Will mom get in trouble for marking 'single never married' on FAFSA when parents have private marriage license?

This is a really tricky situation. Technically, if your aunt is legally married (even with a private marriage license), she should select "married" on the FAFSA. Providing false information could potentially be considered fraud. However, there are exceptions for situations exactly like this. Your cousin should look into something called a "dependency override" or special circumstance appeal. If his father is truly absent and unreachable, the financial aid office can potentially make an exception. Your aunt should gather any documentation that shows she has no contact with her husband - police reports if she ever reported him missing, court documents, anything official that shows they don't communicate and he doesn't contribute financially. Then contact the financial aid office at the school and explain the situation before submitting the FAFSA.

DO NOT LIE ON THE FAFSA!!!! I did this exact thing two years ago and got flagged for verification. They made my daughter submit extra documentation and we had to explain why we lied. Her financial aid was delayed by MONTHS and she almost had to skip a semester. The government has ways of finding out these things!!!!

Your cousin should apply for a Dependency Override based on the situation. Here's exactly what you need to do: 1. Contact the financial aid office at EACH school your cousin is applying to (each school handles these differently) 2. Ask specifically about a "Professional Judgment Request" for special circumstances 3. Document everything - have your aunt write a detailed statement explaining the situation 4. Get 2-3 letters from third parties who can verify the father's absence (family friends, religious leaders, counselors, teachers) 5. Be prepared to show your aunt has been the sole provider (tax returns, bills, etc) The key is to work directly with the financial aid administrators. They have discretion to make adjustments in unusual circumstances. Don't mark false information on the FAFSA itself - that can lead to serious problems.

my sister went thru this exact thing!!! her husban took off and she couldnt find him anywhere. she ended up having to file abandonment papers with the court and that counted as proof for fafsa. took like 6 weeks to get thru the courts but then everything went thru fine

I work with financial aid students regularly, and I've seen this situation before. Your aunt absolutely should NOT mark "single, never married" if she has any kind of marriage documentation - even a private ceremony. The FAFSA verification process often cross-references with tax filing status and other government records. Instead, she should mark "married" but then immediately contact the financial aid offices and request a special circumstances review. What will likely happen is they'll ask her to complete the FAFSA with just her information and submit a written statement explaining why the father's information is unavailable. She might also qualify for what's called a "Participating Parent Rule" exception if she can document that the father has been completely absent for an extended period.

Have you tried calling Federal Student Aid directly? I was dealing with a complicated FAFSA situation last month and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FAFSA agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You might want to check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ to see how it works. The agent I spoke with was really helpful with my unusual parent situation and explained all my options. Saved me so much frustration since the FAFSA website doesn't really address unique situations like yours.

Wait nobody's asked the obvious - what even IS a private marriage license?? Is that like a religious ceremony without legal paperwork? Because if it's not legally recognized by the state then maybe she IS technically single in the eyes of the government??

This also depends on what her tax filing status is!! If she files as 'married' on her taxes but then 'single' on FAFSA they WILL catch that and flag her for verification!!! The systems are connected!!!

does ur cousin live with aunt full time? if the dad hasn't been around for 3 yrs maybe he can just file as independent? thats way easier

Thanks everyone for all the advice! After reading your suggestions, we're going to: 1. First clarify whether the marriage was legally registered with the state or not 2. Check how she's been filing taxes these past few years 3. Contact the financial aid offices at each school before submitting anything 4. Look into abandonment paperwork as a possible solution 5. Gather letters from people who can verify the father's absence I'll update once we figure out more about the legal status of the marriage since that seems to be the key question. Really appreciate all the help!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that if your aunt does end up needing to file abandonment papers or work through the dependency override process, she should start ASAP because these things can take months to resolve. The FAFSA deadline is coming up fast and you don't want your cousin to miss out on aid because of timing issues. Also, when gathering those third-party letters, make sure they're from people who have known the family for a while and can specifically attest to the father's absence over the past 3 years. Generic character references won't be as helpful as detailed statements from people who witnessed the situation firsthand. Hope everything works out for your cousin! It's really great that he has family like you helping him navigate this complicated situation.

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm actually in a somewhat similar situation with my younger brother's FAFSA - our dad has been out of the picture for about 2 years now, though our parents were never formally married. Reading through all your responses has given me so much clarity on the dependency override process and the importance of documentation. I had no idea about things like abandonment papers or the Professional Judgment Request option. The advice about contacting each school individually and keeping detailed records of all communications is gold. @Yuki, it sounds like you and your cousin have a solid plan now. I'm definitely going to follow some of these same steps for my brother's situation. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - both the success stories and the cautionary tales about verification issues. This community is amazing for helping navigate these complex financial aid situations!

As someone who works in financial aid administration, I want to emphasize a few key points that might save your cousin time and stress: 1. **Get the marriage status clarified FIRST** - This determines everything else. If they have a valid state-issued marriage license, she's legally married regardless of separation. If it was only a religious/ceremonial union without state registration, she may be considered single for FAFSA purposes. 2. **Professional Judgment requests are common** - Financial aid offices handle these situations more often than you'd think. Most have streamlined processes for absent parent cases, so don't feel like you're asking for something unusual. 3. **Start with the school your cousin is most likely to attend** - If he has a clear first choice, get their process down first. You can often use their documentation requirements as a template for other schools. 4. **Document the timeline** - Have your aunt write out exactly when the father left, what contact attempts were made, when they stopped, etc. Financial aid officers need to see that this isn't just a temporary separation. The fact that you're being proactive about this puts your cousin in a much better position than students who discover these issues after submitting incorrect information. You're doing great by researching thoroughly first!

As someone new to this community, I wanted to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your aunt has been receiving any government assistance like SNAP, WIC, or housing assistance as a single parent, that documentation could actually help support her case for the dependency override. These programs typically require proof of single-parent status, so having years of these records could demonstrate that she's been functioning as an independent, single parent for an extended period. Also, if your cousin has been receiving free or reduced lunch at school based on household income calculations that only included your aunt's information, that's another piece of documentation that shows the father hasn't been contributing to the household. School counselors are often familiar with these situations and can be excellent resources for both documentation and advocacy letters. The key is building a comprehensive picture that shows this isn't just a recent separation or temporary situation, but a long-term absence where your aunt has been the sole provider and decision-maker for your cousin.

Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and this thread has been incredibly educational. I wanted to add one more resource that might help - many states have legal aid societies that offer free consultations for family law issues, including questions about marital status and abandonment. If there's any confusion about whether your aunt's marriage is legally valid, a brief consultation with a family law attorney could provide clarity without the cost of full legal representation. Also, I've heard that some colleges have student advocates or ombudsmen who can help navigate complex financial aid situations. If the regular financial aid office seems overwhelmed or unhelpful, these advocates might be able to provide additional support or escalate the case appropriately. The documentation suggestions from everyone here are fantastic - it really sounds like building a strong paper trail is key to success with these dependency overrides. Best of luck to your cousin, and thank you all for sharing such detailed advice that will help many families in similar situations!