Can You Get FAFSA If You Are Married?
Married? Understand how your marital status affects FAFSA for federal student aid. Get essential insights into applying as a married student.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) serves as a gateway to various federal student aid programs, including grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and federal student loans. Its primary function is to determine an applicant’s eligibility for financial assistance based on their reported financial circumstances. Married individuals are indeed eligible to apply for and receive federal student aid through the FAFSA. The process involves providing financial information for both the student and their spouse, as marital status directly influences the aid calculation.
How Marital Status Affects FAFSA Eligibility
A student’s marital status significantly influences their FAFSA application and the resulting Student Aid Index (SAI), which replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). When a student is married, they are generally considered an independent student for FAFSA purposes, meaning parental financial information is typically not required. Instead, the FAFSA requires the reporting of combined income and assets for both the student and their spouse. This combined financial picture is then used in the calculation to determine the amount a family can contribute toward educational costs.
The combined income of the student and spouse is a primary factor in the financial need calculation. This includes all earned income from work, as well as other taxable and untaxed income sources. Similarly, the FAFSA mandates that assets owned by both the student and their spouse be reported. The total value of these combined financial resources directly impacts the calculated SAI, which then determines the amount of federal aid a student may receive.
Marital status also affects the reported household size on the FAFSA. For married students, the household generally includes the student and their spouse. Additionally, any dependent children or other individuals for whom the student and spouse provide more than half of their financial support are included in the household size. The household size is a factor in the financial need calculation, as a larger household with the same income and assets may indicate greater financial need.
Gathering Financial Information for Married Applicants
Before beginning the FAFSA application, married applicants and their spouses should gather specific financial documents and information. Both the student and spouse will need their full names, dates of birth, and Social Security Numbers (SSNs). An Alien Registration Number (A-Number) is also required if the applicant is not a U.S. citizen.
Federal tax information from the “prior-prior year” is necessary for both the student and their spouse. For example, for the 2024-2025 FAFSA, 2022 tax information is used. This includes federal income tax returns, such as IRS Form 1040. Key figures to extract from these returns include Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), income tax paid, and any untaxed income. W-2 forms for both individuals, along with records of any other earned income, should also be readily available.
Records of untaxed income for both spouses are also required. Examples of untaxed income that must be reported include child support received, interest income, veterans’ non-education benefits, and workers’ compensation.
The FAFSA will also ask for current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts for both the student and spouse. Asset information is another significant component. This includes the net worth of investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, other securities, and educational savings accounts like 529 plans. The net worth of businesses or farms must also be reported.
Completing the FAFSA as a Married Student
Once all necessary financial information and documents are collected, the next step involves accurately inputting this data into the FAFSA form. The official FAFSA form is accessible online through StudentAid.gov. Before starting, both the student and their spouse (if applicable and contributing information) should create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, which serves as a username and password for logging in, accessing, and electronically signing the FAFSA.
When completing the FAFSA, select the correct marital status “as of today,” meaning the day the form is being filled out. If the marital status is married, information about the spouse’s income and assets will be required, even if the marriage occurred after the tax year being reported. The FAFSA guides users through sections for reporting combined income and asset data for both the student and spouse.
A highly recommended tool for streamlining the tax data transfer is the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). This tool allows eligible applicants to directly transfer federal income tax information from the IRS into the FAFSA form, reducing manual entry and potential errors.
After all information has been entered, a thorough review of the entire form is necessary to ensure accuracy. Finally, both the student and any required contributors, such as the spouse, must electronically sign the FAFSA using their FSA IDs. The FAFSA can then be submitted for processing, and a confirmation will typically be provided.