<p>start college fall 2014. Not to be surly but I stated this in my first post. (Will be college freshman)</p>
<p>In some cases a fetus is considered a dependent of the mother for financial aid purposes–you can look up this subject, but how this works for the father and if this is even relevant here, I don’t know. More info to research. Get as much info as possible as it appears you are doing, talk to the fin aid officer of the college.</p>
<p>What is your situation regarding parental support? How were you going to pay for college–are you on close to a full ride with little or no parental support? Have you discussed this pending situation with your parents? Are they able to help at all? My guess is that you have been accepted to a college with a great but not 100% merit/aid package, but it’s still going to be tight and that this is an away college. You want to support the child and mother, but the money is very, very tight. Just doable without a child in the picture, so you are looking for a way to make child support feasible even, but you don’t want to lose this going away to college opportunity. </p>
<p>There really is no one solution or great solution to all of this, as you probably have gathered by now. If a child is born, there is no back record on whether you have supported this baby since it did not exist till born, in the year before, so deciding whether this is going to be a dependent or not at that moment is a gray area, unless someone can come up with more info on this. You are going to become a father early next year. That does not affect your status as dependent this year, 2014 and I don’t know if unborn child rules as I brought up are relevant for fathers. A question is whether or not you can redo your FAFSA the instant the child is born so that you are now Independent since you are a father, get the $5700 Pell for the 2014-15 school year as well as the increased loan limits, and whether your need increases due to the dependent. What do you think is going to be actual cost for the care of the infant, --important in determining what half of that cost is for the calendar year 2015. No one has demonstrable cost for the cost of a child the year before she is born since there is no child but dependent status is determined upon date of completion (includiing revisons) that FAFSA is completed. So I can see an argument that you do have dependent for the the 2014-15 school year and then again for the 2015-16 school year without actual money being expended due to the calendar years income/expenses/ being examined for those school years for fin aid. </p>
<p>As you can see, it can be complicated unless there is some quick fix rule that a school or the the FAFSA rules have for this. Do PM Kelsmom about this as she is likely to know dealing with this a lot in graduate level situations. </p>
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<p>I have full parental support, so does the baby’s mother. Both of us are not struggling. My family has never taken a loan, never go beyond our means. My parents are fully capable of paying the balance of my school’s COA for all four years this year. Also, I feel very bad if I were to push the financial burden of the baby to my parents. I started this thread in hopes of being financially independent from my parents.</p>
<p>It seems almost impossible to claim independency for this SY14-15 because the new FAFSA SY15-16 comes out before the birthdate. I will PM Kelsmom. Thank you so much for your support!</p>
<p>Regardless of when the next FAFSA comes out, it doesnt sound like YOU, the father, would be able to show 50%+ support…especially if the baby is living with mom, and they all are living with her parents. Likely, her parents will be claiming the baby as a dependent because they will likely be the providers of shelter, utilities, medical insurance, uncovered medical expenses, clothing, diapers, formula (if mom isnt full-time nursing), etc.</p>
<p>Agree with Austin. You have not a clue how much it costs to have or raise a child. Babies, diapers, formula, clothing, doctor’s visits, all cost a lot of money. For you to begin to be considered independent, you’ll have to pay for the delivery-its not cheap. If the government has to step in, in any way, to provide for your child: WIC, Medi-cal, food, etc. you will not be considered as providing for your child, nor independent. </p>
<p>If either the mother of your child or you uses either parent’s insurance to provide for the baby, in any way, you would not be considered independent. The insurance costs alone will eat away at anything you have earned or have borrowed for or from the university. </p>
<p>auntbea, I disagree that if there is any government aid that xscreen wouldn’t be considered supplying support. You look at the total cost of providing support for THIS child, and if that cost is $100, and he pays $51, he is supplying more than half. One of the holes in the ACA act is that the child can stay on the parents’ insurance until she is 26, but not a grandchild, spouse of a child, etc. so the delivery of the child is on the mother’s insurance (and not considered child support) but the care of the child will be on the child’s medical insurance. So this child might very well have government supplied health insurance (ACA with a subsidy, CHP+ or medicaid) and thus that is not a cost that the parents need to cover. WIC? Same thing. You look at the amount the parents were required to pay, and whether the student paid half. A Rockefeller baby might need $50k per year to live while another child might need (or only have) $5000. The question is did the student/parent pay half.</p>
<p>Also, the parents paying for insurance does not automatically disqualify the child from being ‘independent.’ In fact, ACA allows any child, married, living at home, in the military, living in the basement, to be on the parents’ insurance until age 26. It specifically says the child does not need to be a dependent. I graduated from college when I was 20. Under today’s rules, I would have been an independent student for financial aid purposes, on my parents’ insurance and even taken as a dependent on their taxes. All different definitions.</p>
<p>I also disagree with a lot of the ‘advice’ being given here. This is a college forum. People telling him to place the child for adoption into a ‘loving two parent home’ is an opinion that wasn’t asked for I think think very much out of line. We don’t know him. We don’t know how much support he’s getting from home, how this will affect his college plans, his religious or moral views. He asked a question about being independent, not about adoption, getting married, abortion, or how to run his life. Lots of people do have children and still go to college. </p>
