Are you financially responsible for stepchildren?

Stepchildren can add financial and emotional complications to a relationship, especially for the stepparent. “If you marry someone with children, it’s absolutely a financial responsibility you’re taking on.”

How do I get rights to my stepchild?

A step-parent can become a legal guardian by receiving court-ordered guardianship of a stepchild.

1. Guardianship gives you the same rights over the child as a natural parent would have.
2. You can only obtain legal guardianship if one or both of their natural parents are unable or unwilling to care for the child.

Do I have rights to my stepson?

You are not a step parent from a legal perspective if you are only living together with your partner – no matter how long for. Typically, a stepparent doesn’t have any legal ‘custody’ rights to stepchildren. This can have a very profound impact on the workings of a blended family.

Should a step parent be financially responsible?

While there are no explicit rules about a step parent’s financial responsibility to her step children like there are with biological parents and children, you still want to make sure your new family is taken care of financially.

Should a step-parent pay for college?

Whether one parent or the other claims the children on his/her income taxes is irrelevant to the determination of which parent is responsible for completing the FAFSA. The federal government does not have a greater responsibility for paying for a child’s college education than the stepparent.

Does a step parent’s income affect FAFSA?

FAFSA is only concerned with the income and assets of the custodial parent’s household. If a student’s custodial parent has remarried, that step-parent’s financial information gets factored into the student’s financial aid calculation.

Does FAFSA include a step parent?

Only the income and assets of the surviving parent should be reported on the FAFSA. If the student’s parents are divorced and the custodial parent dies, the stepparent is no longer considered a parent on the FAFSA. The surviving biological/adoptive parent is responsible for completing the FAFSA.