My youngest son is a dependent student. My oldest son is considered by FAFSA to be an independent student(24 years old). The independent student lives at home and receives all of his support from us(parents). On the dependents student’s FAFSA application is the independent student counted in the household and as a college student in the parents household. In other words for parent’s household size does my youngest son put down 3 or 4? and for the number in college is it 1 or 2? Thanks.
Is your older son in undergraduate school?
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The independent student lives at home and receives all of his support from us(parents).
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Please clarify…
This is a 24 year old student who gets a full Pell Grant? And what other aid does he get? Student loan? anything else? If he’s getting a full Pell Grant (about 5800) and a full student loan (about $10k-12k per year)…does that mean he has about $17k per year coming in from aid? maybe work study, too?
Does this 24 year old work? Work study? how much does he earn each year?
The independent student is in undergraduate school, received a pell grant and had no other income, loans or aid.
I believe this student can be counted as a member of your household and a student in college because he is an undergrad.
@kelsmom What is the answer here.
Your son got about $5700 in aid. So, he doesn’t get all of his support from his parents.
Does he go to a CC?
Do you spend 5700+ on him alone each year?
Technically, the older student can be counted in the younger student’s household size and number in college. A couple years ago, the feds clarified that schools could count independent students in the household size and number in college for a dependent sibling (assuming that the parents are supporting the student at least 50%). Schools can handle this in various ways, though, and some families may be asked to provide proof that they are indeed providing at least 50% support for the older student.
https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1617/help/fahelp57.htm number in college
@kelsmom, if the parents pay bills on behalf of older son, does he have to list that on his FAFSA as “money received or paid on student’s behalf”?
But if they provide housing and food for him, he does not report it on FAFSA?
Providing housing in your own house for,yoir,college,age kid is not paying money on his behalf. The house is the parents’ not the kid’s. You also don’t count money paid for college tuition and room and board as money paid on behalf of the college student.
If the son has a cell phone, and the bill is in the son’s name…and the parents pay that bill…that is paying on his behalf…because it’s the son’s bill they are paying.
Ok, I was just wondering if in the case of an independent student for FAFSA it might be different since he does not have to report parent income and assets.
thumper1 is correct. A school can choose to remove the independent student’s room & board portion of the COA if the student is living at home.