FAFSA separation status dilemma - married but separated parents reporting issue

You should select 'married' on the FAFSA since you're legally still married. However, there's a specific process for your situation. After submitting the initial application, you need to contact your son's school's financial aid office directly to explain the separation situation. They have procedures for what's called a 'special circumstance review' where they can adjust the SAI calculation to exclude your ex's information. Bring documentation of your separation (legal separation papers, separate addresses, utility bills showing separate households). The school has discretion to make professional judgment adjustments for these exact situations.

dnt select married!!! my cousin went thru this last yr & selected married but her ex nvr responded to the invite & her daughter's whole application got held up for months!! just pick unmarried - theyre not checking ur actual marriage license lol

I faced this EXACT situation last year with my daughter's FAFSA! What a nightmare. The whole system is totally broken for separated families. I ended up having to involve my ex (which was painful) because I selected married and the application wouldn't proceed without his info. The schools do have a process called professional judgment where they can adjust your son's aid package AFTER the FAFSA is processed, but you'll still need to get through the initial application. Call the school directly - some have special forms specifically for separation situations.

Financial aid professional here. For FAFSA purposes, 'separated' generally means either a legal separation (court-ordered) OR you're physically separated with no intention of getting back together. If you meet either of these conditions, you would typically select 'unmarried' and only report your information. However, this is where it gets tricky - if you filed taxes as 'married filing separately,' there could be a verification issue if your application is selected for verification and the tax filing status doesn't match your FAFSA marital status. I recommend: 1. Gather documentation of your separation (separate addresses, legal documentation if available) 2. Contact your son's school's financial aid office BEFORE submitting the FAFSA 3. Ask specifically how they prefer to handle your situation 4. Follow their guidance exactly Each school's financial aid office handles these situations slightly differently. Getting their guidance first will save you potential headaches later.

The whole FAFSA system is BROKEN for separated families!!!! I went through this nightmare last year and my daughter almost lost her entire financial aid package because my ex refused to provide information! The government doesn't care about real families with real problems. They make it IMPOSSIBLE for separated parents. Either you lie on a federal form (illegal!) or you're at the mercy of an uncooperative ex-spouse who can literally sabotage your child's future by simply doing NOTHING! How is this fair to the STUDENTS?! And don't get me started on the new SAI system - it's even WORSE than the old EFC calculation for separated families.

hey i dont know about all the technical stuff but my mom was separated when i did my fafsa and she just put unmarried and i got my pell grant and loans fine. nobody ever asked for proof or anything

Have you tried calling Federal Student Aid directly? I spent DAYS trying to get through to someone when I had this exact issue. When I finally reached a human, they were able to note my situation in the system and provide documentation I could share with my daughter's school. If you're getting nowhere with the regular FSA number, I finally had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you past the hold times - literally saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I got through to an actual FSA agent, they explained the separation documentation I needed for my specific situation and it made the whole process so much easier.

My brother went through this last year. The financial aid office told him to just file as unmarried since he and his wife had been living separately for over 6 months with no intention of getting back together. They said that counts as "separated" for FAFSA purposes even without legal docs. His kid got aid no problem.

uuughhh WHY does financial aid make this so complicated?? i have 2 kids in college and a deadbeat ex who wont even answer emails about FAFSA. how does punishing OUR KIDS for their fathers behavior make any sense???? the system is designed for perfect nuclear families that dont actually exist anymore!!!

One important note: If you do select 'unmarried' based on being separated, make sure you understand the documentation requirements. If your application is selected for verification (which happens to about 30% of FAFSA applications), you may need to provide: 1. Proof of separate residences (utility bills, leases, etc.) 2. Legal separation documentation if applicable 3. A personal statement explaining the separation situation 4. Sometimes a third-party statement (counselor, clergy, lawyer) confirming the separation Being prepared with this documentation ahead of time can save weeks of delays if verification is required.

I went through this exact situation two years ago with my oldest daughter's FAFSA. After reading all these responses, I want to add that timing is crucial here. Don't wait until the last minute to sort this out - financial aid offices get swamped closer to deadlines and response times slow way down. Also, when you do contact the school's financial aid office (which you absolutely should do first), ask specifically about their "Dependency Override" or "Special Circumstances" forms. Some schools have streamlined processes for separation situations that can bypass a lot of the headaches everyone's describing. One more tip: if your son is applying to multiple schools, each financial aid office may handle your situation slightly differently. Don't assume the guidance from one school applies to all of them. I learned this the hard way when my daughter's backup school had completely different documentation requirements than her first choice. The stress is real, but there are solutions. Your son won't miss out on aid because of this - it just takes some extra legwork on the front end.