1. Where can I get a copy of the FAFSA? The online version of the FAFSA is available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. FAFSA forms may also be available at the local college or in a high school career or counseling center.
2. Are photocopies of the FAFSA acceptable? No. Only the original FAFSA form produced by the US Department of Education is acceptable. Photocopies, reproductions, facsimiles and electronic versions are all not acceptable.
3. How soon after January 1 should the FAFSA from be sent in? Is it better to wait until the income tax forms have been completed? Send the form in as soon as possible after January 1. Do not wait until your taxes are done. Although it is better to do your taxes early, it is ok to use estimates of your income, so long as they aren't very far off from the actual values. You will have an opportunity to correct any errors later on the Student Aid Report (SAR). If you wait too long, you might miss the deadline for state aid which is March 2 for California.
4. My parents are separated or divorced. Which parent is responsible for filing out the FAFSA? If your parents are separated or divorced, the custodial parent is responsible for filling out the FAFSA. The custodial parent is the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months. Note that this is not necessarily the same as the parent who has legal custody. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided you with the most financial support during the past twelve months should fill out the FAFSA. This is probably the parent who claimed you as a dependent on their tax return.
5. My parents are divorced, and the parent I'm living with has remarried. Does my step-parent have to report his or her income and assets on the FAFSA? Yes, provided that the parent you're living with is the one filling out the FAFSA. If the step-parent is married to your custodial parent at the time you fill out the FAFSA they must report their income and assets, even if they weren't married to them in the previous year.
6. My custodial parent remarried and signed a prenuptial agreement that absolves the step-parent from financial responsibility for my education. Why does my step-parent have to provide financial information on the FAFSA? Prenuptial agreements are ignored by the federal need analysis process. After all, two individuals (parent and step-parent) cannot make an agreement between them that is binding a third party (the federal government). The federal government considers the step-parent a source of support regardless of any prenuptial agreements to the contrary. If a step-parent marries the parent, he or she is considered responsible for supporting the parent and children, even if he or she is unwilling to do so.
Ron Them College Planning News
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