FAFSA for parents going back to school (2027-28)

For 2027-28, you can file the FAFSAFAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The free federal form for grants, federal student loans and work-study. Most states and schools use it for their own aid too. and pick a college at the same time, and if a child lives with you and gets over half their support from you, you file as an independent student. Source · StudentAid.gov, Dependency Status

You don’t need to be admitted to list a school, and the online form takes up to 20. Source · StudentAid.gov, Listing colleges

If you have not been in school for a decade and don’t know the process, this page takes the steps in the order you meet them. Your child keeps your parents’ income off your form; living apart from your parents does not, on its own. Source · StudentAid.gov, Dependency Status

The 2027-28 form opened on September 23, 2026. Source · U.S. Department of Education It covers classes from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028, and asks for your 2025 tax information.

If you start before July 2027, use the 2026-27 form; for a summer start, ask the school which form. Source · StudentAid.gov, Filling out the FAFSA

This page is for the parent who is the student. If you are filling in your child’s form, our FAFSA guide covers the parent’s part.

A child you support makes you independent for 2027-28

The 2027-28 form asks: “Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028?” A yes makes you an independent student, and your parents won’t be required to add their information. Source · StudentAid.gov, Dependency Status

If you were born before January 1, 2004, you are independent by age for 2027-28 anyway. Federal Student Aid’s 2026-27 handbook says the online form asks the children question only of applicants under 24. Your children still count in your household, as the next section shows. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, AVG Ch. 2

Benefits paid for your child, such as TANF or SNAP, can count as support you give. Child support from the other parent cannot. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, AVG Ch. 2

The full list of other routes to independence is in our guide to filing as an independent student. Married? Your spouse’s information goes on your form too; see the FAFSA for married students.

Your family size counts each child you support, even one away at college

Family size is you, your spouse if you are married, and the children or other relatives who live with you and get more than half their support from you between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028.

A child who lives apart for a temporary reason, “such as being in college”, still counts. Unborn children don’t. Source · StudentAid.gov, Family size

The form starts from the dependents on your 2025 tax return. If you now have more or fewer, because of a birth, an adoption or a child moving out, answer “Yes” to the family size question.

Then enter the children or other relatives who will live with you and get more than half their support from you between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028, not counting yourself or your spouse. Source · StudentAid.gov, Family size changed

Child support you received goes on the form as well. The 2027-28 formula for parents adds it to your assets and counts 7% of your net worth. Source · 2027-28 SAI and Pell Guide, Formula C

If you or anyone in your family got SNAP, WIC, Medicaid or another listed federal benefit in 2025 or 2026, the form tells you to skip the child support and asset questions. Source · 2027-28 FAFSA form

Family size sets your income line for the maximum Pell

For 2027-28, an independent student is eligible for the maximum Pell Grant when 2025 adjusted gross income is above $0 and at or below a line set by family size and state. The line is 225% of the 2025 poverty guideline for a single parent, and 175% for everyone else. Source · 2027-28 SAI and Pell Guide, Step 1

If your AGIAGI, Adjusted gross income. Your income on your federal tax return after certain adjustments. It is on line 11 of Form 1040. is over that line, Pell comes from the Student Aid Index formula. For a parent, that formula subtracts an income protection allowance that grows with family size: $57,050 for an unmarried parent with one child in 2027-28. Our guide to how the Student Aid Index works walks through the rest. Source · 2027-28 SAI and Pell Guide, Table C3

Parents also have their own lines for the minimum Pell: 400% of the guideline for a single parent and 350% for other parents, against 275% for students without children, if the SAISAI, Student Aid Index. The number your FAFSA produces. Schools use it to work out your Pell Grant and other need-based aid: the lower it is, the more aid you can get. is under twice the maximum Pell.

Pell pays up to $7,395 for 2026-27, and the aid check uses that maximum for 2027-28 estimates until the new one is set. See whether Pell goes up in 2027-28.

These lines use the 2025 guidelines for the 48 states and DC. Alaska and Hawaii have higher guidelines, so their lines are higher.

