FAFSA with missing parent on disability - maximizing aid with two kids in college

Your daughter should NOT file as an independent student unless she meets very specific criteria (like being married, having her own dependents, being in foster care, etc.). The fact that she's 18 doesn't make her independent for FAFSA purposes. You should file as the parent. Because you'll have two students in college next year, that will actually help your Expected Family Contribution (now called the Student Aid Index or SAI) since it's divided between multiple students. The missing parent complication is trickier - technically both parents' information is needed unless you have documentation of special circumstances. The fact that your ex receives disability would need to be reported too. Have you considered filing for a dependency override based on the parent abandonment? That could potentially help maximize aid.

my cousin had almost the same thing happen!!! fill it out as the parent, DON'T try to have ur daughter file as independent bcuz they'll reject it and make u start over. they're super strict about that now with the new FAFSA

You need to complete the FAFSA as the custodial parent. For FAFSA purposes, the custodial parent is the one the student lived with most during the past 12 months, regardless of the legal custody agreement. Since your ex-wife hasn't been involved, you are clearly the custodial parent. Regarding maximizing aid: Having two dependent students in college simultaneously will significantly improve your SAI calculation. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they've changed how multiple students are factored, but it still helps. You should also look into submitting a Special Circumstances form to your daughters' financial aid offices after completing the FAFSA. This allows you to explain the situation with your ex-wife and potentially have her income (disability payments) excluded from consideration. Document everything - the absence, any court records, and especially the fact that you've been the sole financial supporter. Each school handles these situations differently, but most have procedures for cases like yours.

Don't waste your time trying to reach the Federal Student Aid folks on the phone with this situation - I spent SIX HOURS on hold over the course of three days trying to get a similar question answered last month! I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in under 14 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Since your situation is complicated, you really need to talk to someone official rather than risk filling everything out wrong. The agent I spoke with was able to note my file with all the details about our parental situation.

THE SYSTEM IS COMPLETLEY RIGGED AGAINST SINGLE PARENTS!!!! I went through this EXACT situation last year and they STILL made me hunt down my ex who hadn't paid child support in 6 years!!!! I had to provide THREE YEARS of documentation proving he wasn't contributing financially plus notarized letters from neighbors confirming he wasn't living with us. Total joke. The schools demanded all this extra paperwork and my daughters aid was delayed 2 months because of bureaucratic nonsense.

Dependent status for FAFSA doesnt work like regular tax filing. ur daughter is still dependent for fafsa even tho shes 18 unless she meets specific criteria like being married/military/homeless etc. but having two kids in college at once will help u get more aid since theyre both dependents on ur fafsa.

One important thing to note: for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you'll need to create an FSA ID for yourself as a contributor to your daughter's application, not just for her. The new FAFSA system requires each person providing information to have their own FSA ID. Don't wait until the last minute to set these up - the verification process can sometimes take a few days. Also, with your complicated parental situation, prepare to potentially complete a "Special Circumstances Review" after submitting the FAFSA. This is where you'll explain the absence of the second parent and provide documentation. Every school handles this differently, so contact each financial aid office directly. For documenting the absent parent situation, useful items include: court records, documentation of any support payments (or lack thereof), statements from professional third parties (counselors, social workers, etc.), and in some cases, signed statements from family members who are familiar with the situation.

This is a question for a financial aid officer at the specific school(s) your daughter is applying to. Every school handles special circumstances differently, and they're the ones who will be making decisions about aid packages. The federal guidelines are just the starting point.

Here's how to maximize your daughters' aid in your specific situation: 1. File the FAFSA as the custodial parent (which is you, since your daughter lived with you most of the last 12 months) 2. When it asks about parents' marital status, select "Divorced or Separated" - not "Married" or "Never Married" 3. Only provide YOUR financial information, not your ex-wife's 4. After submitting the FAFSA, contact each school's financial aid office immediately about a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Review" - this is critical 5. For next year when both daughters are in college, make sure to indicate the number of dependents in college as "2" - this will significantly reduce your Student Aid Index 6. If your income has changed significantly from the tax year requested on the FAFSA, also mention this in your special circumstances review The professional judgment review is where you'll explain the absence of your ex-wife and provide documentation about being the sole supporter. This can significantly impact the aid offered.

As someone who went through a similar situation with an absent parent, I want to emphasize how important it is to start gathering documentation NOW rather than waiting. Even though you don't have "official" proof of your ex's absence, you can start collecting evidence like: - Bank statements showing you're the sole financial supporter - School records showing only your contact information - Medical/dental records with just your information - Any communication attempts you've made (texts, emails) that went unanswered Also, definitely take advantage of having two kids in college simultaneously - that's actually a huge benefit for aid calculation! The new FAFSA changes how they handle multiple students, but it still helps significantly. One tip: when you do the Professional Judgment Review with each school, ask specifically about their "Parent Refusal" or "Non-Custodial Parent Waiver" policies. Some schools are more flexible than others about waiving the requirement for the second parent's information.