<p>As the title reads, I am a 17 year old male expecting a daughter the summer before the 2012-2013 school year. I will be graduating this spring and I have been accepted to many schools. I am declining several offers, sadly. </p>
<p>I am here to ask about FAFSA. Dependency determination question reads "Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013?" </p>
<p>"Select Yes if you have children and they are receiving more than half of their support from you (and if married, your spouse).
Select Yes if you are expecting a child who will be born before or during the school year, and you (and if married, your spouse) will provide more than half of the child's support.
Select No if you do not have children. Also select No if your children are not receiving more than half of their support from you (and if married, your spouse). "</p>
<p>I am 17 and earned an income of $9,122.82 during the 2011 tax year. I will not file because my parents will have to file for me since I am only 17. I live with my parents and I am a qualified child. I will provide all clothing and food for my daughter. </p>
<p>I will provide all clothing and food for my daughter.</p>
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<p>You earn a decent income, so it is possible that you might be able to provide at least half your child’s support. However, clothing and food most likely are not going to add up to half of what it costs to support a child. Housing, health care, diapers, etc … those will most likely add up to more than what you are paying.</p>
<p>Because the only reason you would be considered independent is due to supporting a child, you may very likely be asked to prove that by submitting receipts, statements from the mother, etc. If you can produce these and prove that you are paying at least half the child’s support, you are set. It doesn’t matter if your parents claim you on their taxes, and you don’t have to claim your child.</p>
<p>You are to be commended for working to help support your child and trying to get yourself through college.</p>
Your parents can claim you as a dependent, but you still need to file your own return because you made more than the standard deduction. You want to anyway, since there is a good chance you’ll get something back. </p>
<p>If you provide more than half of your childn’s support you can claim her on your return, in addition to making you independent for FAFSA. But as Kelsmom points out, there is much more to support than clothes and food. Especially for an infant.</p>
<p>I am aware that providing for a child requires more than what I briefly listed. The items were for model purposes. I will be providing everything except healthcare because the mother is on Medicaid and will be covered for most of the infant and early toddler years of my child. I am providing all transportation expenses for the mother, but without any income will she be able to claim independent as well for the 2012-2013 school year? How do I include my expected daughter on my institution’s verification household?</p>
<p>^ If she’s not providing half of the support for the child then I believe the only way she’d be independent is if you two got married. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.</p>
<p>I am dismayed that you and the mother plan to keep and raise this baby. You are a child yourself, I suspect the mother is as well, and the two of you are in no position to provide for a child financially and emotionally for the next 18 years. Please consider placing this child for adoption with a loving, two-parent family that will have the means and maturity to give it a good life. Then, with your daughter properly provided for, you and the mother can move on to getting an education and building your lives. You’ve made a sad mistake, but it can be repaired with a good result for all of you.</p>
Yes, you are wrong. The mom could literally be receiving public assistance for herself and the child and be considered an independent student on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>It seems that Op and GF are committed to having and raising their child. If they have a support system in place (help from their parents) they should be able to do this. I am not saying that it will be easy, but it can be done.</p>
<p>As an older sibling I understand the responsibility that is being sentenced to me. As a student, I am prepared to dedicate my social and adolescent experiences towards the future of a newborn. </p>
<p>I will provide the most I can. I am not sentencing this child to a neglectful lifestyle I have the utmost support from my parents (happily married 10 years) however; my girlfriend’s mother has decided to not intervene and leave it up to us. It is a reasonable conclusion. </p>
<p>The mother(girlfriend) will continue her education as will I but we will equally share the responsibility. I have received a mixture of answers.</p>
<p>I am asking for consulting aid. Where can I go to for expert answers with not so much variation about my situation. I know I am not the only student in this situation. The child is expected on June 12, 2012. The child will live with the father as well as the mother. The father (me) is providing all income and the mother will solely attend school and provide emotional support to the child.</p>
<p>But only if she is providing half of the support, right? I didn’t specify where it came from (her or the government or whatnot). Doesn’t FAFSA ask whether or not you are providing at least half support to a dependent?</p>
<p>@MommaJ- That’s really not your place to say. I know quite a few very young couples with children who are doing OK. And I know people who are raised by parents in their 30s who had a terrible childhood. The OP is asking for advice on how to continue his education, not about whether or not he should keep his child.</p>
<p>*The child will live with the father as well as the mother. The father (me) is providing all income and the mother will solely attend school and provide emotional support to the child. *</p>
<p>Can you clarify? Will you and your GF be living together, raising this child, and both going to college? Will you be going to college locally so that the GPs can babysit while you’re in school?</p>
<p>if you two will be living together, but not married, with a child, then I don’t know what your status will be and her status will be.</p>
<p>Since it sounds like you’re filing FAFSA now, your status is based on what’s current. You’re not really providing for the baby yet. The future mom may be (since she’s “feeding” the baby and going to the doctor), but not sure of what your status is.</p>
<p>However, it would be hard for the dad to claim that he’s providing > 50% support, if the mom is getting healthcare, food stamps, WIC, Section 8 housing, and/or whatever else is out there for low income single moms. </p>
<p>Between just healthcare and foodstamps/WIC, this dad would have a hard time saying that his contribution is more than the gov’ts.</p>
<p>And, if the dad earns about $8k or so a year this year, and a good bit needs to go towards college, car costs, etc, I don’t see how he’d contribute much in actual dollars.</p>
<p>All of the things that M2k would be considered as the mom providing more than half of the support. At this time, it may not be advantageous for OP and GF to get married as GF would be receiving more benefits as a single parent than they would most likely receive as a married couple. Even if GF was asked to place a child support order as a condition of receiving benefits, OP would still not be providing half of the income</p>
<p>Op would be best served consulting the FA office at his school to find out how he should handle this situation. He should also have himself deemed the legal parent of the child though the courts (as in some cases it is not simply enough to have your name on the birth certificate). What will happen if GF attends college as they both will not be deemed independent as far as the same child is concerned?</p>
<p>Are you a senior or a junior? If you (and your GF) know where you are going to college you both should talk go in and talk to the financial aid officers assuming you are planning on attending a local college now. Minus other aid you both could probably attend your local CC for two years if you can work out the babysitting piece inexpensively and manage with Federal direct loans. That would also give you both and your respective families time to see how things are going to shake out. This is definitely a game changer.</p>
<p>netfali, here is the “official” response you’re looking for:</p>
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<p>As it’s very unlikely that you will be bearing the cost of food, housing, and medical expenses for the newborn in the upcoming year, I don’t believe you could honestly answer yes to this question. I think you’ll need to revist the issue on your next FAFSA.</p>
<p>Only one parent can be independent in this case … the one providing at least 51% of the support. Mathematically, the other one cannot be! So the mom would be dependent in this case, even though she may not live with or receive support from her parents. It’s just how it works.</p>
<p>Yes, mothers can sometimes be considered to provide at least half the support even if they don’t work/earn money. This would be the case if they receive enough public assistance … child support, WIC, TANF, food stamps, housing. In the case where a mom lives with her parents and they buy their grandchild’s clothing, diaper, etc … and mom gets WIC/food stamps … mom is not actually providing half the support, most likely.</p>
<p>It’s sticky, and you can pretty much expect to be selected for verification if the only reason you are independent is because you have a child … although I have seen cases where the student did not actually get selected. However, the feds are being more targeted in the selection critera starting in 12-13, so I would expect this to be a pretty safe bet for verification. Just gather documentation to show this.</p>