Before I tell you my problem, I am a person who lives with his aunt and just stop recieving social security checks because I was too old to keep recieving them. Last year, I put myself as an independent student and used the checks as my income because I was told that it was ok. This year, I have to rely on my aunts income but I can’t change information like my dependency status and how much people rely on this income. Is there a way to change this?
Your post isn’t making a lot of sense. You can’t just “put yourself” as an independent student. There are very specific criteria for this, and perhaps you meet the criteria…but your first post doesn’t clearly state that.
If you were receiving SS survivor benefits because a parent isn’t alive, then those would end when you are 18 years old.
Are you in a legal guardianship situation? We’re you adopted by your aunt?
If your aunt is your legal guardian, then you are independent for financial aid purposes but you would NOT use your aunt’s financials on your FAFSA form. Some Profile schools do ask for guardian info, but not FAFSA schools.
If your aunt adopted you legally, then she is now your parent, and you would be required to use her information.
Where are your parents?
If you put yourself as independent for this academic year, and you are not, the school can rightfully ask you to repay any financial aid you gained by saying you were independent.
There are plenty of helpful folks on this forum, but none of us are mind readers, or soothsayers. It is impossible to help you with your problem if all we are expected to do is play a guessing game with you.
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just stop recieving social security checks because I was too old to keep recieving them.
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are your parents deceased? If so, you are independent.
You should NEVER use your aunt’s info…no matter what. It doesn’t sound like she adopted you because you were receiving SS payments.
You only use your income now. If you don’t have any, then put 0
Dependence and Independence for FAFSA and other college financial aid purposes has its own rules. Read up on them and you’ll see. Isn’t based on IRS or actual financial independence.
Are your parents alive? How old are you? Unless your aunt legally adopted you, you do not use her financial figures even if she is your legal guardian.
Even if the aunt legally adopted him, if he was a ward of the state at some time after his 13th birthday, he could still be independent for financial aid purposes and not have to use her financial info.
OP, it is fine if your income/assets are -0- on the FAFSA. You probably didn’t have to report the SSI from last year (I don’t know how it was reported). Some people, like you, have no income. You’ll probably get a notice for verification, and just answer the questions truthfully - you live with your aunt, you don’t work, you don’t receive other funds.
If you can give us some information about your situation, we may be able to give you better advice.
SSI is not reported on FAFSA. I would expect this student to have an EFC of 0 and probably to be selected for verification, as twoinanddone suggests. It’s fine … just submit the requested information, and you’ll be fine.
We know very little about this student from what is given to us. Are both parents deceased? Was s/he ever the ward of the state? A lot of variables here.
My son’s best friend lived with his aunt for 10 years, but it was a voluntary arrangement. He did get some goverment assistance money since one parent was deceased. But with a mother alive and elsewhere, she was still in the picture when it came to financial aid. That he lived in NY for the required number of years (2 or 3) and graduated from high school in state did give him in state status for state schools, but even that required some extra paper work, and am not entirely sure how it turned out.