<p>Two: that’s why I provided the answer. He’s asking if he will be independent and, with a baby he has to provide for, most of his money will be spent on his child, making him dependent upon someone. I went to grad school while I had a child and if it were not for my husband’s engineering income, I wouldn’t have been able to provide for our child. There’s a question on the FAFSA of dependents and expenses.</p>
<p>I agree with Twoanddone. </p>
<p>I don’t know exactly how the rules for a dependent work for FAFSA. The instant that child is born, which would be early next year, the OP can amend the FAFSA filing status is the way I am seeing this (which doesn’t mean is right, I want to emphasize). At that instant, both the mother and father of that child have a dependent. The support of that child is zero for 2013 since the child was not yet born during that calendar year, but asset, and status are determined upon date of completion, and I believe that the independent/dependent status can be amended when it changes up until the end of the school year for which federal aid can be requested. The issue comes up when couples marry and can amend the status on FAFSA. The mother of a child can even make this change while she is pregnant from what I have read, but no mention made for the father. So, if my reasoning is correct (and I fully admit I am spinning here), it may be possible that the OP is independent when the child is born. </p>
<p>Then for the 2015 FAFSA, the same occurs. No support is needed for a child not yet born in 2014, but when OP files the FAFSA after 1/1/2015 for the Fall 2015-Spring 2016 school year, his status could be that he has a dependent as of that date of filing. 1/2 of zero is zero. The question then comes up, in this line of thinking, is whether the OP could claim he has a dependent on the 2016 FAFSA when the child has been supported and whether 1/2 of that support came from the OP or not. Who the heck determines how much the baby cost exactly any ways. If the baby is living with mother and grandparents, it’s not as though the rent/mortgage went up, or anyone is going to attribute the utilities costs. When we had our fifth child, not much went up in cost attributable to his joining us I nursed, and then when he ate, I 'd just grind up a portion of what I cooked–didn’t really make more due to the extra mouth and that was his baby food. It didn’t cost a dime extra to add him to our health insurance and we had most baby things or they were given to us. </p>
<p>But my argument matters not a whit. It’s up to the school financial aid officer For all we know, if a student has a child, they just give that student independent status. At some schools, for their own funds, those using PROFILE, in particular, you cannot change to independent status even if you could according to FAFSA. You are a dependent if you marry, have a kid, turn age 24. </p>
<p>When to update the fafsa:</p>
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<p><a href=“https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/correct-update”>https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/correct-update</a></p>
<p>Doesn’t seem to apply to fathers and there’s still the question about if that applies only when the mothers are going to provide 50% of support. The OP should contact the finaid office.</p>
<p>Would the OP become classified as independent if he and his gf get married?</p>
<p>Yes. If they get married, he would be considered independent. BUT any money his parents give him in support would need to be listed on NEXT year’s FAFSA. </p>
<p>If OP got married, yes, he would be independent, but not only would the money his parents give in support need to be listed, so would that of his spouse. </p>
<p>This is a tough situation, and a tale as old as time. Young man has opportunity to go away to college with scholarships, bright , promising student. Has just gotten word he will be a father, and this was not in the plans. No idea about the the mother to be, but marriage is not in the picture at this time. </p>
<p>A friend of mine has a son who was in a similar situation. Though in her case, the son was working a non living wage job and had a lot of issues already. Mom to be was the college student. It was all local, so the two families worked it out. My friend provided a lot of care so that the mom could finish college, her son could get on his feet. As to how much money the child cost that first year…, probably not much out of pocket cash. WIC, Medicaid was in the picture. Really, the mother of the child wasn’t paying for half the child’s support if you count the roof over both mother’s and child’s heads, and whatever food they ate, but the school did consider her independent and she did get PELL. But then the mortgage did not increase when the child was born. I don’t a lot of money actually was spent on the child except by my friend who tended to keep it all in her own house for her use when her grandchild was there. I think that if her son were in school, he would have gotten independent status.</p>
<p>So it all depends on what the fin aid office says and does. They might not blink and eye and permit the change of status and the PELL grant Half that could go towards the child/mother support, or for travel for the student to stay in touch with his child. </p>
<p>Why does the OP want independent student status? It sounds like his parents are paying for him to go to college. </p>
<p>Thumper, from what I gather from the original post, OP has merit scholarships, making it just possible to go to school. He wants the independent status to get the $5700 Pell Grant. </p>
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<p>I dont believe that is true. One of them will have a dependent if he/she contributes 51% of aid for the child. If they were married, then they both would have the dependent. But as singles not living together, how could BOTH claim to be contributing 51%? </p>
<p>Most likely, neither will be contributing 51%. Likely, since the Mother will be a full-time student living at home, the grands will be the ones contributing 51% (since the OP indicates that her parents have some affluence and are supportive.)</p>
<p>I would like to answer some questions.
