<p>Hello; my parents, out of sheer negligence and childish behavior, haven't done their taxes for several years, and it seems like they're not going to do them; if they do them, we're poor enough for me to get a free ride, but they won't.</p>
<p>What can I do? I'm a dependent and the FAFSA applications opened on the first of this month, and the deadline is March 2nd. Can I get assistance from somewhere or am I unable to attend college?</p>
<p>" if they do them, we’re poor enough for me to get a free ride, but they won’t."</p>
<p>Ask at your local public library about where you can get free assistance with completing the tax returns. Take your most reliable parent with you, and get that help. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If their income is high enough to be required to file taxes, then they must file taxes for you to be eligible for financial aid. If their income is not high enough for them to be required to file taxes, then you can file FAFSA and say they will not be filing taxes.</p>
<p>I don’t have a reliable parent. Our discussion pretty much went…</p>
<p><em>After 4 months</em></p>
<p>Mom: You said our accountant said you only have to file the 2010 tax returns.</p>
<p>Dad: I never said that, and even if I did you should have corrected me. You know how it’s done; you can’t do **** like that.</p>
<p>Mom: Well, that’s what you told me. Of course I know better, but you talked to our accountant and told me that’s what he said.</p>
<p>With a bunch of berating and little ******** in between.</p>
<p>So… after 4 months we’re back at square one; neither of them know what’s going on, but they both seem to be under the impression that they have to file all of the years they haven’t, which my dad made an uproar about not having the paperwork for. Oh yeah, and my dad passed the baton to my mom(they’ve been passing it back and forth) by telling her to call the accountant and find out what’s up. She called him and left a message with a callback to my cell phone number… still no call… 12:00 on a Thursday?</p>
<p>I’ve been pushing for all of this by the way; this conversation wouldn’t have even happened if I didn’t tell my mom to go to my dads… they would still be twiddling around with their thumbs up their ass until Mr. IRS deports them to Russia. And my mom was angry that I would even daaare do this; she told me to go tell my father how I feel about their handling of the taxes once we got their; I was astonished.</p>
<p>I am somewhat skeptical they have an accountant and yet have not filed taxes in years. Are your parents self-employed?</p>
<p>In any case, they most likely are fearful of filing their taxes because of some of the following reasons: they owe back taxes, they fear the back taxes are far more than they can afford to pay, they fear the many extra fines that have accumulated (with interest) for all those past years, they fear being prosecuted for failure to file, etc. </p>
<p>You will need to make an educated guess if your parents will <em>ever</em> file taxes in time for you to receive Federal Aid for college. If the answer is “no” then you need to start right now making plans to pay your way through college without any loans. That may mean starting at a CC, or working your way through school (or taking time off to work fulltime). etc.</p>
<p>I think that it may be impossible to get straight answers out of your parents because they seem to fear some (real or imagined) consequences from the IRS–their fear is so great that it has paralyzed them and their fear is so great that it appears they are willing to let their own child suffer the consequences. Try to get your parents to talk about their fears. What might also be helpful is if they talk to a tax <em>lawyer</em> to figure out their rights and their options. I suggest a tax <em>lawyer</em> because it protects them from being reported since it is a lawfully confidential relationship. A CPA or accountant is not under the same obligation. Many tax lawyers will do an initial consultation for free.</p>
<p>Yes; my father is self-employed and my mother is a stay-at-home couch potato. Well, I read that to my mom and she tried to physically attack me. Left my dad a message to call me back; will ask him if he’s willing to see a tax lawyer.</p>
<p>When I ask them how many years they haven’t filed their taxes, neither of them answer. But obviously enough to make them **** their pants. Wasted the last three years of my life going to CC; awesome.</p>
<p>Whelp, I haven’t been able to sleep the past three days etc. etc… should I just move on with my life or can a councilor at college or something have an alternative route they can guide me through?</p>
<p>This is obviously a panic-button issue for your parents. </p>
<p>Your years at CC are not wasted. A few more options to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Your transfer/continuation may get delayed–but not forever. When you turn 24, you can file for Federal Financial Aid by yourself as an independent student. I am guessing that you are about 21 right now? You can work for a few years and then go, or perhaps go part-time to an affordable state school and work part-time. There is the military option, but only if you feel that is the right path for you.</p>
<p>You are doing your parents a real service if you can get them to at least talk to a tax lawyer for their own sakes (separate from any desire on your part for Financial Aid). However, you need to stay emotionally and physically safe yourself, so realize this process probably can’t be pushed very much in the meantime.</p>
<p>This may not resonate for you right now, but keep it in mind that there are students who overcome great odds to get their college degree. Your very worse case scenario is a 3 year wait until you are 24 and considered independent for FAFSA purposes. You may be able to tide that gap of time with a meaningful internship, part-time college attendance, living and working abroad for a year or two, or anything else that will give you life experience that enhances your life and college and eventual career goals.</p>
<p>I’m 19… all of the homeless shelters around are for 12-17-year-olds; awesomeee… Haven’t been able to find a job on my own in this densely populated city, don’t have a car and can’t get a job at college because of the FAFSA… which I wouldn’t even need if they did it… hopefully this sleep deprivation gives me a heart attack soon :D.</p>
<p>Your parents and/or their accountant can ask the IRS for a transcript of all of the forms (such as W-2s, 1099s etc) that the IRS has received. Your accountant can then use that information to file the back tax forms, if they are needed.</p>
<p>Been there, done that, back when we were young and stupid…</p>
<p>The thing your parents may not realize is that if they did not owe any taxes for those years the IRS won’t penalize them (or if there is a penalty, it’s minor). If they do owe taxes, there will be penalties and interest that will be owed, but a good accountant may be able to get a payment schedule so it won’t be a big hit all at once.</p>
<p>The good thing would be if your parents are actually owed a refund for any of the past three years, the IRS will give it to them (without interest IIRC). However, any refunds more than three years old get forfeited.</p>
<p>They may feel a lot better once they get back on track, too.</p>
<p>Very sorry that your parents are stuck in this mess, but you may be able to figure something out:</p>
<p>One idea would be to join the service (reserves)and see if you can receive tuition benefits. I am thinking of ROTC, perhaps.</p>
<p>Another would be to look into Berea College in KY, which is tuition-free and has a work program for students; the website ([Berea</a> College](<a href=“http://www.berea.edu%5DBerea”>http://www.berea.edu)) says that they ask for the FAFSA but they also accept a personal statement from transfer applicants, so you could explain about the difficulties brought about by your parents’ failure to file their taxes. (See the paragraph below.)</p>
<p>Where do you live? You also might start out by paying for one or two classes at your local state university at least for a semester while working and while you figure something out. </p>
<p>I know that others here have ideas, too, so hang in there. </p>
<p>•The personal statement is optional for all applicants, but we strongly encourage those who have experienced obstacles or adversity to submit this document. We recommend that all personal statements be submitted to the Office of Admissions (via fax or mail) within 10 days of submitting the application. (Please be sure to include your name and date of birth on each page.) If you choose to submit a personal statement, please write an essay (approximately 250-500 words) on a topic of your choice that describes significant accomplishments and/or challenges you have overcome and your motivations to do so. Please remember this statement allows us to better understand you as a student and as a person, apart from your grades, test scores, and other quantitative data.</p>