FAFSA requiring ex-husband's info even though I have full custody - can he refuse?

This is actually a common situation with the new FAFSA for 2025-2026. Based on your description, if you're divorced and have primary physical custody, only YOU need to complete the FAFSA as the parent who provides the most financial support. The non-custodial parent (your ex) is NOT required to provide information. However, the system sometimes automatically generates contributor invitations to both biological parents. You should be able to remove him as a contributor through the "Manage Contributors" section. Look for the option to indicate that he is not financially responsible for your daughter. If you can't find this option, call FSA directly and explain the situation - they can manually update this status on their end.

I went through this exact scenario last year. Your ex does NOT need to complete the FAFSA if you have full custody and claim your daughter on taxes. The system is just automatically generating these invites. Here's what to do: 1. Take screenshots of the current application status 2. Contact Federal Student Aid directly (note that wait times are RIDICULOUS right now) 3. Request a "contributor exemption" for the non-custodial parent 4. Be prepared to submit your tax return showing you claim her 5. They might also ask for custody documentation Most importantly, don't panic! This won't delay your daughter's aid if you get it resolved within the next 2-3 weeks.

Omg the same thing happened to me!!! My ex husband refused to give his information too and we missed the priority deadline because of it! So frustrating. We ended up just submitting without his info and writing a letter of explanation to each school financial aid office. Some schools were cool about it but others made us fill out their own special forms. My daughter got wait-listed at her top choice and I'm convinced it was because of the FAFSA mess.

Try using Claimyr to get through to an FSA agent quickly. I was on hold for THREE HOURS trying to solve a similar contributor issue, then found claimyr.com and got through in like 10 minutes. They have this system that waits on hold for you then calls you when an agent picks up. Saved my sanity! They have a video demo here if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

THE ENTIRE FAFSA SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! Why should your ex have ANY say in your daughter's future??? My son lost out on thousands in aid because my ex refused to provide info and by the time we got an exception processed, all the institutional aid was gone. The whole system discriminates against divorced parents and the CHILDREN ARE THE ONES WHO SUFFER. The colleges don't care, FSA doesn't care, and no one takes responsibility. I'm still fighting with our university about this and we're in sophomore year now.

cant u just put $0 for his income? thats what my cousin did when her dad wouldnt cooperate lol

The specific answer depends on whether you're dealing with just the FAFSA or also the CSS Profile. For FAFSA (federal aid), as others mentioned, only the custodial parent's information is required. You'll need to get the contributor invitation canceled through FSA directly. However, if your daughter is applying to private colleges that require the CSS Profile, many of them DO require non-custodial parent information even if you have full custody. Each school sets their own CSS Profile requirements, and some will require a Non-Custodial Parent Waiver form if he refuses to participate. This is completely separate from the FAFSA process. Make sure you're clear about which forms each school requires and handle them separately.

After reading through all the advice here, I wanted to share a quick update. I finally got through to FSA today (took nearly 2 hours on hold). The agent confirmed that since I have full custody and claim my daughter on taxes, her father does NOT need to contribute to the FAFSA. They removed his contributor invitation and noted the exemption in our file. The agent also suggested I have my daughter check with each school's financial aid office about their specific requirements, especially for the private universities that might want additional documentation. Thanks everyone for your help! Such a relief to have this resolved before the deadline.

Wait, I'm confused - I see an update from Daniel Washington saying he got through to FSA and resolved the issue, but the original post was from The Boss. Are you Daniel Washington posting an update under a different account, or is this a separate person who had the same issue? Either way, this is really helpful information for anyone else dealing with this situation! The key takeaway seems to be that you need to call FSA directly to get the contributor invitation removed rather than trying to work around it in the system.

