My EFC is 0. I’m a US Citizen currently in India. College start date would be Fall 2019. I have my mom with me here in India who’s the custodial parent and Non-US Citizen. I have a father somewhere in US who’s a naturalized US Citizen, the non - custodial parent. NCP is irresponsible, irresponsive, not going to pay anything. Mom has/had a Social Security Number while working in US which is authorized for work only. Both of us left US in mid 2000.
Currently, mom has her own home, shared 50% with grandparent, which is where I live, primary home. Mom currently doesn’t work here in India and doesn’t file taxes here. No other source of income. AGI, investments, businesses, child support paid… basically everything asked on FAFSA is ZERO, except for primary home equity value and cash/asset. This is isn’t a lot either, hence for the EFC 0. We’re supported by grandparent.
I’ve read that if the Feds see a FAFSA with EFC 0, they’re gonna mark it for verification. I’m not sure what that process would look like or any iota of idea of how it would go. But it already is freaking me out.
And for schools that use CSS Profile and hence their own methodology to calculate FA, what will they do?
Being selected for verification is not unusual. Some schools verify every single student, others do 1-in-3.
Since your mother is not a citizen, you’ll have to fill in the SSN with 000-00-0000, print out the application, have her sign it and send it in. Allow plenty of time for that.
When you are doing the verification, supply all the documents the schools require.
As twoinanddone says, provide all the requested documents, which there probably won’t be much of (comparatively). You should think of a statement to provide as well that explains your situation, and that of your mother, and contains information on how the both of you meet your daily living requirements.
Likely the same thing that you’ll need to do for FAFSA.
If she was here on a work visa, she would have had a SSN issued. A SSN doesn’t automatically mean that a person has a green card. If she has been outside of the US since the mid-2000s, she almost certainly would have lost green card status by now.
Not a green card holder. Was there on H1B, not now. Is that SSN which also states - authorized for work only, should be reported then instead of 000-00-0000? @AlbionGirl@happymomof1
Am I correct in saying…the OPs mom needs to use 00000 for her SS number? She is not a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. and hasn’t lived here in years. That SS was for work purposes only?
“If you fill in the parental information using a fake social security number or one that is only valid for work purposes, the application will be rejected. If your parent does not have a social security number, use 000-00-0000 as his or her social security number.”
So that means I shouldn’t report my mom’s SSN which is valid for only work, instead fill in 000-00-0000 to avoid getting the FAFSA rejected, else it’ll be a nightmare!
Also, since I’ll be reporting only CP’s info on FAFSA and mention as divorced for parents marital status, I don’t need to report NCP’s SSN on it, right?
@Happy4u - The parent’s citizenship is immaterial. What matters is the sudent’s citizenship. The OP was born in the US.
@GuessME5 - Thanks for finding that! You are correct that only your mom’s information is needed for the FAFSA. You don’t report your dad’s income, assets, or SSN at all.
@twoinanddone, “For yourself, you might want to order a tax transcript in advance since you haven’t filed US income taxes. Just another thing to put on your list.”
What’s this thing now? I’m getting really confused. Why is this needed? Are there any sources and/or articles you could suggest me so that I research about this new issue now and how to do, etc? To-do list getting longer!
@sybbie is right, I meant a non-filer’s statement. The IRS will give you a letter stating that you did not file a tax return for the 2017 year (based on your SSN). It’s easy to get, just takes some time.
@sybbie719, I don’t know anything about the US Tax system. What should I do first?
If I intend to apply for fall 2019 term, which year’s Non-filers statement should I procure? How should I procure this and when? Where is it needed and when will it be used? Is it possible to procure when abroad? Do you have any good articles to suggest me about all these new things and the basics I got to know about US tax system? :-/
Hadn’t I come on this forum, I wouldn’t have made it to schools in US, really. In India, you just pay money to school and they admit you, no merit or need scholarships, no tax info, no FA. That’s why I like the US system.
@sybbie719, thank you very much for that link. I’ll check it out.
I’ve taken the new SAT & scored a perfect 1600. I very much want to take the SAT subject tests now but with my current financial situation, I can’t afford the tests, even though it may seem a small amount.