Can a School Adjust For a Domestic Partner's Loss Of Income When Calculating the Student Aid Index?
Award Year: 2024-25 KA-36689 Helpfulness Rating 76 page viewsThis guidance is specific to the 2024-25 award year and later.
Scenario: The independent student or the dependent student's parent lives with a domestic partner (or life partner), but they are not married.
Answer: No. The unmarried domestic partner's financial and other information are not reported on the FAFSA and are not used to calculate the student aid index (SAI). Starting with the 2024-25 award year under the FAFSA Simplification Act, cash support provided by the domestic partner to the student is also no longer reported as untaxed income on the FAFSA. Therefore, there is no income to adjust or remove using professional judgment (PJ).
Student Aid Reference Desk: For additional information, try the Student Aid Reference Desk. It is a central hub of all the important financial aid resources you need with direct links to legislation, regulation, Dear Colleague Letters, and other ED and NASFAA references. It is updated on a rolling basis with the latest news and changes. Search Professional Judgment.
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