Single-parent status comes from your 2025 tax return

Being an unmarried parent is not enough on its own. The formula treats you as a single parent if you are unmarried, have a dependent, and your 2025 return was filed as head of household or qualifying surviving spouse, or you got the Earned Income Tax Credit. A blank EITCEITC, Earned Income Tax Credit. A federal tax credit for people who work and earn a low to moderate income. answer counts as no. Source · 2027-28 SAI and Pell Guide, Appendix G

Hypothetical example: you are unmarried with two children. One is 12 and at home; one is 19 and in a degree program at least half time, and you still give both more than half their support. Your family size is 3, and your 2025 AGI was $52,000.

If you filed as head of household, $52,000 is under your $59,963 line, so the maximum-Pell test is met. Filed as single with no EITC, the maximum line is $46,638, so Pell comes from the formula. $52,000 is still under that filer’s $93,275 minimum line, so the minimum Pell can apply if the SAI is under twice the maximum Pell.

If your 2025 return was filed as single and you got no EITC, compare your AGI with the 175% row in the table above, not the 225% one, whatever the aid check’s single-parent box says. Our guide to grants for single parents covers the grants on top of Pell, and the financial aid guides cover each program in depth.

A parent and child in college the same year file two FAFSAs

You and each child need your own StudentAid.gov account, and each child starts their own form. Source · StudentAid.gov, Multiple children If your child is a dependent student, you are the parent contributor on their form and the student on yours.

The two forms count college differently.

On your own form, count yourself, even if you will attend less than half time, and each person in your family size who will attend at least half time in 2027-28 in a program that leads to a degree or certificate. Source · StudentAid.gov, Student's family in college

On your child’s form, the parent question says not to include yourself, even if you are enrolled. Source · StudentAid.gov, Parent's family in college

In the example above, your form lists 2 in college: you and your 19-year-old. Your child’s form lists 1, the child, in a parent’s family of 3.

1. Make the accounts

   One StudentAid.gov account for you and one for each child filing. Accounts can’t be shared.

2. File your own 2027-28 form as the student

   Answer the children question and check your family size against your 2025 return.

3. Fill in the parent sections of your child's form

   Your child starts their form and invites you. Leave yourself out of the parent’s number in college.

4. List schools while you still choose

   Add up to 20 schools on the online form. You don’t need to be admitted to list one.

5. Ask each aid office two questions

   How to request a dependent care allowance in your cost of attendance, and whether they will review your aid for having another family member in college.

Federal law lists “additional family members enrolled in college” and “child or dependent care expenses” as special circumstances an aid officer may consider. Each review is case by case, applies only at that school, and the school’s decision “is final”. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, AVG Ch. 5

Childcare can go into your cost of attendance

Schools can add a dependent care allowance to your budget. It covers care “during periods that include but are not limited to class time, study time, field work, internships, and commuting time.” Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 3, Ch. 2

The amount follows the number and ages of your children and what care costs where you live. The handbook says “students are often unaware of this allowance”, and an interview or a written statement can be enough to document it.

The allowance raises your cost of attendance, which sets the limit on the federal loans, Work-Study and other campus-based aid you can receive. It is not a payment by itself, so ask the aid office how to request it. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 3, Ch. 2

Frequently asked questions

Does having a child make you independent for FAFSA?

Yes, if the child lives with you and gets more than half their support from you now and through June 30, 2028, for the 2027-28 form. If your own parents pay most of your household costs, don’t claim the child unless you can show you give more than half their support.

Who counts in my FAFSA family size if I have kids?

You, your spouse if married, and each child or relative who lives with you and gets more than half their support from you. A child away at college still counts. Unborn children don’t.

Can a parent and child both file the FAFSA for the same year?

Yes. Each files their own form with their own account. Count your child in college on your form; leave yourself off the parent’s number in college on theirs.

Do I file the FAFSA before I apply to a school?

You can file first or at the same time. You don’t need to apply for admission before you list a school, and you can list up to 20 online.

Your next step: put your household’s numbers in

Once you know your family size and your filing status, the aid check runs the Pell tests for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28) on your household income, household size and state. Your result shows before any name or email.

Comparing schools afterwards is optional, and it is not financial aid or an aid application.