<p>i am a disabled woman currently living at a house that my father owns (he moved to ks in 1989). </p>
<p>according to his tax records he currently claims me on both the state and federal returns as a dependent. the question is since i am a dependent for tax purposes, and, since he gives me more than 50% support, is it possible that i may have to provide his tax information, even though i, according to my financial aid rep, am financially independent???</p>
<p>and are there any guidelines regarding claiming a student with disabilities on the fafsa as a dependent??</p>
<p>i think that i may have opened a rather large and heavy can of worms here so any help at all will be welcome.....</p>
<p>How did the financial aid rep determine you were an independent student for finaid purposes? I think that is a key question. If you have already talked to a specific college about this question, I think you need to show THEM the information that would support your independent status, and they would make the decision on whether to accept that or not. Independence for financial aid and independence for taxes are two different things. </p>
<p>For FAFSA the dependency tests are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you 24 or over (turning 24 in 2009 counts)</li>
<li>Do you already have a bachelor’s degree
3 As of the date you will be submitting the FAFSA, are you married? (Answer yes if you are separated, but not divorced.)
3.Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you, or do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you
4.Are you an orphan or ward of the court or were you a ward of the court until age 18?<br>
5.Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?<br>
6.Are you currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training purposes?</li>
</ol>
<p>If you can answer YES to any of the questions you are independent for FAFSA. If not you are dependent.</p>
<p>Whether you are claimed as a dependent on a tax return is NOT relevant for FAFSA. For instance last year we did not claim my 21 year old as a dependent on taxes because he paid most of his own support but he was still a dependent for FAFSA. (opposite scenario to you)</p>
<p>dependency for federal tax purposes and dependency for financial aid purposes are two separate things. You can be your father’s dependent on the taxes and still be an independent student – and your father’s info will not be needed.</p>
<p>If your birthday is before January 1985, you are considered independent for this year’s FAFSA. This OP sounds like an adult student (she says she is)…her parent’s information is NOT required.</p>