Financial aid question

<p>I am an international student that will most likely need to apply for FA. International students must submit proof of income and tax forms (or some variated form of that) according to a couple of school websites I have researched.</p>

<p>My dad is self-employed, and his business is not registered. Since his business is unregistered, he is seen by the government as unemployed so he does not pay tax. Since he doesn't pay tax, he has no tax forms, and has no proof of income since his business isn't registered.</p>

<p>I have emailed a couple of schools at their financial aid/admission email addresses, but I haven't gotten any response.
Does anyone know how I can apply for financial aid without proof on income and tax forms? Thanks in advance. :)</p>

<p>i dont know but it seems as if this will be a special case that you and each school need to sort out. you will have to wait for them to get back to you. it might be taking a while for them to get back to you since it’s summer.</p>

<p>He will have to prove his income in some way. I can’t help be wonder; however, if what he is doing is legal or not. He would run the risk of getting into all kinds of trouble in the US.</p>

<p>they don’t live in US and are not US citizens, so there’s no trouble :smiley:
but yeah, that’d be considered illegal in US (self-employed but not registered nor pay tax to the government)</p>

<p>But it MAY be illegal in his country too. If I were a FA director and saw that, I’d look rather sideways at it.</p>

<p>“…they don’t live in US and are not US citizens, so there’s no trouble”</p>

<p>smh…</p>

<p>@OP: your family should do as candidate and neato suggest; work with the FA/Admissions staff and be as forthright about family income as possible. Other suggestions on this thread are downright moronic.</p>

<p>*her. :)</p>

<p>Thank you for all the responses! I guess I’ll just wait for the emails and ask my dad more about it, since he knows best. I don’t know if it is illegal or not, but I can’t imagine my dad doing something illegal and putting the family at risk…</p>

<p>The moronic ones are those who never travel outside their country. Because if you did, you’d have understood that most countries have very different tax system from that of the US. I’m an intl student who have lived in different countries, including the US. Many governments don’t rely on income tax and for certain types of business, it is completely legit to not pay tax/register. Common sense should tell you to assume that as a business owner, her dad understands how tax works.</p>

<p>You’re in no position to judge her family. I’m sure the FA directors are all knowledgeable and mature enough to not “look sideway” or “smh” at this kind of situation.
(my parents live outside US, pay no tax, nor do they register business, but we still got very high FA from several boarding schools. There’s no FA office “looked sideway” at us because of that issue)</p>

<p>There are many international kids on CC. Please refrain from judging people just because you don’t understand how the system in their countries work.</p>

<p>Please calm down. No one is sitting in judgment of the Ops family or anyone, for that matter. What was held up for scrutiny was the moronic, idiotic wink-wink, nod-nod suggestion that, and I quote “…they don’t live in US and are not US citizens, so there’s no trouble” </p>

<p>And yes, the implication that there’s “no trouble” would absolutely cause a reasonable individual to “shake their head.” Being forthright regarding matters of finances as they relate to education is nothing to play with and, judging from the Op’s posts, her family clearly understands that and will work with FA officers to provide the information/evidence required. </p>

<p>Critical reading/reasoning/understanding are more than simply percentiles on a test. They are skills that, if mastered properly, will serve you well in BS, and in life. Good luck!</p>

<p>Thank you for the good luck wishes. :slight_smile:
How will we get about filling the financial aid forms and such? You’re required to hand in proof of income and tax forms WHICH WE DON’T HAVE. </p>

<p>Boardingschool, how did you apply for FA since you seem to be in the same position as me (no registered business and no tax)?</p>

<p>I’ve worked with students applying for financial aid and really have to encourage you to get some form of documentation from the government or tax authority. It will be to your benefit in this very competitive financial aid environment to be able to prove your need.</p>

<p>You said that your dad’s business is unregistered…is there a way he can register it, start paying taxes on his income and get it that whole process going before the financial aid deadline next year? Or, if he doesn’t earn enough to be required to pay any taxes, at least filing the forms and being registered will help.</p>

<p>Here in the US, students whose parents do not file tax returns or do not pay taxes, still have to produce documentation, which could be AFDC ('welfare"), rent subsidies, etc. which proves that their income is low enough to qualify. </p>

<p>I hope that helps. Good luck</p>

<p>Good advice here. </p>

<p>Documentation that can be considered legal proof…this is a given. And talk to the schools. </p>

<p>No one is going to just take someones “'word” on it. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>I will ask my dad about registering and documentation. I received responses from a couple of schools I emailed asking about FA, and one responded saying it would be difficult to award FA, and two others said the income tax statement can be waived, but some form of document as proof is still required, and so is filling out the international financial aid form. </p>

<p>Thank you for all the help! :)</p>