<p>I'm a single mother supporting my daughter, I live with a family member that is not my parents and do not pay rent, but I use the financial aid I receive from my current community college to pay my living expenses. I have received pell grants for living assistance every year I have attended this college, and have been viewed as a independent with a child. I did not file taxes or claim my daughter and am trying to transfer to a four year school. I've been told by the college I'm attempting to transfer to that because I don't have grocery and clothes receipts from a year ago to prove that I'm more than 50% responsible for my daughter, that I'm not a independent and can't claim to have a child on my FAFSA. They are demanding that I redo my FAFSA as a dependent of my parents. The issue is that despite my parents income, my parents can't afford my college, there is no possible way for them to assist me, and they haven't since I had my daughter. When (or if as it seems to be now) I move to this college I will be living in a family dorm with my daughter, I will be paying for her daycare (but receiving assistance with food and daycare) and utilities. I plan on finding a job as soon as possible. I don't see how it will possibly be able to afford transferring and furthering my education without being viewed as a independent with a child, and I don't know how to settle this with the college.</p>
<p>Well…who IS paying your daughter’s bills? If you are doing so, you should have some kind of evidence that you are paying for her as a dependent. Otherwise the college can just assume that someone else is supporting your daughter. If that is the case, you are NOT considered independent for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>Your post implies that this “other family member” is providing you with housing and such. Colleges need to verify that independent students are REALLY independent students per the FAFSA definition.</p>
<p>Actually, you don’t need receipts from a year ago. For independent students with children, the regs state they must provide “more than half their support between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 201”. So, you would need to show that you are currently supporting your child and provide that documentation. If you are doing that, it shouldn’t be difficult - do you receive WIC, or any other assistance? That would be one form of document you could produce in addition to cancelled checks for daycare, medical insurance, and the day to day receipts.</p>
<p>We look at any public assistance payments, financial aid refunds, etc. to decide whether or not it is feasible that the student could have supported her child. We have a very low income population, so we may well be more lenient than many schools. We see far too many families getting by on income that is in the 4 figures … so we don’t expect a huge paycheck to allow a student to claim that she supports her child at least 50%. However, if we find that the student lives with her parents, her parents buy groceries, her family watches her child while she is at school, etc. - we don’t allow the student to claim the child as her dependent. If the dad is paying child support, we also do not allow the mom to say that this counts are HER providing the support. If mom has no money of her own coming in, she certainly is not providing 50% of the child’s financial support.</p>
<p>If you ARE providing at least half your child’s support, you should be able to prove that.</p>
<p>See I provided receipts from this year, and our medical card, which according to the Department of Human Services (I called and spoke with them) proves that I’m responsible for my daughter and have a limited income which is why I receive the medical card, and they are telling me it’s not enough. The ONLY expense I don’t pay is rent. I provide food and clothes for my daughter, and I pay a babysitter so I can attend evening classes.</p>
<p>Then you SHOULD have pay stubs indicating your salary for the money you earn to pay for food, babysitters, etc. </p>
<p>If you are paying cash to the babysitter, you need to stop doing that and pay by check. If you are using public assistance money to pay for food, indicate that.</p>
<p>The school is probably questioning your ability to pay 1/2 of your child’s bills because you are not able to show sufficient income to do so. Just a guess.</p>
<p>It is very important that you settle this issue before you actually commit to transferring to this school. My suggestion is to put together a statement that details everything: how much money you receive from any & every source, any public assistance you get that is not actually monetary, how much you pay for your child’s needs (in detail … diapers, day care, food, etc), how much you pay for school, how much you receive in financial aid refunds. Explain that you live with a relative, so you do not have actual lease/utility payments. Put it together visually after the explanation … that is, make a chart of income/outgo. This will show what you have coming in, what you have going out, and how you are able to pay for your/your child’s needs. Ask if you can meet with a manager in the aid office — show him/her your statement. If you are told it is not good enough, please consider finding a school that might be more accepting of your situation.</p>