<p>I live with my grandparents, who never adopted me. This leaves my homeless mother as my parent on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>I don't know if I'm going to be able to track my mom down. I might be able to do it, but it would be very very difficult. Should I meet with my FAA and leave my FAFSA incomplete, or should I try to track my mom down?</p>
<p>Last time I talked to her, she was on food stamps... so I'm pretty sure I'd have an automatic 0 EFC if I found her. Would I get less money if I left the FAFSA incomplete? </p>
<p>Also, I get social security checks until I graduate high school, does this also qualify me for 0 EFC, whether I can track down my mom or not?</p>
<p>I am sorry about your situation. First, a couple questions … were you ever a ward of the court, even for a day, after the age of thirteen? If not, do your grandparents have legal custody of you (with a court order)? If you can say yes to either question, you are automatically independent for FAFSA purposes. If not, you can approach the situation one of two ways …</p>
<p>You can get mom’s info, if you are able to track her down. You will need social security number, date of birth, address, and financial info. The thing is, if you are selected for verification, you will need to provide documents to support whatever your mom’s financial situation is (tax forms, etc). If you have any doubt about being able to get her documents OR her signature on forms, do not use her info.</p>
<p>The social security checks won’t come into play in terms of determining your EFC. They are not reported on the FAFSA anywhere.</p>
<p>What you can do instead is fill out the FAFSA with just your info. The computer system will ask you several times if you really want to submit your FAFSA without parent info (since you would technically need it). Just say yes when prompted. Then you will need to contact each school to find out how to apply for a dependency override. You will have to document your situation. We require a detailed personal statement and at least two letters that explain your situation (we prefer counselor, teacher, clergy person, etc - although in your case your grandparents would be an appropriate choice for one of the letters). You & the others will have to provide specific examples of the breakdown in the family situation, explaining why it is not possible for you to provide parental info. Because you don’t mention a father, I assume he is not in the picture. This will have to be explained, as well (if he IS in your life in any way, you would have to use his info, even if you’ve never actually lived with him).</p>
<p>Because a dependency override is a Professional Judgment issue, there is no guarantee a given school will grant you the override. However, in my experience, situations like yours generally result in the dependency override (as long as you can provide documentation & support that would allow the financial aid office to see the true picture).</p>
<p>Are your grandparents your legal guardians (according to a court in your State) or do you just live with them? If they are legally your guardians and you can answer yes to the following then you would be considered independent for FAFSA</p>
<p>quote]57. Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?</p>
<p>Answer “Yes” if you can provide a copy of a court’s decision that as of today you are in legal guardianship. Also answer “Yes” if you can provide a copy of a court’s decision that you were in a legal guardianship immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. The court must be located in your state of legal residence.
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Not necessarily. The automatic 0 EFC requires an income below $30,000 for a dependent student and also meeting some other criteria. One of the criteria is that someone in the family receives means tested benefits. Social Security Income is not a means tested benefit. (my daughter received it for a couple of months because her dad was retired an receiving his SS pension). </p>
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<p>If it is Supplemental Social Income, that is a means tested benefit. But if you are considered independent for FAFSA purposes you are not eligible for the automatic 0 EFC. To be eligible for the automatic 0 EFC an independent student must have a dependent other than a spouse. This means that if you have any income or assets they will be considered in the EFC formula. However there is a certain amount of income protection in the EFC formula ($4500 for a dependent student, $7780 for an independent student) but there is no asset protection for either dependent students, or independent students aged under 25.</p>
<p>You may well end up with a 0 EFC if you do not have much income or any assets. starting with the 2009-2010 FAFSA you do not have to report your social security income on FAFSA.</p>
<p>My grandparents had custody of me until I was 18, so I guess I’m an independent.</p>
<p>I have a fair amount saved up, enough for four years at OU or OSU. However, I’d really like to go to Reed, Barnard, or Hendrix and don’t have nearly enough money, especially considering travel. I only work 6 hrs/week for minimum wage. This is probably a really dumb question, but do you think I’ll be able to afford it? I’ve heard fafsa kind of inflates efc…</p>
<p>Anna is automatically independent (grandparents had legal custody up to time of 18th birthday) … no dependency override needed. This is the first year for legal custody meaning automatically independent. Only student info will be required on FAFSA. I haven’t noticed how the new dependency rules are handled on Profile, though - I imagine it’s the same.</p>
<p>The tough part here is that the savings may end up increasing the EFC. An independent student without dependents gets less asset protection than parents receive. </p>
<p>Reed, Barnard, and Hendrix all meet need, I believe. My D was accepted to Hendrix & they offered us an excellent combination of need & merit aid. Barnard uses the Profile, which may be helpful in Anna’s case.</p>
<p>My suggestion is that you concentrate on getting your financial aid info in on time. That will be very important in getting you the best possible financial package. You will know before you need to decide on a school, so just sit tight.</p>
<p>But for FAFSA an independent student may be eligible for the simplified needs test where assets are ignored. The criteria is income below $50,000 and eligibility to file 1040a or 1040ez (or one of the other criteria if ineligible for the 1040a/ez)</p>
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<p>Simplified needs is for FAFSA EFC, not for profile which is required by a couple of the schools the OP is interested in.</p>
<p>“Anna is automatically independent (grandparents had legal custody up to time of 18th birthday) … no dependency override needed.”</p>
<p>I would word it a tad differently (and moot): Anna is automatically independent, and so her dependency override is likewise automatic, and would be granted by schools’ FA offices.</p>
<p>Vossron - Kelsmom’s wording is correct - if her grandparents are her legal guardians Anna is automatically independent based on her answer to question 57 on FAFSA. No override by an FA officer is needed, any more than an override would be required if she answered yes to any of the other dependency questions.</p>