Non-compliant ex won't complete FAFSA portion - will my child still get financial aid?

the deadline is june 30 2026 but thats WAY too late!! most schools have priority deadlines in feb/march for max aid. tell ur friend to file ASAP if she wants her kid to get decent money! idk about the ex situation tho, sounds complicated

This is a common issue with divorced parents. Your friend needs to understand how FAFSA determines which parent(s) need to provide information: 1. If your friend has PRIMARY PHYSICAL CUSTODY (where the child lives more than 50% of the time), only HER information is required on the FAFSA. The ex does NOT need to complete anything. 2. If they have exactly 50/50 custody, then the parent who provided MORE FINANCIAL SUPPORT in the past year completes the FAFSA. 3. If your friend has remarried, her current spouse's information must also be included regardless of the ex's situation. The key here is documenting the custody arrangement. Your friend should have court documents ready if the school's financial aid office requests verification. This is a standard situation and her child will not be penalized for the ex's non-compliance if she has primary custody.

MY EX WAS THE SAME WAY!!!!! It was a NIGHTMARE with my oldest son 2 years ago. I ended up having to get a dependency override which was a HUGE HASSLE. Had to get letters from counselors and provide all kinds of court docs. Even after all that, he got less aid than his friends. The whole system is BROKEN for divorced parents!!!!

I went through this exact situation last year with my son. If your friend has primary custody, she only needs to provide her information. However, be aware that some private colleges may also require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, and the CSS Profile sometimes does require non-custodial parent info. Each school has different policies about waivers for non-compliant parents for CSS Profile. For the FAFSA though, she's fine with just her info as the custodial parent.

have ur friend call the skoolz financial aid office directly!! that's what helped me when my ex wouldn't cooperate. every school handles it differenty tho

I work in financial aid at a university, and this is actually a very common situation. For FAFSA purposes, only the custodial parent (where student lived more than 50% of the time) needs to complete the form. Your friend should gather documentation of the custody arrangement just in case it's requested during verification. Regarding deadlines: The federal deadline is June 30, 2026, but that's practically irrelevant. What matters are: 1. State deadlines for state-based aid (often in February/March 2025) 2. Individual college priority deadlines (usually February-April 2025) Filing after college priority deadlines means your friend's daughter might miss out on institutional scholarships and grants. The FAFSA for 2025-2026 should be available in December 2024.

Anyone try using Claimyr to get through to the FAFSA helpline? I was having the exact same issue with my ex refusing to provide info, and I spent DAYS trying to get through to ask questions. After getting disconnected multiple times, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and was connected in minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me so much frustration and I got clear answers about my custody situation directly from FSA.

One other important point: Even though your friend can submit FAFSA with just her information as the custodial parent, she should be prepared for the verification process. About 30% of FAFSA applications are selected for verification, and complicated family situations often trigger this. She should have ready: 1. Custody agreement documents 2. Tax returns and W-2s 3. Documentation showing where the student lived during the past year 4. Any court orders regarding financial support If selected for verification, she'll need to submit these to each college's financial aid office. Being prepared will prevent delays in her daughter's financial aid package.

make sure she does the right fafsa too! the new fafsa is confusing AF lol and the questions about which parent to include aren't super clear. i messed mine up the first time and had to redo it