FAFSA options when mother is undocumented but father is US citizen - what forms do I need?

she only needs to lst her dad if the mom is undocumented. FASFA doesnt even ask about immigration status anyway but she won't have an SSN to enter. tell her just use her dad's info and its fine.

This is a common situation with very specific FAFSA guidelines. Here's what your student needs to know: 1. If her parents are married and living together, she would need both parents' information regardless of citizenship status. 2. If her parents are separated/divorced, she needs to report information for the parent she lived with more during the past 12 months. If that's her mother (undocumented), then she would report her mother's information. 3. However, since her mother doesn't have a Social Security Number, when filling out the FAFSA, her mother can enter all zeros (000-00-0000) in the SSN field, and complete the rest of the financial information accurately. 4. The Department of Education does NOT share information with immigration authorities. This is protected by law. 5. If her parents are unmarried but living together, she would need information from both parents. The most important thing is answering the household questions accurately based on her actual living situation, not based on documentation status.

My son ws in similar situation except reverse (dad undocumented, lived with me). We just put zeros for ssn like the other person said and it went through fine. They didnt ask for any special documentation or anything for him. Got a decent financial aid package too!

Be REALLY CAREFUL with this!!! My cousin's friend tried to do this and got selected for FAFSA verification and it was a NIGHTMARE. He had to provide all these extra documents and almost lost his financial aid. Make sure your student knows this might happen!!

Everyone's giving good FAFSA advice, but you should also tell your student to check if her schools require the CSS Profile as well. Many private colleges require both FAFSA and CSS Profile, and the CSS Profile has different rules about reporting parents. Just something to keep in mind so she doesn't miss any financial aid deadlines.

I had this EXACT situation with MY daughter last year and could not get through to anyone at Federal Student Aid for clarification. The hold music would play for 2+ hours and then disconnect me! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual human at FSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ which shows how it works. The agent confirmed we needed to report both parents since they were married, using zeros for SSN, and explained exactly how to handle the income reporting. Saved us so much stress!

i thought the fafsa only looks at income from 2023 now with the new simplified fafsa? so do they need the prior-prior year tax info still or just last year?

Thank you all for the fantastic advice! I'm meeting with my student tomorrow and now feel much better prepared to help her navigate this. I'll make sure she knows: 1. She can list her mother with zeros for SSN if that's her custodial parent 2. There's no immigration enforcement risk 3. She should be prepared for possible verification 4. She needs to check if her schools require CSS Profile too This is exactly what I needed - you've all been so helpful!

As someone who's helped many students in similar situations, I want to emphasize that your student should also consider reaching out to the financial aid offices at her prospective colleges directly. Many schools have dedicated staff who specialize in these complex family situations and can provide school-specific guidance. They often have additional resources or institutional aid that might be available. Also, make sure she keeps copies of all documentation - even if verification isn't required initially, having everything organized will save time if it comes up later. The colleges are truly there to help students access education, not create barriers!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really impressed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone is here! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation with one of my students, and reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from our school's financial aid workshop is that students should also look into state-specific financial aid programs. Some states have their own grants or scholarships that may have different eligibility requirements than federal aid, and these can sometimes be easier to navigate for students with mixed-status families. Also, community colleges can be a great starting point since they often have more flexible financial aid offices and lower costs while students figure out their path forward. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is going to help so many students!