<p>My parents are both illegal, not married through state or church, and cannot not file taxes. I don't work due to my extra cur. And amount of homework I get. Can the IRS find out about my parents and have then deported? And can I even fill out FAFSA?</p>
<p>Are you eligible to file FAFSA?</p>
<p>IRS don’t deport people and also don’t inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about your immigration status</p>
<p>Do either of your parents make enough money that they are required to be filing taxes? If so, I do not believe you’ll be able to use FAFSA unless you file as an independent, and I’m not sure if that is the correct course of action.</p>
<p>I think only the parents with the highest income counts for this rule, since they are unmarried, not their COMBINED income. </p>
<p>Also, are you illegal or do you have some other status?</p>
<p>You parents can (and are legally required to) file tax returns even if they’re undocumented. Resident aliens are taxed on their worldwide income, and the substantial presence test (the test used for undocumented aliens) is pretty expansive. See here: [Tax</a> Topics - Topic 851 Resident and Nonresident Aliens](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc851.html]Tax”>Topic No. 851, Resident and Nonresident Aliens | Internal Revenue Service)</p>
<p>If you’re a citizen, you’re eligible to file FAFSA. If you’re a non-citizen, see here: [Non-U.S</a>. Citizens | Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/non-us-citizens]Non-U.S”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/non-us-citizens)</p>
<p>There is another thread describing a situation almost identical to yours a bit further down in this forum. Scroll down until you find it.</p>
<p>I am a natural born citizen so I should be eligible to file FAFSA. I really need help, I have been accepted to a few 4 year universities but can’t afford them.</p>
<p>You need to obtain an ITIN (IRS identity number, used in place of a social security number), so your parents can file.</p>
<p>Your best bet may be to contact someone at the financial aid office of these schools. You will not be the first in your situation, and they should know how to deal with it (at least one of them should). It can take a long time to process and ITIN application, so you need to get started now.</p>
<p>The parents get ITINs when they file their returns. <a href=“http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw7.pdf[/url]”>http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw7.pdf</a></p>
<p>OP is a citizen, so either has an SSN or is eligible to get one.</p>
<p>The OP needs to read through the sticky at the top of this forum. Just because s/he files under FAFSA doesn’t mean that gobs of money will be given. It could be as little as a $5.5K loan.</p>
<p>You would still file as a dependent, not independent.</p>
<p>ern…where did you apply? Most schools do not meet need. which state are you in?</p>
<p>First of all, even if your parents are here illegally, if they are earning money, they may have to file taxes. If they are not earning enough, they may not have to do so. You/they need to read through whether they are exempt from filing taxes or not. There is time to file for 2012, and you can indicate on the FAFSA whether they have and will, or do not have to and won’t. Be aware that the schools are very likely to want verification of your family income, in fact, certainly to ask for it.</p>
<p>If you want a chance to get college money, you and your main parent, the one you live with the most, has to complete FAFSA. What FAFSA does is give you an Expected Family Contribution and if it is low enough, you are eligible to get up to $5550 in PELL Grant money, and you can borrow up to $5500 on your own. It also makes you possibly eligible for other federal/state grants and loans. Some colleges will also give money based on the FAFSA EFC. However, other thatn the PELL and the Stafford loan, there is no guarantee as to what you will get. Depends upon the school. Most schools do not meet full need.</p>
<p>But to get a chance to get anything, you gotta file. So you need to find out what your one parent’s income has been this year, and get the proof for it. Like deposits to a bank acccount or if nothing else is availabe, a written statement from whoever gave your parents the money. Or a list of expenses and that they have been met. The government and colleges are not likely just to take your word for it, so you had better start looking for some proof. Filing taxes makes it easier to provide the proof because a filed return will do for the proof needed. It can get difficult otherwise.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1439654-help-parent-information-fafsa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1439654-help-parent-information-fafsa.html</a></p>
<p>ern203, here is the link to one of the other threads that discusses a situation much like yours. The advice that student was given will apply to you.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>I would also like to add that my father gets paid under the table and my mother does not work</p>
<p>Getting paid under the table does not change his tax filing requirements. If your mother has no income, she has no filing requirement.</p>
<p>You have to list your dad’s info on FAFSA and list how much he earns, even if it’s Under the Table. </p>
<p>If you try to indicate that they have no income, then it will likely trigger an issue where they will wonder what you’re living on.</p>
<p>Whether your father is being paid under the table or not, he is required to file taxes if he earns over a certain amount of money. If he does not meet the requirement to file taxes, then indicate so on the FAFSA, however, you still will need to have verification of what he made. You have to report what he made on the FAFSA form and you will have to somehow prove it.</p>
<p>So i looked into the process of obtaining an ITIN and one of the requirements was for my father to attach a Federal income tax return. How can he get one when he is undocumented and does not have an ITIN? Sorry for my ignorance on the subject.</p>
<p>ern203, you shouldn’t hesitate to inquire at college financial aid offices.</p>
<p>That said, I googled college financial aid parents undocumented and there are many links that look helpful.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>ern203, ITIN is not appropriate for you. If you are a US citizen you must apply for SSN, if you don’t already have one.</p>
<p>The normal procedure for your parents is that the IRS will assign them ITINs when they file income tax returns.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, IRS is not linked up with ICE. Illegal presence does not excuse people living in the US from the requirement to file income tax returns. (While many people believe that only citizens are required to pay taxes, this is most definitely not true. Popular thinking about immigration and taxes is riddled with misinformation.)</p>
<p>If the ITIN application asks for a tax form, then your dad should complete the form, leaving the space on it where the ITIN would go empty. The IRS will process the return and assign an ITIN, and let your dad know what his ITIN is. If he is unsure how to do all of this, he should ask around in his community. It is very likely that he knows people who also are undocumented who have ITINs.</p>