FAFSA struggle: Non-contributing high-income father required for aid forms?

ughhhh i feel you on this. my parents are divorced and my dad makes good $$ but hasn't given me a dime for school. meanwhile i'm taking out max loans and working 30hrs/week while in school full time. the system is rigged against kids with parents who don't help!

You're dealing with what's called the "non-custodial parent" requirement that's specific to the CSS Profile (used by many private universities). For FAFSA alone, you typically only need to include the custodial parent and current spouse if remarried. However, for the CSS Profile, many schools require the non-custodial parent information regardless of their actual financial contributions. This is because these institutions often consider the financial capacity of both biological parents when determining institutional aid (not federal aid). What you might want to explore is a "CSS Profile Waiver" for the non-custodial parent. Many schools have a process where you can request this waiver if there are extenuating circumstances. While simply refusing to pay isn't usually enough, if you can document a consistent pattern of non-support and non-involvement, you might have a case. I'd recommend contacting your son's financial aid office specifically about their non-custodial parent waiver process. Each school handles these differently.

the css profile is evil tbh. for fafsa only, *technically* you only need to include the parent the student lived with most during the 12 months before filing. but a lot of schools make their own rules for their institutional aid...

For specific FAFSA questions regarding divorced parents and reporting requirements, you should definitely contact Federal Student Aid directly. Their official number is 1-800-433-3243. However, like many government agencies, they're often overwhelmed with calls and the wait times can be extremely long. I used a service called Claimyr last year when dealing with a similar issue for my daughter. They hold your place in the phone queue and call you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of wait time. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. It was super helpful because I was able to get clear answers about parental reporting requirements directly from FSA rather than relying on possibly outdated information.

I'm going through a similar nightmare with my ex who makes over $250k and hasn't paid a dime of child support in YEARS let alone college expenses. The financial aid people told me I need something called a "dependency override" but apparently those are SUPER hard to get. My daughter is getting penalized for having a "rich dad" who doesn't contribute AT ALL!! 😡😡😡

i think ur stuck. my friend got a waiver for her dad but only bc he had like a restraining order against him and hadn't seen him since she was 5. the financial aid ppl told her they dont give waivers just bc a parent doesnt want to pay...its super messed up

To directly address your question: Yes, unfortunately, both biological parents' information is typically required for full consideration of institutional aid at many universities, even if one parent provides no financial support. However, there are several strategies you might consider: 1. Contact your son's financial aid office specifically about a "Professional Judgment Review" (sometimes called a "Special Circumstances Review"). This is where financial aid administrators can use their discretion to adjust the SAI based on circumstances not reflected in the standard formula. 2. Document the consistent pattern of non-support. This can include divorce decrees, court orders for support that were never fulfilled, tax returns showing you claimed the student as dependent, etc. 3. Some schools have specific forms for "non-custodial parent waivers" that you can complete instead of having the actual CSS Profile completed by the non-cooperative parent. 4. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, there are some changes to how parental contributions are calculated under the new SAI formula, which might affect your situation. The key is to work directly with your son's specific university financial aid office, as they're the ones who will ultimately make decisions about institutional aid packages.

Wait I'm confused... I thought with the new FAFSA simplification for 2025-2026 they changed how they calculate the student aid index or something? Don't they only count the household income where the student lives now? Or am I thinking of something totally different

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I called the financial aid office at my son's university this morning and specifically asked about both the Professional Judgment Review and the non-custodial parent waiver. They're sending me forms for both processes. They explained that for federal aid (through FAFSA), we technically only need my information as the custodial parent. But for their institutional scholarships and grants, they normally want both parents' information via CSS Profile. However, they do have a waiver process for my situation. I need to provide: court documentation from our divorce, my tax returns showing I've claimed him as dependent, and documentation showing I've paid his university bills. They also suggested getting a letter from our family therapist who's aware of the situation with his father. I feel much more hopeful now! Will update when we get a decision. Thanks again for all your help!