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Single moms completing the 2027–28 FAFSA should understand parent income, divorced-parent rules, aid deadlines and new Parent PLUS loan limits.
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According to the Education Data Initiative, the cost of college has increased 41.7% faster than the cost of inflation, with the average cost of tuition and fees climbing 93.2% since the 2005-2006 academic year.
This year’s FAFSA process has already started. The 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, became available September 23, eight days earlier than the October 1 deadline required by law. Students attending college between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028, can complete it now.
The FAFSA is different when one parent is carrying most of the money, paperwork and decision-making for the household. Sure, they’re thrilled their child has gotten into college. But it’s also part of a decision about whether she can help pay for it without putting the rest of her family’s financial stability at risk.
Who Fills Out FAFSA?
Your child. This is their financial application for a school they will be attending. Federal Student Aid recommends that students start their own FAFSA and complete their sections first. Your child should be the one to review the FAFSA Submission Summary and respond quickly if a college requests additional information, documentation or signatures.
The Department of Education states that later this fall, students’ data will be pre-populated from previous FAFSA forms, allowing for a much faster experience for returning students.
With that said, students can now invite their parent or contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA form with a simple code. If your child is considered a dependent student, the form will determine which parent must provide financial information. Parents with multiple children applying for federal student aid will be able to reuse their information across all applications instead of being required to reenter it for every child. You and your child will each need your own StudentAid.gov account.
Being listed as a contributor does not mean you’re agreeing to pay your child’s college bill or take out a parent loan. You’re providing information used to determine aid eligibility, such as income, taxes and assets. So before sitting down to complete it, gather your tax records, bank and investment balances, child-support information and other requested financial records. However, if you would like to contribute, be careful: Direct PLUS Loans for Parents, or Parent PLUS loans , could make you responsible for repaying debt while still paying your own household expenses and saving for retirement.
FAFSA Divorced Parents: Don’t Assume The Parent Your Child Lives With Goes On The Form
If you’re divorced or separated, FAFSA may ask which parent provided the greater portion of the child’s financial support during the past 12 months. If support was equal, income and assets can become relevant in determining which parent should provide information. Federal Student Aid has a Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to help you figure this out.
If the parent required to provide FAFSA information has remarried, the stepparent’s information may also be required. Your marital status for FAFSA purposes is generally based on your status on the day you complete the form, not necessarily the filing status shown on an older tax return.
The number on a single mom’s tax return does not necessarily show how much money she can actually put toward tuition.
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Parent Income On FAFSA May Not Reflect What You Can Afford Today
Don’t decide on your own that your income is too high to make completing the FAFSA worthwhile. Federal Student Aid recommends completing the form regardless of income because FAFSA information can be used for federal aid as well as some state, school and private aid. Approximately 13 million students are estimated to receive some form of federal financial aid annually.
Conversely, don’t be intimidated by your income compared with what other families appear to earn. College is much more expensive than it used to be, so even families with decent or two-parent incomes can struggle to pay for it. Income is not the same as wealth, and neither tells the whole story about a family’s ability to pay for college.
The number on a single mom’s tax return does not necessarily show how much money she can actually put toward tuition. A solid income on paper doesn’t necessarily tell the full story of what a family can afford, and income alone doesn’t determine how much financial aid your child may receive. Median U.S. household income was $80,734 in 2020–2024 Census data, yet according to Empower , the second-largest retirement services company in the U.S., median net worth in 2026 is just $28,356 for people in their 30s and $88,236 for those in their 40s.
For the 2027–28 FAFSA, families report 2025 tax information, which is generally transferred directly from the IRS with the required consent. If your financial situation has changed for the worse since then, don’t substitute newer tax information on the FAFSA yourself. Submit the form using the information it requires, then contact each college’s financial aid office and ask whether it can review your current circumstances through an aid adjustment, sometimes called professional judgment. Schools can consider certain significant changes in a family’s finances and may ask you to provide documentation.
Don’t Let The Federal FAFSA Deadline Fool You
Make a simple list of every college your child is considering. Use a net price calculator to determine the cost of different schools and check each school’s financial aid deadline. Compare the real cost of colleges, not just tuition, because housing, transportation, books, food, travel home and fees can all affect what you can contribute.
Everyone wishes they could contribute money toward college for their children. But be realistic about your dreams and your reality. You may need to protect emergency savings more carefully because there may not be a second income to fall back on if the household runs into trouble.
Check your state’s deadline separately. States and individual colleges have their own financial aid deadlines, and some state programs have limited funds. Federal Student Aid recommends filing before those earlier deadlines to maximize the aid for which a student may be eligible.
Most 2027–28 forms are expected to process immediately, although some can take one to three days. According to the Department of Education, students can now receive the results of their eligibility for a Pell Grant or how much they may receive in federal aid in real time.
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