<p>I'm 23, trying to go back to school, and having a hard time with the FAFSA. I have my own income, do not live with either of my parents, and will be relying on grants and scholarships for help with school. </p>
<p>What do I need to do to be declared independent, because all my research seems to say this is near impossible.</p>
<p>You just need to wait until you’re 24.</p>
<p>I just had my birthday. Was hoping to avoid that. And if I wait until I’m 24, wouldn’t that void my qualification for the Pell?</p>
<p>No, there is no age limit for the Pell.</p>
<p>Pell is based on your EFC. It requires a very low EFC. Until the year you turn 24, your EFC will be based on your parents income and asset and on your income and assets. Once you turn 24, it will be based just on your own income and assets. A single independent student with no dependents has around $9500 income protection before income starts impacting the EFC but no asset protection until they are 26. 50% of income over the protected limit goes to the EFC and 20% of assets.</p>
<p>
Or, get married.</p>
<p>-continues to highlight ignorance- What the heck is an EFC?</p>
<p>I would also like to avoid getting married just for the benefits. I like my SO just fine, but neither of us are ready for that step.</p>
<p>EFC=Expected Family Contribution. However this is a bit of a misnomer , since most schools do not meet FAFSA calculated need.</p>
<p>EFC stands for estimated family contribution. It is a bit of a misnomer as many schools do not meet 100% of need so will pay more than the EFC. It is used to determine eligibility for need based aid. </p>
<p>To be eligible for the PELL grant the EFC must be between 0 (for max PELL) and around 5,000 (as the EFC goes up the amont of PELL goes down).</p>
<p>Okay then. A bit of a philosophical question then: Is there a particular reason they make a student wait until they are 24 to declare independence? Other than to be a general hassle?</p>
<p>I think it has to do with how kids can stay on their parents’ insurance policies until they’re 24 - as long as they are in college.</p>
<p>The wait-until-24 to become independent requirement is ■■■■■■■■, I agree. It sucks how we can’t do anything about it.</p>
<p>^ No. It has nothing to do with insurance. 24 is likely just an arbitrary number. They probably just figured that was a long enough wait period that people wouldn’t just put college off a year or two to get better financial aid (as an independent).</p>
<p>And I wasn’t aware that a policy could have an IQ…</p>
<p>Back in the dinosaur days of my financial aid career, students of any age could be considered independent if they could prove that they were self-supporting for a particular period of time. People realized that parents could amend their taxes & the kid got a bunch of aid - enough that it more than paid for the loss of the kid as a deduction. Eventually, Congress decided that because the foundation of federal financial aid is that the family has the first responsibility for the student’s cost of education, the criteria to be considered independent for financial aid was tightened up. I don’t know why it is 24, but I assume it has to do with the idea that most students who do not go to college would be self-supporting by age 24 (at least, that is how it used to work …).</p>
<p>That makes more sense than anything than I’ve seen anywhere else, but all the same if you can prove you are an independent (own income, files own taxes, blahblahblah) student, shouldn’t you be able to do so?</p>
<p>@JimCrabtree90:</p>
<p>No. Filing taxes as an independent and being independent for FAFSA are two different things. The only way to not be considered dependent on FAFSA is to already be emancipated, married, or a military veteran. I know, it’s incredibly unfair and ridiculous. That’s the system, unfortunately.</p>