FAFSA requires both parents' tax info after divorce - what if one won't cooperate?

Actually, the FAFSA only requires information from the custodial parent (the one your son lived with more during the past 12 months) and that parent's current spouse if they remarried. Your ex's information is NOT needed unless you share equal physical custody exactly 50/50. The 2024-2025 FAFSA simplified this quite a bit compared to previous years.

The previous commenter is correct. For divorced parents, FAFSA only needs information from the custodial parent (where the student lived more than 50% of the time) and that parent's current spouse if remarried. If custody is exactly 50/50, then it's the parent who provided more financial support. Your ex's information is not required at all for FAFSA purposes. However, be aware that some private colleges might require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, and that DOES ask for both biological parents' information through their Non-Custodial Parent form. Each school handles this differently though.

not all private schools need css profile but alot do. my daughter applied to 6 privates and 4 needed it. the other 2 just wanted fasfa. btw its a total pain to fill out css and they charge $ for each school!!

i think it was like $25 for first school then $16 for each one after that. they do have fee waivers but we didnt qualify

When I was applying a few years back I had almost the EXACT same situation - parents divorced, dad refused to provide any info. For FAFSA it wasn't an issue since I lived with mom more. But for the CSS Profile schools it was a NIGHTMARE. Some schools gave me a waiver for the NCP (non-custodial parent) form after I explained the situation, but two schools refused and I just couldn't apply there.

Each school has their own process for CSS Profile NCP waivers. Most require documentation of the non-cooperation - like emails showing you attempted contact, legal documentation of absence from life, or sometimes even statements from neutral third parties (counselors, clergy, etc.) confirming the situation. Start collecting evidence of your ex's refusal to cooperate now. Also, don't forget the SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation on FAFSA impacts federal aid eligibility and is based just on the custodial parent, while CSS Profile affects institutional aid at private colleges.

Let me tell you the ENTIRE system is designed to HURT children of divorce!! My twins got WAY less aid because their dad and I are divorced even though neither of us makes much money. But the calculators treat us like we're two separate households with the same expenses as one!!! It's CRIMINAL how they do this math!!!!

I was in this exact situation last year with my daughter's FAFSA. Her father refused to provide any information or cooperate. I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to explain my situation, getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours. Finally, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual FSA agent in under 15 minutes who explained exactly how to proceed. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed I only needed to provide my information as the custodial parent and explained how to document that I had majority custody. Saved us so much stress!

One other thing to be aware of - some colleges will still ask for the non-custodial parent's information even if they don't require the CSS Profile. They might have their own supplemental financial aid forms. Just a heads up to check each school's financial aid website carefully to see what they require beyond FAFSA. Also, the FAFSA has changed significantly for 2024-2025. They streamlined many questions and processes, but the basic custody/divorce rules remain the same as others have mentioned.

Oh yeah I forgot about that - my safety school didn't use CSS but had their own form that wanted both parents' info. Complete headache.

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice! I feel much more prepared now. I'll start by confirming I'm considered the custodial parent (I'm pretty sure I am based on our current arrangement), gather documentation just in case, and then check each school's specific requirements beyond FAFSA. At least the federal aid part sounds more straightforward than I feared!

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me - when you're documenting custody for FAFSA purposes, keep records like school enrollment forms, medical insurance coverage, and tax returns where you claimed your son as a dependent. These can all serve as proof that he lived with you more than 50% of the time if anyone ever questions it. Also, if your son has a school counselor or someone neutral who knows your family situation, having them aware of the custody arrangement can be helpful for potential waiver documentation later if needed for any CSS Profile schools. Good luck with everything!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I want to echo what others have said about the FAFSA only needing the custodial parent's info - that's absolutely correct. But I'd also suggest reaching out to the financial aid offices at your son's target schools directly to ask about their specific policies. Some schools are really understanding about difficult co-parent situations and may have additional resources or flexibility you're not aware of. Also, if your ex continues to be uncooperative and you end up needing CSS Profile waivers, start that process early - it can take weeks to get approval and you don't want to miss deadlines. The whole system isn't perfect, but there are people at these schools whose job it is to help families navigate exactly these kinds of situations.