sharing this! I didn't even know about the Federal Student Aid helpline as a resource. I'll definitely check out that service if I run into problems. Did you find the FSA agent was able to actually resolve your case or did they just direct you back to the schools?

The FSA agent actually guided me through how to document the situation properly on the FAFSA itself. Then I still had to work with each school, but having that initial guidance from the FSA agent made everything so much smoother. They marked something in my case file that the schools could see, which really helped validate my situation.

wait im confused. i thought the new FAFSA only needs info from the person who has majority custody? isnt that like the whole point of the new form? my cousin was telling me they changed it so only one parent has to provide info if theyre separated?

That's a common misconception. The 2025-2026 FAFSA has changed some rules, but for parents who are LEGALLY married (even if separated without legal documentation), both parents' information is still required. \n\nThe change you're referring to applies to divorced or legally separated parents - in that case, only the parent who provides the majority of financial support needs to provide information. But without legal documentation of divorce or separation, the FAFSA still considers both parents' information necessary.\n\nThis is why the professional judgment process exists - to address situations exactly like the one described.

Update: I spoke with the financial aid office at my daughter's top choice school today. They were incredibly helpful and said this situation happens frequently. They're sending me their specific Professional Judgment forms and told me to go ahead and complete the FAFSA marking \

Great update! I'm glad you took the initiative to contact them before submitting. Getting those forms and specific instructions will make the process much smoother. Just remember that if you do get stuck in the online FAFSA application (which happens often in these special situations), don't hesitate to call their helpline for assistance.

GOOD JOB! That's exactly what you needed to do. Way better than what I did lol. My daughter got way less aid than she should've because I didn't know about this process until too late. Also don't forget you'll have to do this EVERY YEAR you apply for aid, so keep ALL your documentation!