<p>i am currently receiving both social security and ssi benefits and i am leaning towards not reporting them on the fafsa because i feel that students with disabilities are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the efc (in the old days you did not have to put such benefits on the fafsa--thus qualifying you for a 0 efc). </p>
<p>my question is: is not reporting this type of benefit legal? or does one have to report them on the fafsa? has anybody tried this tactic?? if so i would like to hear from you.</p>
<p>an additional note:</p>
<p>i have heard much about the federal benefit means test that they put on the fafsa this year. exactly what does it do to the efc? i ran my numbers and checked the box where it says supplemental security income and it seems to do absolutely nothing to the efc!</p>
<p>Of course it is illegal to not report it - if it was ok to not report it they would not ask for it in the first place. And you would probably get caught because FAFSA is federal and the benefits are also federal and there is some communication between them. </p>
<p>I am not sure what you mean by the federal benefits means test. Do you mean the test for automatic zero EFC? If so there are other criteria you have to meet in addition to the SSI - mainly parent AGI below $20,000 and they must be eligible to file a 1040a or 1040ez or not have to file taxes at all. Here are the actual rules (if you are a dependant student):</p>
<p><a href="1">quote</a> anyone included in the parents’ household size (as defined on the FAFSA) received benefits during the base year from any of the designated means-tested Federal benefit programs, including the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, the Food Stamp Program, the Free and Reduced Price School Lunch Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); or
the student’s parents filed or are eligible to file a 2006 IRS Form 1040A or 1040EZ (they are not required to file a 2006 Form 1040)5, or the parents are not required to file any income tax return;
**and<a href="2">/b</a> the 2006 income of the student’s parents from one of the two sources below is $20,000 or less:
• for tax filers, the parents’ adjusted gross income from 2006 Form 1040A or 1040EZ6 is $20,000 or less, or
• for non-tax filers, the income shown on the 2006 W-2 forms of both parents (plus any other earnings from work not included on the W-2s) is $20,000 or less.
<p>Are you are asking if others have omitted required information so they can get more aid, just because they think the rules are unfair? Good luck getting honest answers to that one.</p>
<p>I don't know what you mean by the "old days," but in the seventies, the SS which came in my name but which my mom was using to help keep from losing our house was definitely held against me and caused me to lose almost all financial aid.</p>
<p>You should definately report it, b/c it can actually be a good thing. There is a spot on the fafsa that asks about Supplemental Security Income. One college financial aid officer told me that if you click yes to that, that is a way to qualify for a $0 efc. Because SSI is money given to you by the government to help you get along...not to be confused with Social Security Income.</p>
<p>
[quote]
One college financial aid officer told me that if you click yes to that, that is a way to qualify for a $0 efc
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</p>
<p>Only if the other criteria are met - parent AGI $20,000 or under and eligible to file a 1040a/1040ez or not have to file a tax return. SSI on it's own will not get an automatic 0 EFC.</p>
<p>Your post is ambiguous. SS disability benefits received for minor children are treated as income to the parent(s) for FAFSA purposes and are reported on parent schedule A on FAFSA. How they are treated will depend on whether the school only requires FAFSA, or both FAFSA/CSS Profile; and whether the school meets 100% of the students need. Who are you, a minor dependent student or something else (independent)? If you are a minor dependent, although SS benefits are reported under your SSN for federal tax purposes, for FAFSA purposes, the money is reported as income to your parents.</p>
<p>If you are a dependent student, as to FAFSA and federal aid programs only (Pell grants, Stafford loans, work study), a critical factor will be what is reported on your parents federal tax return (adjusted gross income, or AGI). If the parents AGI is under 20K and they file a short tax form (1040A, 1040EZ), then the SS disability benefits will be ignored. If the parent's AGI is over 20K, then I believe that the SS benefits will be assessed like other parental income. Bottom line is you must report them, but is the money treated as parents income or yours... are you a dependent? </p>
<p>However, an aid package can include both federal money and the schools own money. As to the schools own money, an aid officer has more discretion as to how to factor in the SS benefits</p>
<p>thanks for responding jugulator. i am a independent student, but my father claims me on his taxes (he lives in ks) and i live in his house in ny.</p>
<p>does that help? isn't that construed by the financial aid folks as his supporting me, and if so shouldn't i be labeled as technically a dependent student?</p>
<p>i await the deluge of responses the above will bring...</p>
<p>FAFSA is essentially a computer program that takes the info you enter and spits out an EFC. If you are found to be independent, independent students without dependents other than a spouse are never eligible for the automatic zero EFC calculation. As such, I believe that depending on your circumstances, your SS benefits will show up on FAFSA as part of your AGI, or on one of the student schedules (A, B C) and unfortunately will be used in the FAFSA calculation.</p>
<p>baker -- are you 24 or meet the requirements for the indepent FAFSA status one of the other ways? Few parents continue to claim their kids on their taxes at that age, so it just made me wonder.</p>
<p>The Independent student formula starts on page 21. A lot of people think being independent for FAFSA automatically nets you big financial aid but in reality there is not much asset or income protection (only $6000ish income protection) for a single without dependents.</p>
<p>Are you definitely independent for FAFSA purposes? It is not something you can 'elect' and has nothing to do with whether you are claimed as a dependent on someones tax return. On FAFSA they ask a list of questions to assess your dependency status. Basically are you 24 or over, married, working on a masters or doctorate, have a child you support more thn 50%, are both parents deceased, are you an active member of the armed forces, are you a veteran. If you answer yes to any of those questions you are independent for FAFSA. If you do not answer yes to any of those questions you are dependent.</p>
<p>thanks swimcatsmom, but i have another question that maybe someone can answer. </p>
<p>i currently live with my sister and her children in my father's house. she is not working but i pay the cable bill and the gas and electric bill (actually i get help from my local department of social services with the gas and electric). i also pay for the phone. </p>
<p>should i have claimed her on my fafsa as well? and should any money that social services pay for the gas and electric also go on the fafsa where it says "money received" (i believe that it is on worksheet b or c). i heard that if you have bills paid on your behalf by someone, then you can list that on the form.</p>