My wife is filling out a FAFSA, should she put her old name?

Question

We have not received our marriage license in the mail to change her last name on her social security card, so should she be putting my last name or hers?

Answer 1

I'm guessing that it is probably in your wife's best interest - financially - to apply for financial aid as an "independent" - otherwise, she would need to submit her parents' income information, and her expected family contribution (EFC) would be based on their income.

In order for your wife to be considered "independent", she should answer the question "are you married" in the affirmative..

HOWEVER, YOUR WIFE MUST use the name on her social security card to complete the FAFSA form. The Department of Education compares the info that you have provided to the income records that are maintained by the Internal Revenue Service - if you don't provide your wife's social security name, they will not find a match, and your FAFSA processing will be greatly delayed.

By now, you should have submitted a name change to the Social Security Administration - if you did that a while back, you might want to contact the SSA to see if the change has been processed. Otherwise, you MUST MUST MUST use her Social Security-registered name.

Congratulations and best wishes on your marriage...

I hope that helped!

Answer 2

She should list her name exactly as it appears on her social securtity card today.

Answer 3

When the FAFSA is filed, the applicants name, social security number and date of birth are all compared against the records of the US Social Security Administration. If the name, social security number and date of birth do NOT match what is on SSA's records, then your application will reject and you will have to submit proof of citizenship and identity to your Financial Aid Office.

So, in short, your wife should be reporting her legal name, as it appears on her social security card as of the date she files her FAFSA. If she has not legally changed her name, then she should use her current legal name.