What Divorced Parents Should Know About FAFSA

For parents, applying for financial aid can be an intimidating task. Many parents will apply for FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, to get financial aid from the federal government for their child’s college education. For divorced parents, there are several things you need to know to help you navigate the process:

• Children of divorced parents must list the details for the custodial parent. This includes information such as any child support or alimony payments that the parent receives.
• If the custodial parent has remarried, the stepparent’s income and assets will need to be listed on the application.
• If both legal parents share custody, your child needs to name one as the custodial parent, which is the parent the student has spent the most time with during the last 12 months.
• You must select “divorced” under the martial status section of the form.
• When filling out the information on the student’s parents’ education level, make sure they use the information that applies to the birth (or adoptive) parents, not stepparents.