<p>Hey everyone, just joined this site hoping to find some answers about the FAFSA.</p>
<p>My fiancee and I are planning to get married July 27 of this year. From that point on, we will both be independent from our parents. The issue is this:</p>
<p>We both have been, and will be dependent until we get married. This means we need to file on the FAFSA as independent/married to receive the financial aid we need: Pell Grant, more loan options, etc... </p>
<p>The wedding is set in stone now.. There is no changing the date. I looked on my University's website and it says the deadline for submitting the FAFSA for any chance of getting aid is August 1st. So we still would have a chance to get that submitted after our wedding date. </p>
<p>I was under the impression that we would not be able to do that because it is based on the previous year's tax returns? (In which we were dependent) Does this mean we, even though we will be married, will have to file as dependents on the FAFSA and not have a chance to receive the Pell grant for the 2013-14 school year?</p>
<p>I thought maybe I could file as independent for my taxes from last year, but it would be obvious that I was not independent, as I did not make enough money to back that up.</p>
<p>Anyways, that is about it I guess. Sorry for the book, but was trying to explain my situation in detail... I really need to find out what our choices are. I know we need this Pell Grant, and need to find out if it is possible to get it at all. </p>
<p>While you may be independent for federal aid, you may not necessarily be independent for institutional aid, which will most likely still require your parents income and assets. </p>
<p>In addition, you will not be eligible for an automatic 0, EFC because you must have dependents other than your spouse.</p>
<p>IF you have no income, it is going to automatically prompt a low income verification because the school is going to want to know how you are eating and paying your bills. Any monies given to you by your parents or others (including those monetary wedding gifts) may have to be included on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>Depending on what state you live in you may not be independent for state aid (for example in NYS one is not considered independent until they are 35).</p>
<p>Since the wedding gift money would be from this year, I don’t think it would get included on this FAFSA. If they are students next year, then that FAFSA might include that. (I’m not really sure about how Bday gift, Xmas gift, etc, money gets listed on FAFSA).</p>
<p>Perhaps someone can clarify. I thought marital status was as of the date of filing. If that is the case, they would still be dependent if filing for the 2013-2014 FAFSA and school year, wouldn’t they.</p>
<p>Hoping Kelsmom sees or someone else can support or not this notion.</p>
<p>I mean really…until they ARE married, there is always the chance they won’t get married.</p>
<p>They plan on filing FAFSA within a day or two after the wedding because of their college’s FA due date is Aug 1. </p>
<p>(I don’t know if this is possible, but could they get the FAFSA forms all ready now with all the numbers, save it, and then submit after the wedding. If so, that would be very easy.)</p>
<p>The way I am interpreting this situation is the the couple will not file a FAFSA for 2013-2014 until after the July 27 wedding. In that case, they would be able to file as independent students. As of the date they file the FAFSA, they would need to include any monetary wedding gifts as assets if they are not cashed & spent by that time … then for 2014-2015, they technically should report those same monetary gifts as gifts of cash (other untaxed income) received during the 2013 year. </p>
<p>Here is the bottom line: You might get a Pell grant. You would “get” to borrow more. You would miss the deadline for any state aid. You probably would not get any institutional aid, SEOG or work study due to the fact that you filed so late (that money will most likely have run out by the end of July).</p>
<p>It might be smart to go to city hall and just get married at an earlier date. The wedding and the date of marriage do not have to be the same. My brother and his wife had to get married legally for a number of monetary deadline issues before their planned wedding date. Do the numbers and see if it makes sense.</p>
<p>It might be smart to go to city hall and just get married at an earlier date</p>
<p>That would solve the problem of reporting any money gifts as assets.</p>
<p>If going to city hall isn’t feasible, then if you do get money as gifts, you may need to quickly direct the dollars to some large purchases…furniture, mattress, or paying off any credit card bills.</p>
<p>Another thing you could do about the money gifts you’re given… If you have a rough idea of how much you might get, you could ask your parents to purchase something for you for XX amount, and then immediately pay them back with the money gifts. Then file FAFSA.</p>
<p>Are you locked into a specific college this fall and what year are each of you in your studies? It might be smart to talk to the financial aid office and to make sure you are applying for departmental scholarships which might have deadlines coming up. If your parents are discontinuing funding you both or there is a potential issue you want to get a jump on it before you are wrapped up in all the hoopla that comes with the wedding. In other words, as a worse case scenario it may or may not make a huge difference in your packages that you are married depending on what college you are at and you want to be ahead of that curve long before August 1.</p>
<p>In order to get in line for money, you may want to file your FAFSAs now with your current status, then update them after the wedding rather than waiting until then to file.</p>
<p>Students cannot update marital status. There is a regulation that allows financial aid officers to update student marital status if it benefits the student … that is a regulation that is narrowly defined and is not intended to allow those who marry after the FAFSA is filed to become independent as a result.</p>
<p>In which case, I’d second the advice of cptofthehouse. Assuming that the two of you are of legal age to marry, pop by the courthouse, get hitched legally now, file the FAFSA paperwork now, and do the big religious event this summer.</p>
<p>They need to run some numbers in a number of scenarios and take in the factors that others have brought up and decide how to file and when. If the best way to go is to file early and as married, then they should go ahead and get legally married. The wedding date may be cast in stone, but the that is just the festivities. You can get married anytime and celebrate later. One brother married over a year before his wedding, and another nearly wasn’t married on his wedding day that was all scheduled because of some glitch that couldn’t get his paperwork completed before the ceremony.</p>
<p>Not to be Debbie Downer but this is all assuming that the college or university will package them “better” as married/independent than single/dependent and that they will get enough aid to both be able to afford college in the fall. As Kelsmom says they would qualilfy for bigger loans but…</p>
<p>They might both get max PELL which would be about $11k right there that they are not getting on their parents information. If they are getting anything else that might still stay in the package as their need has increased, not decreased. They will be able to borrow over $20K combined. People do live on school financial aid and plan on it. </p>
<p>But if they go to a school that does not guarantee to meet need, they could end up with their aid exactly the same with the new federal eligibilities just giving them money that the school uses to replace their old packages. I’ve seen, as have other who have even experienced, that changes in the EFC when going to a school that does not guarantee to meet need, could mean nothing or just a token increase in aid. Most schools are pretty good about keeping the aid packages the same if the need is about the same, but new need…that is a whole other story. </p>
<p>As for those schools that guarantee to meet need, they usually have stipulations about not recognizing status changes after the first year. You entered as dependent, you are assessed as such forever at the school or for a given time period. THat has happened with kids who have taken leaves and returned after age 24 and tried to get aid money that they never got earlier as dependents. Nope. Doesn’t necessarily work that way. </p>
<p>As most of us know, just because you go the EFC, doesn’t mean a school is going to use it as their basis for giving aid. That is just the max of what you CAN get. This couple may get a larger capacity “cup” for aid, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be refilled with anymore money. BUt they can give it a go by running the numbers.</p>