1L and dependent or independent

Paying for College
1

<p>I need some tax questions answered about our son (23) who is a 1L at gwu law. Can he still be a dependent for the fafsa for the household size question? We did not claim him as a dependent on our 2009 tax return but could he be considered a dependent on our 2010 taxes this year?- Because his only income for 2010 was from a taxable scholarship that was for his last semester at undergrad? The fafsa states that once you are out of undergrad then you are independent, but his only means of support comes from student loans. We have other children in college and I need to know if he should be counted in the household size considering that he does not have any income? </p>

<p>I found this online and got confused-</p>

<pre><code> Household size and tax exemptions are not necessarily the same. Exemptions look at the previous year or tax year and household size refers to the school year for which the student is applying for aid.
</code></pre>

2

<p>FAFSA and taxes are separate. They have nothing to do with each other.</p>

<p>Your son obviously has a bachelor’s degree from some university, so he is independent for his own FAFSA purposes. That means that you do not have to submit your (parental) information to the federal government for him to qualify for loans.</p>

<p>You can continue to claim him as a dependent on your taxes even if he is independen for the FAFSA.</p>

<p>He should be considered as part of the household (household size) for the purposes of his siblings’ FAFSA forms, since you are still supporting him and he lives with you when he’s not in school.</p>

3

<p>Do you know if he is considered a dependent on our 2010 tax return if that would decrease any grant money he receives from GWU Law? Would he be better off not claimed as a dependent for need based money?</p>