<p>We are they legal guardians, my husband took over parenting a young lady who is not his daughter. She has lived with us since she was 14. She was never related to him but in the paperwork it says stepdaughter.. What type of letter would you suggest we write to explain the situation? Financial Aid is requesting the documentation and we are sending a copy of the order from the court but want to add a letter explaining.</p>
<p>If you have full, court-ordered legal custody, no letter is needed. You just have to submit the paperwork from the court. If that is in order, she is considered independent for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>If you are taking care of her but do not have a court order, she cannot be considered independent by virtue of guardianship. It happens often to grandparents, who are taking care of grandkds but do not have legal guardianship. If this is the case, and if the bio parents are not in the picture, the student will need to request a dependency override.</p>