FAFSA Question?
My son has been out on his own completely since he was 17 he is now 21. ANd responcible for his own bills and all. He needs to fill out the FAFSA and is wondering if there is way to not involve us at all on the FAFSA?
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in the US, you are considered dependent if you are under 25 years old, unmarried and never entered the military. if your son was emancipated, he may qualify as independent. this is regardless if you have given no assistance to him at all. so, he would need to give your information on the fafsa application. talk to the financial aid office to see if there is an exception available to you. sometimes they can change status based on your situation.
i lived on my own from 18 years old, paid my own bills and had a full time job while attending school full time. i was still considered a dependent student and had to supply my mother’s tax information (parents are divorced).
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Unfortunately, if he cannot answer yes to any of the dependency questions on the FAFSA (are you 24, in the military, veteran, married, have childeren he supports or an orphan/ward of the court), he will require his parent information on the FAFSA.
He may be able to appeal his dependency status but generally, the appeal must be as a result of verifiable parental abuse or neglect…that doesn’t appear to be the case. He should plan to meet with a financial aid officer to see if he should file an appeal and how to go about doing so.
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Probably not, unless he has some unusual circumstances. If he’s married or has a child he doesn’t have to use your information, or if he is estranged from your family and it’s unsafe for him to contact you are about the only ways he can request a “professional judgment” from the financial aid office at his college to be considered an independent student.
Be prepared to prove anything he claims about his circumstances. Good luck!
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no there is not. unfortunately, financial aid does not consider an individual independent until they are 24 yrs old or married or have a child or are in the armed forces… you will have to supply your info and it will affect the amount of money he receives. it really is expected that the family contribute to the students education. if not, the taxpayers would be paying for everyone because they are all 18 yr old anyway.
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Yes, as long as he can provide his own W2s.
If he has any questions, he can call them and they’ll point him in the right direction.
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if he pays for all his bills then, you do not have to be on it. If you claim him on taxes then you would have to, but if you do not then nope. he can be on it by himself.
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