Is there anything I can do different on a FAFSA?

Question

I am single and live on my own but according to the FAFSA I must claim my parents income even though I am not a dependent. How can I change that? I actually have a child of my own coming in January, can I change it when the baby is born?

Answer 1

When you complete the FAFSA, you have to answer the questions in an "as of now" state. So if you cannot answer "yes" to any of the dependency questions, then you have to put down your parental information.

Once your child is born in January then talk to your financial aid officer about appealing your status and see what advice they can give you. It may be that they will approve your appeal and make you Independent at that point, or they will have you wait until filing the 0809 FAFSA to claim your independent status; they have the final say as to how your appeal will be treated.

In either event, you need to complete the FAFSA with information as it pertains to as of the date it is signed.

Talk to your financial aid officer for further information/guidance. Good luck and congrats!

Answer 2

There are six things that will automatically make you an independent student for financial aid purposes:

1. you are over 25
2. you are married
3. you are a veteran
4. you are a graduate student
5. you have a child
6. you are a ward of the court

and a special 7 that let's the financial aid administrator make a decision under special circumstances called a dependency override.

You should see your financial aid office now and advise them that in January you will become independent (by virtue of having a child) and you'd like to amend your FAFSA for Spring financial aid and they will help you do that.

Add: This set of rules is absolute and established by Congress. No matter what any friend tells you, this is the way it is. 100%, no exceptions. The use of a dependency override is very unusual and most situations probably wouldn't come close to qualifying. That's for situations like "dad is in prison and mom is somewhere in NY with her crack dealer and I've been living on my own taking care of my little brother for the last five years while holding down a full time job and going to school...."

Answer 3

You should talk to the school you are going to attend. First, if you have any professional (guidance counselor, therapist, etc) who can document your independence you should then be considered an independent by your school. Second, I'd ask your school if they would feel it was honest for your to indicate on the fafsa that you do have a child even though your child hasn't been born yet. If they agree, then, when you complete the fafsa, be sure to check that you have a child and you will not have to include parent information.
Will you still be attending school after the baby is born? If yes, and the school will not let you apply as an independent for the fall semester, then definitely submit an appeal for your spring semester aid. Again, talk to the financial aid office in the school you are attending. They are there to help!

Answer 4

The question you must answer is 'are you providing more than 50% of the child's financial support?' If the child will be living with you and/or if you will be paying child support (disclaimer...I'm assuming you aren't married) that provides more than 50% of the child's support then you should be able to make an appeal to the aid office to change your answer from 'no' to 'yes' after the child is born (you'll need to provide documentation proving this...just saying you are will not be enough). However, if you are not providing more than 50% of the financial support then you will not be allowed to change the answer and you will need to apply for aid by providing your parent's information.

Answer 5

I found interesting information about your answer, college loans, scholarships, college grants & partime works here.
http://all-student-loan-consolidation.blogspot.com/2007/07/scholarships.html
Good luck!

Answer 6

Thanks for JRM for the correct answer. Most people forget the "and provide more than one half support". I denied many students at my school for just this part.