I’m a single mom with 1 daughter, and my mom lives with us and my mom is also claimed as a dependent on my taxes. No income only receives SS. So I’m confused as to what to put down for household size as I’ve read conflicting accounts as to whether she is considered a dependent for the FAFSA. What do I do?
Do you currently provide more than half of your mother’s support, and will you continue to provide more than half of her support between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018? If the answer to that question is “yes,” then she is a member of your household for FAFSA purposes.
Yes, I do and will continue. Wondering if I put her down will I be asked for verification or additional proof documentation. Since taxes and fafsa are looked at differently it seems like it may not matter that she is listed as a dependent on my taxes.
Does FAFSA look at SS as income? As opposed to filing taxes SS is not looked at as income.
It is very possible you will be verified when putting a grandparent down as a dependent. It’s really not a problem as long as you can provide documentation that you actually ARE providing more than half of the grandparent support. Just be prepared to provide that documention.
How much does your mom get for SS each month?
@kelsmom has often said that it’s hard to include a grandparent if they receive SS…and Medicare for medical needs.
Do you know what documentation I would need to provide?
That’s why I’m wondering If I should even bother including her if they are just going to deny the inclusion and put everything in delay, even after documentation is provided. It just seems to be hard to get a firm answer.
Has anyone been successful in including a grandparent on FAFSA? If yes, did they provide extra documentation? If yes, what was that documentation? How long did the process take?
If grandmother provides more than half of her own support, through her SS benefits, Medicare, and any other benefits she receives, than she cannot be counted on FAFSA as a member of the household. As you pointed out, it doesn’t matter whether or not you claim her as a dependent on your tax return.
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That’s why I’m wondering If I should even bother including her if they are just going to deny the inclusion and put everything in delay, even after documentation is provided. It just seems to be hard to get a firm answer.
Has anyone been successful in including a grandparent on FAFSA? If yes, did they provide extra documentation? If yes, what was that documentation? How long did the process take?
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The only cases we’ve seen here is situations where families have a foreign grandparent, now living with them, who obviously is not collecting SS and is NOT on Medicare, so the parents are providing lots of support.
Unless a family is rather affluent, it’s hard to show that they are actually paying out, each month, for that grandparent, an amount that is greater than their SS and Medicare benefits.
How much does your mom get each month for SS? Is she on Medicare as well?
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Do you know what documentation I would need to provide?
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What documentation do you have?
What does her SS pay for?
What is your income?
You’ve been told what the criteria is. It’s very simple. What kind of “firm answer” are you looking for? Figure out what your mother’s average monthly living expenses are. Do the monthly benefits that she receives, including Social Security and Medicare, and any savings that she might have, cover more than half of this amount, or not? If the answer is “no,” you can count her as a member of your household on FAFSA.
You will need to provide documentation of the expenses you actually PAY for your mother out of YOUR money…not hers.
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You will need to provide documentation of the expenses you actually PAY for your mother out of YOUR money…not hers.
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Exactly.
the documentation can be difficult because it’s not like you can say…rent/mortgage and say 1/3 is for her. and you can’t say, Electric bill $100 and 1/3 is hers. That won’t fly.
Does your mom give you any of her SS to help pay for her food, etc? If not, what does your mom spend her SS on?
There was a parent on CC who had their 25 year old child living at home and that adult child was working almost full time, but the parents weren’t charging her any rent or anything. They could not list her on FAFSA because even though they were “supporting her,” they could not demonstrate that they were ACTUALLY paying our FOR HER ALONE over $2000 a month (which was her income).
Your point that listing your mom will delay the processing of your DD’s aid is real. It could mean that the school may run out of certain funds by the time verification is complete…and the answer will likely be that you can’t include your mom anyway because of her SS and Medicare.
Ah ok. Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help.
Actually, verification will not cause limited funding federally funded aid to NOT be given. The filing date of your FAFSA puts you in the queue. What is CAN do is dealt the disbursement of funds. Plus, if the college determines your info is not accurate, and they remove grandma, your aid package will be different.
In terms of meeting the grandmother’s 1/2 expenses…keep in mind…this is NOT 1/2 of parent expenses. For example, if you live in a house with a $2000 a month mortgage payment, grandma’s share would NOT be $1000 of that. Simply put, you would have that expense anyway. Same with utilities.
What you would include was costs for things like a reasonable amount for her housing, food, clothing, medications, and the like. Her share would be half of that. It is very likely that her SS is covering a good amount of those costs, and her Medicare is covering a good amount of the medical expenses. Even her Medicare deductibles could likely be covered by her SS income.
You will need to show significant documentation that you are really providing more than half of her support.
@thumper1 there have been posts from those who filed FAFSA early, but then verification caused delays, and once those were settled, the pkg sent out, there wasn’t any WS, etc…and when the families called, the school said that they had run out, which likely would not have happened if there hadn’t been a verification issue. So, it seems that at least SOME schools do not hold back those limited aids while verifications take place.
It’s always best to complete verification ASAP.
I have worked with a variety of populations, and I have definitely had students who could count the grandparent in the household size. It’s really easy when there is no SS income. With SS income, it depends on the amount - believe me, I have seen some SS income that is not high enough to live on - but the key, as others have mentioned - is whether or not 51% or more of the grandparent’s actual expenses are paid for by the family. Some schools are more lenient than others in what they want for proof … contact YOUR school to find out what THEY want.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch03.html#en_US_2015_publink1000170933
Look under Exemptions for dependents - qualifying relative
Isn’t the criteria to claim a relative as a dependent on your taxes similar? You have to provide a certain amount of support? Just having her live with you isn’t enough I don’t think.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch03.html#en_US_2015_publink1000170967
read about support test, there is a worksheet that can help figure support