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm what others have said - you absolutely DO NOT need your ex-husband's information for the FAFSA if you have full custody and claim your daughter on your taxes. The system automatically sends invitations to both biological parents, but this is a known bug they're working on fixing. Here's what worked for me: I called the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 early in the morning (around 8 AM) to avoid the worst hold times. When I got through, I explained that I'm the custodial parent with full custody and that the non-custodial parent was incorrectly invited as a contributor. The agent was able to remove the invitation immediately and marked our FAFSA as complete with just my information. Have your most recent tax return handy when you call - they may ask for the year you filed and confirmation that you claimed your daughter as a dependent. The whole call took about 15 minutes once I got through to someone. Don't let this stress you out - it's a very common issue this year and there's a clear process to fix it!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my daughter's FAFSA! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like the key steps are: 1) Call FSA directly at 1-800-433-3243, 2) Request a "contributor exemption" for the non-custodial parent, and 3) Have tax returns ready showing you claim your daughter as a dependent. For anyone else dealing with this - it seems like the early morning call times (around 8 AM) work best to avoid the crazy hold times. I'm definitely going to try calling tomorrow morning armed with all this information. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the detailed step-by-step advice! It's such a relief to know this is a common issue with a clear solution and not something that will derail our financial aid timeline.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who works in a college financial aid office - you're absolutely on the right track calling FSA directly! What I'm seeing a lot this year is parents getting confused by the automatic contributor invitations, but the good news is that the new FAFSA rules are actually much more favorable for divorced families. Just to reinforce what others have said: if you have legal custody and claim your daughter on your taxes, only YOUR information is needed for federal aid eligibility. The key phrase to use when you call FSA is "contributor exemption for non-custodial parent" - this will help them understand exactly what you need. Also, once this is resolved on the federal level, make sure to follow up with each individual college your daughter applied to. Some schools have their own verification processes and may need a quick heads up that the FAFSA has been corrected. Don't let this stress derail your timeline - schools are very familiar with these FAFSA glitches this year and most are being flexible with deadlines while families sort things out!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My ex-husband is also refusing to provide his information even though I have full physical custody of my son. Reading through all these responses has given me so much hope - I had no idea there was actually a proper process to handle this through FSA. I've been panicking thinking we'd miss all the deadlines, but it sounds like calling FSA directly and requesting a "contributor exemption" is the way to go. I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM call strategy tomorrow morning. It's such a relief to know this is a common issue with the new FAFSA system and not something that will permanently mess up my son's financial aid eligibility. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been a lifesaver!

I'm currently going through this exact situation with my daughter's FAFSA application! After reading through all the helpful advice in this thread, I wanted to add one more tip that might help others. When I called FSA this morning using the 8 AM strategy (which totally works - only waited 12 minutes!), the agent mentioned that they're seeing this issue so frequently that they're actually working on fixing the automatic contributor invitation system. She said they hope to have it resolved by next year's FAFSA cycle so divorced parents won't have to deal with these confusing invitations. For now though, requesting the "contributor exemption for non-custodial parent" is definitely the way to go. The agent was super knowledgeable and had our situation resolved in about 10 minutes once I explained that I have full custody and claim my daughter on my taxes. Just wanted to share this update in case it helps anyone else who's still dealing with this issue!

I'm so grateful for this thread! I just found it while desperately searching for help with the exact same situation. My ex-husband is also refusing to provide his information for my son's FAFSA, and I was starting to panic that we'd miss all the deadlines. Reading everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring - especially knowing that this is such a common issue with the new system. I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM call strategy tomorrow and request a "contributor exemption for non-custodial parent." It's such a relief to know there's an actual process for this and that I won't need to battle with my ex to get it resolved. Thank you to everyone who shared their step-by-step experiences - this community support is invaluable when you're navigating something this stressful!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! My ex-husband is also refusing to provide his financial information even though I have full custody of my daughter and claim her on my taxes every year. I've been so stressed about missing deadlines, but reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that there's actually a clear solution. Based on all the advice shared, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Call FSA at 1-800-433-3243 early in the morning (around 8 AM), 2) Request a "contributor exemption for non-custodial parent," and 3) Have tax returns ready showing you claim your child as a dependent. I'm definitely going to try this approach tomorrow morning. Thank you to everyone who shared their detailed experiences - it's so reassuring to know this is a common issue with the new FAFSA system and that FSA has a process to handle it. This community support means everything when you're trying to navigate these stressful situations!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same issue! My ex-husband is refusing to provide his information for my daughter's FAFSA even though I have full physical custody and have claimed her as a dependent for the past 6 years. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there was an actual process to handle this situation through FSA. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm planning to call 1-800-433-3243 first thing tomorrow morning and request a "contributor exemption for non-custodial parent." It's such a relief to know this is a known issue with the new FAFSA system and that there's a clear solution. The consistency of everyone's experiences gives me confidence that this will work. Thank you to everyone who shared their step-by-step processes and success stories! This community support has been invaluable during such a stressful time. I'll make sure to have my tax returns ready showing I claim my daughter as a dependent.