Are your parents divorced or separated? Are you unsure how to work with your parents and report their finances on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA?
Students and families have lots of questions.
Who do you ask to fill out the FAFSA? Do you need one or both parents to help? Whose financial information do you use? What if there are step-parents? Do you have to involve your parents at all?
Don’t stress! There’s help to make the process easier.
First, review our popular, easy-to-read FAFSA guide to get an overview on how to apply for financial aid. Then, read on for advice for determining when and how your parents must contribute to your FAFSA.
Get Started With the FAFSA’s Parent Wizard
You would think that listing your parents on the FAFSA would be obvious. Alas, it is not. Odd rules determine which parents – if any – are required to contribute to your FAFSA.
This is important because your parents’ income can have a big effect on how much federal aid you are eligible to receive. There’s an assumption that one or both of your parents will play a role in financing your college education. We know this is not true for all students.
Federal Student Aid, the agency in charge of the FAFSA, explains the rules regarding parental contributions with this somewhat perplexing flowchart.
But there’s a better and faster way to figure out who in your family has to contribute to your FAFSA. Try the Federal Student Aid’s parent wizard. This ten-second form will ask a few quick questions and – voila! – you know which family members will need to help you out.
Read our answers to common questions about completing the FAFSA asked by students with divorced or separated parents:
Q: Who counts as a parent on my FAFSA?
A: Families frequently shift and blend. You may live with one parent or both, split time among households, or live with another family member, like an aunt or grandmother. That’s all good. But you will need to work with the parents who are legally responsible for you on the FAFSA. This may include your biological parents, adoptive parents, or stepparents. Other adults in your life will not asked to provide information on your FAFSA.
Use the Federal Student Aid’s parent wizard to figure this out before you start your FAFSA. And if you’re still unsure, once you start filling out the FAFSA, you’ll be prompted with questions to help you figure out who in your family must contribute to the form.
Q: My parents are divorced. Do they both need to help?
A: No. If your parents are legally divorced or separated, you’ll fill out the FAFSA with the parent who has provided you with the most financial support over the last 12 months. This may be the parent you live with the most, but that’s not always the case. If the parent who is filling out the FAFSA with you has remarried, you need to include your stepparent’s information too.
Q: What if my parents are divorced but still live together?
A: If your parents are legally divorced but still live together, they both contribute to your FAFSA.
Q: What if my parents contribute the exact same amount to support me?
A: If your parents support you 50/50, then it is the parent with the higher income over the last 12 months that contributes to your FAFSA.
Q: What if one or both of my parents have remarried?
A: The parent who has provided you with the most financial support over the last 12 months is the one to contribute to your FAFSA. If that parent is remarried, then your stepparent will also need to provide information on your FAFSA.
Q: One of my parents makes a lot less money than the other parent. Can I just use that parent on my FAFSA? Will anyone know?
A: It’s tempting to ask your lower-income parent to contribute to your FAFSA so you can qualify for more aid. But the rule is that you need to work with the parent that provided you with the most financial support over the past 12 months. If this happens to be the parent who earns less money, great! That’s the one who contributes to your FAFSA. But if you are getting more support from the parent with the higher income, that’s who should contribute to your FAFSA. The FAFSA is an official government form. There are penalties for lying on it. Be honest.
Q: My parents split up recently. But the FAFSA asks about tax information from two years ago. What do we do?
A: It’s true that the FAFSA considers two-year-old tax information. If you’re graduating high school in 2027, the FAFSA will calculate your eligibility for federal aid based on your family’s 2025 tax filing. Complete the FAFSA as instructed using the two-year-old tax information. After you’ve submitted your FAFSA, contact the colleges you are applying to and let them know about the changes in your family. The financial aid office will tell you what to do next.
Q: I have a bad relationship with my parents. Do they have to help?
A: If there is a lot of family tension, it is tempting to look for a way to file the FAFSA independently of your parents. The FAFSA will ask you questions to determine if you are considered dependent on your parents. If you are a high school student, you probably are. but there are some circumstances when students are permitted to file the FAFSA as an independent.
Get More Help from Federal Student Aid:
Parent Wizard: Who Counts as a Parent on the FAFSA Form?
Article: Reporting Parent Information
Graphic: Is My Parent a Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA Form?
Article: What Should I Do if I Have an Unusual Circumstance and Can’t Provide Parental Information?
Gil Hatcher is currently working on their master’s degree in media studies at the New School, building upon their sociological work from undergrad at Rutgers University. A proud NJ STARS alumni, Gil hopes to help other students find all of the financial aid their states have to offer.