<p>what is a "dependant" student? i'm trying to help my parents fill out the taxes and the Fafsa.. and it"s complicated... i don't know if i am dependant or independant. I'm a freshman in college and i'm working 10 hours a week for $9 an hour( work study) the rest of the time i'm a regular student living in a dorm 3000 miles away from my parents... thank you for your answers.</p>
<p>Dependent unless you are 24, married, active duty military, or already have an undergrad degree. Where you live, how much money your parents actually give you, or if they claim you on their taxes makes absolutely no difference.</p>
<p>Dependent for tax purposes and dependent for FAFSA are two separate issues which cannot be answered with the information you provided.</p>
<p>But my guess would be that you’re dependent for both.</p>
<p>FAFSA decides for you whether you are a dependent or not. It is not a choice you make. On FAFSA you complete a series of “dependency” questions. It is likely you are a dependent for FAFSA (most undergrads under age 24 are unless they are married, a veteran, and a few other exceptions).</p>
<p>For taxes a student under age 24 who does not provide more than 50% of their own support is generally a dependent of their parents.</p>
<p>This question seems to relate to your previous post relating to taxes: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/860415-exemption-taxes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/860415-exemption-taxes.html</a></p>
<p>You are a dependent if your parents claim you to be on their tax return: IRS form 1040, line 6C.</p>
<p>You can be an independent student for financial aid purposes and be dependent for tax purposes. Our grad school son was independent for financial aid BUT he was a dependent on our taxes.</p>
<p>You can be a dependent for financial aid purposes but be independent for tax purposes. I know some undergrads who worked independently for a couple of years full time before matriculating into college. They were fully selfsupporting…and independent for tax purposes. BUT they still were DEPENDENT for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>thumper1: In most instances, when a student goes directly from high school to college, if they are a dependent for tax purposes, they are also a dependent for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>gibby, in MOST cases students that go directly from high school to college ARE dependents for both taxes and financial aid. BUT there are times when this isn’t the case. Someone who is a ward of the state or an orphan…or is married would be independent for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>“Someone who is a ward of the state or an orphan…or is married would be independent for financial aid purposes.” </p>
<p>True, but that is not as common. I was trying to give ginger2 – who has a mom, so she’s not an orphan, or a ward of the state – the simplest, most customary answer.</p>
<p>
This is simply not true for FAFSA. Dependency for FAFSA is based on a series of questions in FAFSA, not one of which asks about dependency on tax returns. My son has not been a dependent on our tax returns for several years because he earned too much. He was still a dependent for FAFSA. Dependency for taxes and for FAFSA are completely separate issues.</p>
<p>“Dependency for FAFSA is based on a series of questions in FAFSA”</p>
<p>That’s correct. For a list of those questions, see [FAFSA</a> Questions: Who is a dependent student](<a href=“http://www.fafsaonline.com/fafsa-questions/who-is-a-dependent-student.php]FAFSA”>Everything You Need to Know About FAFSA | Edvisors) </p>
<p>I was trying to give ginger2 the simplest answer. In most cases, if your parents claim you as a dependent for tax reasons, it’s also true that you are a dependent for FAFSA.</p>