Can a Relative Be Included In the Family Size If the Relatives Lives In Another Country?

Scenario: The student's parent lists relatives who live in Haiti. The student's parent indicates that she sends the relatives money and is providing more than 50 percent of their support.

Answer: No. The family size can include people, other than children, as legal dependents only if those other people live with the student (or parent of a dependent student) and will continue to live with the student (or parent) through the award year. In addition, the parent or student must also provide more than 50 percent of the support to the other people throughout the award year. 

Starting with the 2024-25 award year, under Section 480(k) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended [20 USC 1087vv(k)(1) Amendment of Section], household size becomes family size. Family size is based on federal tax information (FTI) transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA via the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX). This means the number of dependents in the family size is now based on the number of individuals who are claimed as dependents on either the applicant’s (if independent) or parent’s (if dependent) U.S. federal tax return. 

If FTI is pulled in, the FAFSA contributor (student and/or parent) is given the opportunity to manually update the family size if it has changed since filing the applicable tax return. However, the contributor cannot see what family size was reported from the FA-DDX, as the transferred FTI is masked.

When the FAFSA contributor manually enters the family size, they are instructed as follows:

• For a dependent applicant, include the parent (and spouse or partner), the student, the parent’s dependent children (even if they live apart because of college enrollment), and other people living with the parent now. Include these dependent children and other people only if the parent will provide more than half of their support between July 1 and June 30 of the award year covered by the FAFSA.
• For the independent applicant, include the student (and spouse), the student’s dependent children (even if they live apart due to college enrollment), and other people living with the student now. Include these dependent children and other people only if the student will provide more than half of their support between July 1 and June 30 of the award year covered by the FAFSA.

Because the other family members do not live with the student, or parent, they cannot be included in the family size. However, you may be able to review the circumstances of this case to potentially exercise professional judgment (PJ). A PJ decision could include an option such as excluding the amount of income used to support the other family members if it is reasonable to do so based on the circumstances involved.

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.