FAFSA remarriage reporting confusion - will my husband's assets be counted twice?

Yes, you absolutely need to report the remarriage if you were married as of the date you submitted the FAFSA, regardless of when in 2023 you got married. The FAFSA considers your household status at the time of filing, not the tax year. Your husband will be considered a contributor and his assets will be counted in the calculation.

U should be fine, they wont double count anything. They just need to verify his identity to match tax returns. happened to my sister last year and everything worked out ok

The FAFSA system is designed to avoid double-counting assets, so don't worry about that. Here's how it works: 1. Yes, you must report being remarried since you were married at the time of FAFSA submission 2. Your husband will need his own FSA ID to provide consent for his information to be included 3. He'll need to sign the FAFSA electronically with his FSA ID 4. However, the actual asset information is reported once, by you, for your household 5. They verify his SSN to confirm identity and pull tax info from IRS The system knows you're in the same household and won't double-count assets. This is part of the new 2024-2025 FAFSA's "contributor" system.

i got SOOOOO frustrated with this exact same thing last month!!! they kept asking for my new husband to verify his identity but the website kept crashing when he tried to login. we called the FSA helpline for THREE DAYS and couldn't get through to anyone. total nightmare

I work in financial aid at a university, and I can clarify this for you. For the 2024-2025 FAFSA, your marital status as of the date you submit is what matters. So yes, you needed to report being remarried. Regarding assets, they will NOT be double-counted. Here's the process: 1. You, as the biological parent, report both your assets and your spouse's assets on the initial application 2. Your spouse (the stepparent) creates an FSA ID to electronically sign as a contributor 3. The system links your accounts through marriage status and SSNs 4. The stepparent doesn't re-enter financial information - they simply provide consent Also, just to be aware: both your income and your new husband's 2022 income will be considered, even though you weren't married then. That's one of the quirks of the system that many find frustrating.

Yes, you can potentially appeal this situation through your daughter's college financial aid office. This would be what's called a "special circumstances" or "professional judgment" appeal. Once you receive the financial aid offers, contact each school's financial aid office and explain your situation. Provide documentation showing: 1. The date of your marriage 2. That your spouse was not supporting your daughter in 2022 3. Any other relevant changes in financial circumstances Each school has discretion in these cases, so the results may vary by institution. I recommend starting this process early as appeals can take time to process.

I'd recommend waiting until you receive your official SAI score and initial financial aid offers before starting the appeal process. This gives you concrete numbers to discuss with the financial aid offices and shows how the remarriage is specifically affecting your daughter's aid eligibility. However, there's no harm in making a quick call to each school's financial aid office now to ask about their specific appeal process and what documentation they'll require. Some schools have formal procedures and specific forms, while others handle it more informally. Getting this information early can help you prepare.

Just adding to the convo - we went thru something similar with my stepdad's info last year and ended up having to submit a special form for income adjustment because they were using his 2022 tax info even tho he only became part of our family in 2023. It was a whole mess but we eventually got it sorted. The financial aid lady at my school said they see this problem ALL THE TIME with remarriages.

It actually made a pretty big difference for us! His income pushed us way above what my mom made alone, and we would've gotten like zero aid. After the adjustment, we qualified for some grants and better loans. But every school handles it differently - my brother applied to 5 schools and 3 of them adjusted but 2 wouldn't budge 🙄 Definitely worth trying though!

Welcome to the community, Marcelle! Your confusion is totally understandable - the new FAFSA contributor system is confusing even for those of us who've been through this before. Just wanted to add that you should also keep copies of all the documentation showing your marriage date and any correspondence with schools about appeals. I learned the hard way that financial aid offices sometimes lose paperwork during busy seasons, so having backup copies saved me a lot of headaches. The remarriage timing issue is frustrating, but it sounds like you're getting great advice here about the appeal process. Hang in there - it does get sorted out eventually!