My mom passed away in October 2014, dad in 2012. She had a bit of income and I just filed her final tax return. When I fill out the questionnaire it tells me I am independent and that I don’t have to report her income. A counselor told me I did need to report it and I would appeal it afterwards so that they only look at my income (my counselors haven’t been that trustworthy in my experience), but when I asked FAFSA they said I did not need to. Then I called the UC I want to transfer to this Fall and asked them, they said no. Then I got onto a financial aid chat with one of their reps and asked, they said yes I needed to report it. I have currently been told yes twice and no twice. Reporting my mom’s income would do nothing but harm me financially, so I would really rather not do that.
I’m sorry for your loss.
No, you do not include parent incime on your FAFSA form. You are considered independent for financial aid purposes.
However, do you have money in the bank in the form of any inheritance? If so, that would be an asset.
@thumper1 Would life insurance count for that? I thought that wouldn’t affect me since it’s not taxable income?
It’s not income, but it can be your asset if it is in your name.
Apparently not counted as income for FAFSA, but I have been told by a CSS representative that it is reported as income for Profile. Schools dispensing institutional aid will have their own policy on whether or not a life insurance benefit will be counted as income for the year received.
The UCs on,y use the FAFSA. So you don’t have to worry about the Profile.
Not income on the FAFSA…but any amount you have is an asset.
@kristyalene Did you include the life insurance cash amount in the bank (or however you have the life insurance proceeds invested) on the day you submitted your FAFSA? If not, you’ll need to correct your FAFSA.
@Madison85 Yes! I just submitted it, with that information. Thank you everyone!
fyi, Here is the independent determination chart
https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#dependent-or-independent
This is the YES that determined you as an Independent filer:
At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
@kristyalene
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your parents.
As you get ready for college, please come back to this forum for any questions or concerns.