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ranger23
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ranger23 asked about a month ago in Student Loans

Step mom on my dads tax return?

I need to apply for aid for college,they need my dads tax return,the problem is that he files w/ his 2nd wife,who does make very good money,but is not my mother,and does not help my father w/ my support.

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Mark Kantrowitz
FiLife Contributor

Mark Kantrowitz responded about a month ago

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If your father is the one responsible for completing the FAFSA and he has remarried, his spouse's income and asset information must be reported on the FAFSA. Prenuptial agreements have no impact on this federal requirement, which appears in section 475(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

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paul escobar
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paul escobar responded about a month ago

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Unfortunately, the FAF forms doing distinguish between step mom and bio mom. Your dad is remarried and their financial obligations (assets, debts and income) are shared jointly. You can append a note to the FAF form you send into the specific colleges, to try to explain the situation, although under the Federal rules, your step and bio parent are tied together.

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MarkKantrowitz_1220981632_large

Mark Kantrowitz replied about a month ago

Your information is dated. The FAF (Financial Aid Form) and FFS (Family Financial Statement) ended with the introduction of the FAFSA in 1992. The FAF has since been replaced with the Financial Aid PROFILE.

You also cannot append a note to the FAFSA; rather, you could ask a college separately for a professional judgment review. Such a review will not, however, change the treatment of stepparents as that is a matter of federal law. It's only if there's an unusual circumstance (say, your step mom has a protection from abuse order against your dad but has not yet had the opportunity to get a divorce, or your step mom has just been incarcerated or institutionalized) that they'll make an exception to this federal requirement.

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