Getting Married in 2010? When should you file your FAFSA?

The FAFSA is a "snap shot" of your status on the day you submit it. Therefore, once you file your FAFSA for 2010-2011, federal regulations require the marital status to remain the same as reported on the day you first submit the FAFSA. It will remain unchanged for that entire academic year.

Before you file your FAFSA, you will want to decide whether it is better to submit it before or after you get married... with or without your fiancé's income information. The "right" answer depends on your unique circumstances.

Here are some factors to consider

These factors have the biggest impact on dependent students. There is no right answer, it will be up to you to decide when to file your FAFSA. An EFC calculator has been provided at the bottom of this screen in case you wish to compare before and after marriage calculations.

Submit FAFSA early & while single	Submit FAFSA after marriage
If you are a dependent student, you will need to include your parent(s) 2009 income information. The earlier you apply, the better your chances that you will have your financial aid in place to pay your fall 2010 fees and to purchase your books before classes begin. If your aid is in place before the fee payment deadline, you will avoid paying late fees. If you are already considered an independent student for reasons other than marital status, you only include your 2009 income information on the FAFSA. Applying before Boise State's "FAFSA Priority Deadline" of March 15th means that you will be evaluated for aid that is available only to Priority Applicants. This includes: work-study funding, Perkins Loans, and LEAP Grant.	Dependent students will be considered independent for financial aid purposes. Your financial aid eligibility will be determined only on the 2009 income for you and your spouse (even though you filed 2009 taxes separately). As an independent student, you will have access to additional Direct Student Loans. If you get married between March 15 & June 15, and file your FAFSA immediately after you are married, your odds of having your financial aid in place before the Fall 2010 Fee Payment Deadline is about 75%. In this case, you will need to be VERY attentive to BroncoWeb To Dos and respond quickly. The later you apply, the more likely it will be that you will need to start fall semester without your financial aid in place.

Submit FAFSA early & while single

Submit FAFSA after marriage

If you are a dependent student, you will need to include your parent(s) 2009 income information.
The earlier you apply, the better your chances that you will have your financial aid in place to pay your fall 2010 fees and to purchase your books before classes begin.
If your aid is in place before the fee payment deadline, you will avoid paying late fees.
If you are already considered an independent student for reasons other than marital status, you only include your 2009 income information on the FAFSA.
Applying before Boise State's "FAFSA Priority Deadline" of March 15th means that you will be evaluated for aid that is available only to Priority Applicants. This includes: work-study funding, Perkins Loans, and LEAP Grant.

Dependent students will be considered independent for financial aid purposes.
Your financial aid eligibility will be determined only on the 2009 income for you and your spouse (even though you filed 2009 taxes separately).
As an independent student, you will have access to additional Direct Student Loans.
If you get married between March 15 & June 15, and file your FAFSA immediately after you are married, your odds of having your financial aid in place before the Fall 2010 Fee Payment Deadline is about 75%. In this case, you will need to be VERY attentive to BroncoWeb To Dos and respond quickly.
The later you apply, the more likely it will be that you will need to start fall semester without your financial aid in place.

FAFSA4caster

Posted:10.23.2009