Do both parents have to sign the FAFSA for financial aid eligibility?

I'm currently working on understanding the FAFSA process, and I'm a bit confused about the requirement for parental signatures. Do both parents need to sign the FAFSA form, or is it sufficient for just one parent to provide their signature? My parents are divorced, and I'm wondering if this impacts who needs to sign the form. Any clarity on how parent involvement is structured would be super helpful, especially regarding dependence status and who reports income information.

When completing the FAFSA, only the custodial parent's signature is required. The custodial parent is typically the one you have lived with most during the past 12 months. If you split your time equally between both parents, you should use the information of the parent who provides more than half of your financial support.

In cases of divorce or separation, it's not about who claims you on their taxes or who has legal custody, but rather the parent you have lived with the most in last 12 months. If your parents are divorced, and you've lived with your mother more than your father, your mother would be the one to sign and provide financial information on the FAFSA.

If your custodial parent has remarried, your step-parent's financial information is required on the FAFSA, too. Even though they're not your biological parent, the government considers their income and assets as part of the family's ability to pay for college.

Regarding the dependency status, you're considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes unless you're 24 years old, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a ward of the court, or have legal dependents other than a spouse.

Understanding the FAFSA process can definitely be a bit challenging, but hopefully this should help clear up any confusion about the signature requirement and how parental data is used to determine financial aid.