Is Child Support Paid Or Received Only Reportable On the FAFSA When It Is Court Ordered?

No. Child support need not be court ordered to be reported on the FAFSA. Any payment made (or received) due to divorce, separation, or a legal requirement or agreement is reportable. Note that beginning with the 2024-25 award year, child support received is included as an asset by the recipient. According to Dear Colleague Letter GEN-23-11, "Assets now include the annual amount of child support received (previously included as income in the EFC formula). The recipient of the child support will be asked to report the amount received in the last complete calendar year."

For example, if the student is completing the FAFSA in October 2024, they will report child support received for the prior calendar year--2023. If the student is completing the FAFSA in January 2025, they will be reporting child support received for a different calendar year--2024.

Note that effective with the 2024-25 award year, child support paid is not reported on the FAFSA; it is no longer an income exclusion (formerly Additional Financial Information).

Reference Section 480(f)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended [20 USC 1087vv(f)(1)].

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