What Counts as Child Support on the FAFSA?

What Counts as Child Support on the FAFSA?

I am very grateful to Fastweb for providing all that you do. I am

especially grateful for your answers to questions.

I agreed (outside of the courts) to pay my daughter’s car payment and

some additional spending money for internet access. This increased my

costs by $100 per month beyond the child support obligation. Can I

exclude this amount from the child support payments I have listed on

the FAFSA? Unlike the child support, this money is being paid to my

daughter directly.

— Janice G.

The US Department of Education clarified in 2009 that child support

includes only amounts paid because of a divorce decree, separation

agreement or a legal child support agreement. Voluntary payments from

the non-custodial parent to the student are instead treated as untaxed

income to the student. This shifts some untaxed income from the

parents to the student, which usually will result in a higher expected

family contribution (EFC).

This also means that a parent who is paying child support does not

report voluntary payments above his or her legal obligation on his or

her own FAFSA. Since child support paid reduces total income on the

FAFSA, this exclusion of the voluntary payments will usually result in

a higher EFC for the parent.

Thus it is financially beneficial for both child and parent to ask

the court amend the child support agreement to include the voluntary

payments.

I am a single mom who has been divorced for 12 years. My children

will be 18, 16 and 13 next year. My girls have lived with me 100%

since day one. We live in Tennessee and their father lives in

California. When we got divorced I never thought about

asking him to pay for college. He makes about $200,000 a year, so he

should be able to do this. I think the divorce papers probably say he

is required to pay for child support till the girls are 18. Is there

any way I can extend child support till they all get through college? I

am assuming I would need to hire an attorney and go to court to do

this.

— Kay P.

Your first step should be to read your divorce decree to see what it

says about child support and college support. Sometimes a divorce

decree will extend child support through college graduation (provided

that the student is enrolled continuously on at least a half-time

basis). Sometimes a divorce decree will require college support.

Since you have a good relationship with your ex-husband, why not try

asking him if he’d be willing to help out with their college costs?

They are his children too, so he has a personal stake in their college

success. He will be more willing to help out if you keep him informed

and make him part of the college planning process. Tell him about

their preparation for college, their test scores, the colleges they

are considering, what they will be majoring in and their academic

progress. If you ask nicely, he might help pay for their college

education even if he has no legal obligation to do so.

Otherwise, talk to an attorney. Neither Tennessee nor California has

laws requiring or prohibiting the awarding of college support as part

of a divorce decree.

See FinAid’s page on

Divorce and

Financial Aid for additional discussion of college support.

Source: Fastweb

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