Declaring independent through FAFSA as an 18 year old student.?

Question

How does an 18 year old highschool student declare as independent through FAFSA for the 2007-2008 school year? I am estranged from my parents and would like to know how to go about this process.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, until you are 24, married, have children or other dependents of your own that you provide more than 50% financial support for, OR are an orphan/ward of the court or a veteran, you must provide parent income information on the FAFSA, regardless of if you live with them or if they did not claim you on their tax return.

The only exception to this rule is called a Dependency Override, which you must apply for through your school's financial aid office. A Dependency Override, if approved, makes you an independent student although you would normally be considered Dependent based on your FAFSA. These are approved for students in extenuating circumstances, where contact with parents in impossible, or contact with the parents would be harmful to the student. Common situation are students who have never known their father and their mother is incarcerated--getting the information would be impossible. Another example would be someone who has not lived with their parent for quite some time due to abuse, although custody may have never been legally taken away from the parent.

One of the most important parts of the Dependency Override application is called Third Party Documentation. This is a letter from someone else of an authoritative position that can write a letter attesting to the situation. This person is usually a church personnel, counselor, psychiatrist, social worker, etc.--NOT a family member.

If you feel you qualify, you must contact your schools financial aid office to apply.

Answer 2

Again, NotAnyoneYouKnow is correct. FAFSA does not care who you live with, who claims you on tax returns, or whether you support yourself or not. If you are not married, are not a member of the military, do not have a child who your provide more than 50%, you CANNOT apply for the FAFSA as an independent. You will need to get your parents' tax return information. If they don't want to give you their returns, tell them to go online to FAFSA and enter their own info on your application. But many schools will also require their own financial aid application which may require you to submit copies of both you and your parents' tax returns and W-2s.

Answer 3

You will find this process a bit difficult; it might start to feel like you're being made to jump through hoops. In order to be considered independent, you must

* be 24 or older
* be married
* have children or other dependents
* be a veteran of the US armed forces
* be an orphan or ward of the court
* possess a Bachelor's degree

If you do not fit into one of the above categories, you are dependent. You, the student, cannot declare yourself independent for Federal Student Aid purposes; your school must do it. They can perform what it known as a Dependency Override. In order to do this, your school needs documentation of your independent status. Do you have any legal documents? Or perhaps a letter from a church (religious) official attesting to your estrangement. If you cannot provide this information, contact your school(s) to see what they *will* accept -- some will allow a student to submit documentation that s/he has supported him/herself for a certain period of time. You will probably need to prove that you have paid for your own housing, food, clothing, insurance, transportation. In short: you might need to show that you accepted no support from anyone.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of students out there who have tried to abuse the system by declaring themselves independent from parents whose incomes would otherwise make them ineligible for federal grant aid. Because of such students, the process is a little bit more difficult for students like you.

Answer 4

I am having the same issue and I will be 21 in April

you are not considered indepent until you are 23 years old or you are an orphan, parents divorced, or the student is pregnant and not married

So yea, I am still a dependent according to FAFSA

Answer 5

If you apply and they declare that you are a dependent student, you can appeal the decision. There are forms to fill out, you must present evidence of your independence, and then a board or panel reviews your case and decides.

Answer 6

Near impossible, FASFA doesnt consider you independent until age 24

Answer 7

you cannot claim independant until u reach 24.