FAFSA reporting split dependents with divorced parents - tax return shows only 2/4 kids

same happened with me in 2023. youll need to do professional judgment request at every college your kid applies to. they all have different forms for it tho

This is a common issue with divorced parents. The FAFSA itself doesn't have a specific section to explain this situation, but it's addressed through what's called a "Professional Judgment" or "Special Circumstances" review. Here's what you need to do: 1. Complete the FAFSA normally with your current tax information showing the 2 dependents 2. After submission, contact each college's financial aid office to request their Special Circumstances form 3. You'll need to provide documentation: divorce decree showing custody arrangement, proof you're supporting all 4 children (receipts, bank statements, etc.) 4. Some schools might request a signed statement from your ex-spouse confirming the arrangement Do this as early as possible after FAFSA submission, as professional judgment reviews can take 3-4 weeks to process, sometimes longer during peak periods.

My best frend went through this exact thing last year!!!! She had to write like a million letters to all the aid offices. So annoying but she ended up getting more money for her daughter in the end.

As a financial aid advisor, I can confirm the previous advice about requesting a professional judgment review. One additional detail to be aware of: the 2025-26 FAFSA on the Better FAFSA portal now includes a section to indicate the total number of household members in your family, which is separate from dependents claimed on taxes. Make sure you list all 4 children in your household size question, even though only 2 are claimed on your taxes. Each school will handle this differently. Some may accept your household size at face value, while others will flag it for verification if it doesn't match your tax return. That's when you'll submit the special circumstances documentation. The new SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation does consider household size separately from tax dependents.

the whole system is BS if u ask me. my ex claims both kids for taxes even tho they live with me 90% of the time and fafsa said I cant include them in my household size!!! colleges dont care about real life situations they just want ur money

I had this EXACT situation last year with my twins! What a nightmare trying to get anyone on the phone at Federal Student Aid to explain the process. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person after spending HOURS on hold. They helped me skip the queue and got me connected to an agent who walked me through how to document the split dependent situation. They have a video demo that shows how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that this situation requires documentation at each school, but at least I understood what I needed to do. Saved me so much confusion!

I'm going through this right now with my daughter's applications. I've learned that under the new FAFSA, there's something called "special circumstances" that each college handles differently. The frustrating part is you have to submit the FAFSA first, THEN request special consideration at each school. Do you have a copy of your divorce decree and any other documentation showing you support all 4 kids? Start gathering everything now - bank statements showing payments, medical bills, school expenses, etc. I created a folder for each school with copies of everything.

idk what your relationship is with ur ex but get them to write a letter saying u support all 4 kids. that helped my brother alot with his situation

Why not just claim all 4 on your taxes next year? That's what my sister did lol

One additional point about the new FAFSA system: Make sure you list any child support you receive (if applicable) in the "Untaxed Income" section. This helps establish your financial responsibility for the children not claimed on your taxes. Also, if your divorce decree specifies who pays for college, have that document ready as some schools will want to see it during their professional judgment review process.