FAFSA - Calculating AGI when separated/filed jointly

[mludke]

Hello, my spouse and I are separated (not living together) and I'll be completing the FAFSA as the custodial parent.  How do I calculate my AGI since we filed jointly in 2019?  I've read that if we live in a community property state (which we do) we can just split it 50/50.  Is that right?  Or do I need to calculate it based on my actual individual income?  Thanks!

[rjs]

This is a FAFSA question, not a tax question. This TurboTax community is for questions about preparing and filing your income tax return. We can't help you with questions about filling out the FAFSA. You can get help with FAFSA on the FAFSA web site. Here is a link to FAFSA help.

FAFSA help

[mludke]

Thanks... part of the question was how to calculate my individual AGI if we filed jointly.  Is there a specific formula or is it as simple as just deducting my spouses income from mine?

[rjs]

From a tax point of view there is no such thing as an individual AGI on a joint tax return. There is no formula or method for calculating individual AGI because there is no such thing. As far as taxes are concerned your AGI is the AGI on your tax return. I don't know how the FAFSA wants you to arrive at an individual AGI in your situation, and I don't know how being in a community property state would affect it.

I couldn't find any information regarding your situation on the FAFSA web site. Probably your best approach is to contact them by phone or web chat and ask what you should do. Go to the following link and scroll down just a bit to the chat and call options under "Contact us." The hours of operation are shown there.

Federal Student Aid Information Center

There's one other thing I want to point out to you, although I know it will not help to answer your question. You mentioned your 2019 tax return. But if you are filling out the FAFSA now, the current FAFSA is for the 2020-2021 school year, and it asks for information from your 2018 tax return, not 2019.