Who to Include in Your Household
The Department of Education (DOEd) considers your parent, whom they have defined as biological or adoptive, to be responsible for helping you pay for college, even if you live on your own and no longer receive any support.
You must report your parent(s) information as it is on the day you file your FAFSA. If your parent is married, you must report both your parent and their spouse (even if it is your stepparent).
Step One – Determine Parent One
As a dependent student, remember, the FAFSA must contain at least one of the following:
| Your biological/adoptive mom | Your biological/adoptive dad |
My biological mom and dad do not live in the same house:
Which parent should you report on the FAFSA? The simple answer is to include the parent you lived the longest with last year. There are 365 days in a calendar year, if you lived with each parent exactly 182.5 days, then you must choose the parent who supported you the most financially.
2024-2025 change: As of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, if your biologic mom and dad do not live in the same house, the parent to report on the FAFSA will be the parent who provided the most financial support during the year, and may not always be the parent you live with.
Step Two – Determine Parent Two
Now that you know which parent you are including on the FAFSA, next, decide if there is another person you must also include as a parent.
The table below provides examples of who you might include or exclude.
| Living in parent's household | Not living in parent's household | Report on FAFSA |
|---|---|---|
| Biological father/mother | yes | |
| Biological father/mother | no | |
| Stepparent (father/mother) | yes | |
| Stepparent (father/mother) separated | no | |
| Significant other | Yes (if parent provides more than 50% of their support) |
2024-2025 change: As of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, the following guidelines will help with understanding who should be reported on your FAFSA:
|
Biological father/mother married (or not married but live together) |
Include both parent’s data on FAFSA |
|---|---|
|
Biologic father/mother divorced/separated |
Include the parent who provided the most financial support during the year on the FAFSA, this will not always be the parent you reside with. |
|
Stepparent |
If the biological parent who provided the most financial support has remarried, the stepparent’s information must also be provided on the FAFSA. |
|
Significant Other |
If the biological parent who provided the most financial support, also has a significant other who the parent provides more than 50% of their support, the significant others information must be included on the FAFSA. |