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Who's a Parent? |
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The term parent is not restricted to biological parents. There are several instances in which a person other than a biological parent is treated as a parent, and in these instances, the parental questions on the application must be answered as they apply to such an individual (or individuals).
If your parents are living together and have not been formally married but meet the criteria in their state for a common-law marriage, they should report their status as married on the application. (You will provide information about two people.) If the state does not consider their situation to be a common-law marriage, then your parents should file the FAFSA as if they are separated. Check with the appropriate state agency concerning the definition of a common-law marriage. An adoptive parent is treated in the same manner as a biological parent. A foster parent is not treated as a parent. If one, but not both, of your parents has died, you should answer the parental questions about the surviving parent. Do not report any financial information for the deceased parent on the FAFSA. (You will provide information about one person.) If the widowed parent is remarried as of the date you complete the FAFSA, answer the questions about both that parent and the person he or she married. (You will provide information about two people.) If both your parents are deceased when you fill out the FAFSA, you must answer "yes" to the question that asks whether you are an orphan, which will make you an independent student. If the surviving parent dies after the FAFSA has been filed, you must submit a correction to update your dependency status and all other information as appropriate. If your parents are divorced, answer the questions about the parent you lived with most during the 12 months before the date you apply. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, answer in terms of the one parent who provided the most financial support during the last 12 months, or during the most recent year you were actually supported by a parent. (You will provide information about one person.) If this parent has remarried as of the date of the application, answer the questions on the remaining sections of the FAFSA about that parent and the person he or she married. (You will provide information about two people.) A stepparent is treated in the same manner as a biological parent if the stepparent is married, as of the date of application, to the biological parent whose information will be reported on the FAFSA, or if you have been legally adopted by the stepparent. There are no exceptions. The federal need analysis system does not recognize prenuptial agreements. Note that the stepparent's income information for the entire base year, 1999, must be reported even if your parent and stepparent were not married until after 1999. If the biological parent has died and the stepparent survives, then you are independent unless the stepparent legally adopts you. A legal guardian is not treated as a parent for purposes of filing a FAFSA. If your parents are legally separated, the same rules as for a divorce are used to determine which parent's information must be reported. If the state where your parents reside requires a couple to live apart to be considered legally separated, your parents cannot be considered legally separated if they live together, and both incomes must be reported. If your parents are informally separated, that is, they consider themselves separated when one of them has left the household for an indefinite period of time, only the legally responsible parent's income must be reported. However, if your parents still live in the same house, they would not be considered separated, and information for both parents must be reported. Courtesy of: "Completing the 2000-2001 FAFSA," from the U.S. Department of Education | |
If your
parents are both living and married to each other, answer the questions
about both of them. (You will provide information about two people.)
