<p>My mother has never worked, and we receive money from like worker's comp, widow's pension, and I get social security (but it goes to her because I'm not 18 and I won't get after August). After August, my mother's total benefits is $3,000 a month. </p>
<p>I made under $4,000 last year, part-time + school. Would my mother's money count as income? She doesn't file taxes (having not a W2 form from employment) and I haven't filed yet. What would be included on the FAFSA?</p>
<p>On the CC's EFC Calc using the money she gets as her income, the total EFC is $5,400 and change, for two students (my brother and I).</p>
<p>everything is included on the FAFSA. Social security and other untaxed income is stated under that section, the form will explain where to state things. If you are confused, the fafsa has a link to explain every question to figure out what goes where. My mom doesn't work either, and gets social security.</p>
<p>I assume she does not work because she is too disabled to work, not simply because she doesn't feel like working? If so, let the colleges know. It will help.</p>
<p>Yea, my parents finished it... they apparently say that ours is $23,000 or so. All this with 3 kids, a mortgage and everything else. They should add an M in front so it's MEFC... maximum estimated financial contribution... it just seems somewhat rediculous to me"</p>
<p>That's why I don't even bother filling out Fafsa anymore. Why waste a stamp for someone to tell me something I already knew...</p>
<p>"My parents are doctors with a combined income of about 450,000 dollars. My dad checked the numbers over and over and so did I but we cant find any mistakes."</p>
<p>my daughter attends a school that costs $40,000 + a year, so even if our EFC was $23,000 it would certainly be worth my while to fill it out.
However our EFC is about what a year + room and board at an instate public school would be, so if she was going that route, I doubt if I would fill it out unless she might be getting merit aid, or if I thought that our income would decrease while she was in college</p>
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<p>My parents are doctors with a combined income of about 450,000 dollars>></p>
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<p>Not knowing your family circumstances...I would have to say that if my family income were $450,000 per year, I would be embarrassed to be applying for need based aid regardless of my EFC. Clearly this income is FAR above the national average. There could be some significant burying of assets and this is certainly legal.BUT the need based finaid system in this country should not be awarding need based aid to a family with an annual income of $450,000. Just my humble opinion.</p>
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<p>My parents are doctors with a combined income of about 450,000 dollars>></p>
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<p>My parents are also big contributers to the island of Haiti so alot of their income is devoted to that and also sponsering many of my cousins through college and secondary school. Also my sister is going to law school at the same time and we recently bought a house so we are under financial difficulties at the moment. I still dont know if their high income should stop me from getting financial aid but I know that we are certainly not living richly.</p>
<p>Thumper, there are a number of reasons why a family would apply for financial aid even with a very high income. You are still entitled to merit awards that may require FAFSA. In states like WV where there is a tution remission for instate schools that is not income based, you still have to file FAFSA. At some school, there are internship possibilities for those who file for financial aid. Soem govt progams that are not need based use the FAFSA as clearinghouse to make sure that the families getting the money are eligilble for it and they don't have an abbreviated form.</p>
<p>That said, though is it is wonderful to be supporting those who are needy, that is not a choice the colleges give you. IF you want to spend your money that way, that is a great thing, but one of the things that you need to sacrifice is private college tuition. You cannot expect others to support your cause. So noble though it may be, FAFSA does not take into account charitiable contributions. If there a family member becomes dependent and family resources are used for him/her, colleges on a case by case basis may take that into consideration. And sponsering cousins through secondary schools is not taken into account by any college I know though some of the schools do take into account sibling expenses for school that is not undergraduate college.</p>
<p>I suppose my family was old-fashioned. When my parents were together, my mother would stay home and raise the kids, clean, cook, etc. A housewife. When my parents split up, she felt it was her duty to continue raising us, not let a daycare or babysitter do it (not that we could afford one in the first place, living in Section 8 and Welfare from before I started school thru 5th grade). </p>
<p>When we were in grade school, my mother was a volunteer assistant teacher at the school we went to, kindergarten or first grade assistant teacher. She's never had a paycheck since my brother and I were born. She didn't finish college, doesn't have work experience, doesn't belong to any organizations, etc. If she felt like she needed another job (I consider being a housewife a job), it would be nearly impossible to do so now, even considering my 19-year-old brother with a Technical Diploma in Electronics can't even get a job. "Overqualified for everything" or "lacks work experience." </p>
<p>I'm the only person in my household that has a job (not just one, but three) and have been working steadily since I was 14 (17 now, almost 18). My mother has never had to file taxes, so there's nothing to report to the IRS besides my figures.</p>
<p>How do you have enough to do being "a housewife" when both of your children are grown or nearly so?
