My fiance and I have been together for almost 5 years now. With the recent approval of the civil union act being passed in the state of illinois we have been thinking about a civil union. We have been thinking about marriage for some time now, however I am in college and receive financial aid and if we were to get married, I would lose my aid. So my question is this, if we were to get a civil union, would that screw up my financial aid or would it not affect it since the federal government doesn't recognize civil unions?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Civil Union
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07-13-2011, 09:24 AM #1Registered User
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Civil Union
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07-13-2011, 08:12 PM #2Registered User Samaritan & Scholar
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Are you a same-sex couple? If not, you won't be getting a civil union.
Either way, your significant other's income would have to be reported. The government does not have to condone the nature of the relationship when determining your financial need.
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07-13-2011, 10:58 PM #3Moderator Honorable Colleague
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OP is in Illinois where the Civil Union Act just became law. In Illinois, the act covers homosexual and heterosexual couples, so OP may enter into a civil union.
As to the FAFSA, the federal government doesn't recognize civil unions, so you wouldn't report your partner's income as that of a spouse. However, I believe that ISAC will probably have a form for couples in civil unions, so check with ISAC.I'm not a lawyer