I understand your point IF this was their home. but their home is elsewhere…the place that they’re living 8 months out of the year. their time with the OP’s family is visiting time. I get that. My parents spent 4 months per year at my home, year after year, until they became too old/sick to travel. But their home was in Calif. My home was just “visiting” albeit a long visit.
not that the topic is concerning taxes, but I suspect that the parents shouldn’t be claiming them on their taxes either. again, they live most of the year elsewhere so it would be hard to demonstrate that the parents are providing 51% of their support since they obviously have their own means of support. But, likely because they’re int’ls, it’s a loosey goosey situation.
Everyone has to have one ‘tax’ home. The grandparents may spend the rest of the year at many different places and consider this home in the USA to be their principal home.
Because they are only Green Card holders, they may have to declare their US home as their main home. If they make under the total allowed for a dependent qualifying relative, and the OP’s parents provide the majority of the their support, they may be qualifying relatives.
I don’t think the IRS splits as many hairs as people on CC do.
The IRS rules are different than FAFSA rules though, aren’t they? The grandparents may receive more than half their support from the OP’s parents, but they don’t live with his family. I think they have to meet both criteria to be counted as members of the household for FAFSA. But OP should ask his school.
@kelsmom, is it true that only 1/3 of students whose FAFSA is flagged for verification are actually chosen? We’ve been flagged nearly every year and have been verified every time.
.The grandparents may receive more than half their support from the OP’s parents, but they don’t live with his family. I think they have to meet both criteria to be counted as members of the household for FAFSA. <
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yes they do have to meet both criteria for FAFSA. Sending money to people who live elsewhere doesn’t count.
I really don’t think the grands count on FAFSA.
OP: what and how much is the source of your grandparents’ other income?
It’s very possible that these parents provide most of the support to their parents even when they live elsewhere. But it doesn’t matter for financial aid purposes what is on the tax return.
And as noted several times, having two additional family members isn’t going to make much if any of a financial aid difference.
The OP needs to take a walk to their financial aid office…the kid is in college. Ask there.
True…but it’s been said many times that money sent to family members that live elsewhere doesn’t count. many Americans send money abroad and fully support their relatives abroad, but FAFSA rules don’t allow counting those people.
I guess the fine line is whether people who live 60-75% of their time in another home (especially a home that they own/rent), and aren’t immediate family/students can be considered part of this household. A fair overview of this situation would be that the relatives live elsewhere and are visitors when they stay at the OP’s home.
I agree that that including additional people won’t likely matter on FAFSA. I think when you get beyond 6 household members there isn’t an effect.