I would strongly suggest that for your mothers self respect and well being that you encourage her to at least go back to school so that she can support herself.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong I am not commenting on your mothers choice to stay at home after her divorce, but with you and your brother at an age where you will be at school/in the workforce, it is important that your mother be able to take care of herself.</p>
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<p>there are a number of reasons why a family would apply for financial aid even with a very high income. You are still entitled to merit awards that may require FAFSA. >></p>
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<p>I would encourage everyone to apply for finaid. You never know what circumstances may change that will require the reconsideration for need based aid. AND as Jamimom pointed out, many colleges require FAFSA even for merit aid awards.</p>
<p>That being said...my comments are directed to the poster who remarked that her EFC was around $700 with a family annual income of $450,000. To me, there must be something very wrong with the figures on the FAFSA...or there are assets that are in the names of others than the immediate family. The choices to provide financial assistance to other family members (cousins, etc), and to provide charitable assistance to a country in need, are just that....choices. The income of $450,000 per year is upteen times the average annual household income in this country. With an income in this range, unless there are very very extenuating circumstances, one would think that budgeting for a college education would be possible. This is just my opinion. Everyone is certainly entitled to file for need based financial aid. BUT I find it very very odd that a family with an annual income of $450,000 would have an EFC of less than $1000.</p>
<p>I agree, Thumper. I cannot see how an income of $450K if it were actually reported, would yield anywhere near that EFC regardless of the assets. And regardless of how it is spent. There is something not right here.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong I am not commenting on your mothers choice to stay at home after her divorce, but with you and your brother at an age where you will be at school/in the workforce, it is important that your mother be able to take care of herself.
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<p>I understand what you're saying, but my parents didn't get divorced. They just separated for 6 year and got back together (my dad was in DE, that's why we moved). My mother has talked about getting a notary public license, you know, a small in-home business. But we're moving in 5 months when I graduate. </p>
<p>We plan to buy a house and some land and open up an auto body shop. My brother is going to some Nascar mechanic school (wants to learn about the electronics in vehicles). So its not so much as she doesn't want to get a job, but more of waiting for the right time. I recently quit one of my job because it was interferring with my new courseload (and my boss is a prick and cut my hours to the nights we work late, which was the reason I asked to have those nights off because of my new semester courseload), and she wouldn't let me get another job despite my paycheck will be $200 a week smaller now. </p>
<p>And I after I turn 18, my mother will get $3,000 a month for life plus whatever we get from my father's wrongful death lawsuit (he died on the job due to unsafe working conditions while OSHA was on the site already for a safety complaint. Got these monster lawyers, the ones that after big companies and gets their clients awarded millions). </p>
<p>But yeah, using those figures in the EFC Calculator, my EFC is $5430.00 Reasonable?</p>
<p>No offense, but in my opinion, Financial Aid isn't intended for people who just "don't want to work." Instead, its for families who are actively trying to contribute to to their child's education, and might need a bit of help along the way. </p>
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If she felt like she needed another job (I consider being a housewife a job), it would be nearly impossible to do so now...
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Color me a skeptic, but this seems more like an excuse than anything else.</p>
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I'm the only person in my household that has a job (not just one, but three) and have been working steadily since I was 14 (17 now, almost 18). My mother has never had to file taxes, so there's nothing to report to the IRS besides my figures.
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While it's noble of you to independently support your family, it's not personally how I would choose to run my own family...</p>
<p>My 2 cents...</p>
<p>EDIT: Also, if your EFC is $5430 and your family's only income is the money you make from your part-time jobs, you have some MAJOR assets that you're not telling us about....</p>
<p>I think you're completely misunderstanding my situation. My income doesn't 'independently' support my family. Not at all. We still get money. Worker's Compensation, widow's benefits (she get's that for life), I still get Social Security until I'm 18. It's not like we're broke. </p>
<p>I can't help it nor have any influence over my mother's choice to work or not work nor should be punished because she doesn't work. I can't undo the ways she was brought up and raised. I can't undo her dropping out of college, being a stay-home mom, and yet still try to put two young adults through their first year of college all while moving, finding a place to live, and being in the middle of a high-dollar lawsuit. </p>
<p>I'm just wondering what figures go on the FAFSA. That's all. If ALL the figures go on the FAFSA, according to the calculator, it should be around the ballpark of $5430.</p>
<p>raven,
I have worked fulltime outside the home since my son was seven (grad school before then), and I also care for my crippled father at home. So I'm definately a sandwich generation working mother. But I think you have to be very carefull about making judgements on someone else's livestyle choices. I have a friend that is going to have to enter the workforce at the age of 52 due to the death of her husband. She always had a lot more free time than I did - but things are going to change for her know, and it's going to be very difficult. I can't remember the exact quote - something about not judging a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. </p>
<p>Deviant,
Try someone else's EFC calculator and see if you get similar figures - and be sure to read the fine print on what counts as income. A mistake I made in early calculations was not adding 401K back into income! </p>
<p>I am sorry to hear about your father's death, but it seems that your family is putting one foot in front of the other and getting along. You do have to be careful not to work yourself to death in the process, though. Best wishes.</p>
<p>Raven, financial aid certainly favors the parent who chooses not to work. There is no penalty in the financial aid process for anyone who does not work. The penalties and issues are implicit in everything in their lives. It is a choice, and the risks are there to take, as they are in anything we choose to do or not do. It is not at all relevant in this situation, other as a discussion point. I cannot even begin to imagine the implications of the government deciding who should be employed, who is underemployed. Just isn't going to happen.</p>