This is the primary reason. My secondary (not as urgent) reason is I want to be financially responsible for myself. </p>
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Although this wasn’t a question, I would like to speak up and say I’m NOT ready for marriage… </p>
<p>I’m trying to digest all the information that’s being presented. </p>
<p>Two questions: </p>
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<p>So I have to put the amount of money that my parents pay to support me even if I was married? Like if I have no income (ie no job) and my parents paid for my school, I would have to record this on FAFSA?</p>
<p>I realize that I have to talk to the fin. aid officer when the child is born, but would it help if I talked to a finaid officer during the fall semester? Maybe like sept. or oct. or august (ASAP)? </p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Yes, you would have to report the money you got from your parents for school. There is a question about that on FAFSA. </p>
<p>???</p>
<p>lol…you say that you want to be “responsible for myself” but you still need your parents to pay for college? ??? how would you be responsible for yourself if that happens? Do you know what being responsible for yourself means? It means that YOU pay for all YOUR bills, expenses, college costs, etc…and you pay for your child. That is what it means to be responsible for yourself.</p>
<p>All we are getting from you is that you want a 5700 grant and have your parents pay for college. That is NOT being responsible for yourself. That is trying to find a loophole for independence status to get that grant money.</p>
<p>Since you would have to declare that your parents are paying (which would come out during verification since you dont have the income to pay), that money would likely disqualify you from a Pell Grant anyway. </p>
<p>I only asked to clarify the facts. I did not mean to imply that I would do that. </p>
<p>I have calculated the costs of being independent very early on. To be independent I need to take loans. I accept it. Without the Pell, it would be around 25K, assuming I took unsubsidized federal loans (and probably more loans for other miscelleneous costs like vacuums, bikes, etc., which would be too much too account for at present) . With the Pell, it would be 9K debt at the end of four years, assuming I took subsudized federal loans. </p>
<p>Forget trying to become independent. It isnt going to work. You would have to declare the college money your parents are giving you (how much is that $20k per year?). Once that is declared, your EFC would rise and no Pell for you.</p>
<p>There is no way both new parents (who live separately) will be able to claim that they are supporting the child 51%. and, as mentioned earlier, it is the Mother’s parents who will likely be doing the majoring of the providing, simply by providing the roofs over their heads, diapers, formula, and doctor stuff.</p>
<p>Xscreen, you should first find out if you can be independent. I’ve given you some info that you can use in your discussion with the fin aid office. They may say “absolutely, positively not” unless you can show A, B, C. Or they may be very amenable Your status, dependence or independence, that could be changing upon the birth of the child currently affects the 2014 FAFSA you filled out that corresponds to 2013 calendar year income. How all of that is adjusted. I don’t know. </p>
<p>Yes, any money any one, including your parents give you is reported as income on the FAFSA when you are independent. Since their income and assets are now out of the picture as far as you go when you are independent, anything coming from there is income to you. I suggest getting official, notarized loan documents for any money given to you from them. If they decide to forgive the loans upon graduation, that’s their business. Loans are not income. You also can take extra Direct loans as an independent student, $4K extra fresh and soph years, $5K more Junior and senior years.</p>
<p>I am not stating ANYTHING for certain. Just throwing out possibiities. Unless someone hear absolutely KNOWS how this works, it’s all just ideas and it doesn’t matter since it’s the fin aid office PJ (professional judgement and rules that count). There are a lot of quirks in the FAFSA rules, so it’s not easy to extrapolate from known rules as it doesn’t work that way.</p>
<p>The cost of support for the child can be anything from zero to up through the roof. As stated above, the rent doesn’t change, if public assistance and is in the picture for the mom, how that is counted, I don’t know. Breast feeding can mean little in the way of costs and with gifts and donation and borrowing , clothes, furniture, etc. the cost can be very low I don’t think much money was expended at all for my friend’s grandson other than what she GIFTED to them. Diapers were the biggest expense. If documentation or whatever of costs is needed from them, you do need to discuss the situation with them, as well as coming up with child support. Also be aware that in some states, you can be required to pay child support by some set formulas so what you file in taxes can determine all of that. You have to report as taxable income financial aid grants and tuition over tuition, fees, books, specifically required supplies . You report all of those awards and then subtract out those expenses, and yes, if you got non loan money over what those things costs, you could owe taxes. That return is often used to determine child support. A lot of things to consider in your life now.</p>