Hey everyone! So I’m still waiting to get my financial aid package from my institution(I’m a spring transfer) and yesterday they sent me a form requesting my mom’s on and off again boyfriend’s tax return. My mom is my non-custodial parent/not the person who raised me and my relationship with her(in terms of financial) is non-existent. My mom doesn’t work and mostly is dependent on her boyfriend and other family. I understand that the non-custodial parent is expected to pay a part of my college tuition when the school is calculating a package, however, me and my father have always paid it together. I do not like my mom’s boyfriend due to his treatment of my mom, and do not feel comfortable asking for his tax returns as he will never agree to pay for me and my twin sister’s education and we would never want him to. Is there a way to explain this situation to the financial aid office? I know for a fact that I will be unable to get his tax returns, however, I know the school might not be able to calculate my package fully. I want to call them in the morning, but I do not know how to explain my situation. Any suggestions?
How does the school know about your mom’s boyfriend? Did someone list him on one of the financial aid forms…because if they did, that was an error on their part.
Contact the school.
Thumper is right. How does the school even know that your mom HAS a boyfriend??? That type of info isn’t typically shared with FA offices.
Op stated that mom does not work and is dependent on boyfriend. This most likely triggered a low income verification and the school now wants to know to what extent Boyfriend supports mom ( mom must have informed the school(s) that her food and shelter is provided by her boyfriend).
The college can ask for anything it wants when it comes to give I f out its money. Now that the information is out there, the school is asking and now Op and mom must either produce info or be at risk of having incomplete information and not getting institutional aid
That’s true, Sybbie. The OP’s mom is likely being asked to show how she is paying her day to day expenses with NO income. The perplexing thing is why the boyfriend’s info was put out there.
The school can request information, but the tax return of a party not involved? I would object to this. It is not the mother’s tax return even if she is claimed as a dependent. Even if she is claimed as a dependent, a tax return doesn’t show how much she’s receiving in support. He may make $1 million per year but only provide her with r&b,and he has no legal obligation to continue to do that.
They will probably also want to know how much the monthly expenses are and attribute a portion of it to mom. If household expenses are 1000 month they are probably going to attribute 6k:year to mom. op’s BF whole income most likely will not be considered
That party is IMO involved. That party is paying living costs of the parent.
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Sorry I didn’t see all these replies, thank you for the input!
I really don’t know how the school found out. This is the first time this information has been asked by a school, and I probably put it on one of my css profile(stupidly), early this semester. Right now, they are rocky again, and will probably break it off for a few weeks and mom returns to my grandma’s etc. The thing that gets me about using her boyfriend’s tax return is that he is on and off,/not a stable partner, even if his information is used to calculate what she can give me, there is no guarantee how their relationship will be during the rest of the school year. He doesn’t give her large amounts of money, and it’s more of a “traditional” relationship in that she mostly cooks/cleans for him/ his friends and he works. When they get in an argument, she doesn’t even have enough savings to stay at a motel and goes back to my grandma’s house, until he apologizes etc. I wish she was more independent and generated money on her on accord, but at this time, for the past several years, she has been dependent on other people, which is why my dad and I work really hard to cover her portion too and unmet need.
Their office was closed today, but I’ll try to explain to my financial office the situation on Monday. I will update information to see what they say. Idk what they are going to say though.
OP- financial aid has no interest in the dynamics of the relationship. It’s none of their business and they don’t care.
They are trying to establish how you guys live on the income you’ve listed to ascertain if there are other sources of income to supplement the household. That’s it. They don’t care that she cooks for his friends.
The pertinent information you need to provide is:
Total earned income- you, mom, dad
Total income from other sources
You need to tell them where you live (Mom is the NCP but you live with grandma? you live with your dad?) and then answer their questions honestly.
blossom, have you read my posts?? I only mentioned that information because the financial aid office has requested her boyfriend’s tax returns, because my mom has NO income. My mom and her boyfriend’s dynamic IS important, because they are trying to understand what my mom can afford to calculate my financial aid package to the best of their abilities. While domestic homemaking work is incredibly important, my mom does not have a job outside of the house and all of her “income” is the few dollars that her boyfriend gives her. The financial aid office is currently under the impression that their partnership entails joint real estate/businesses and bank accounts, which is not the case.
I do not live with her, I haven’t lived with her in over 10 years. I do not even live in the same state as my grandmother/mom. I do visit every summer and winter break, however. Also they already have all of the “pertinent” information about our incomes, so I do not understand the whole purpose of your post, tbh.
Honestly blossom, please do not respond, this is already a sensitive topic for me and I do not appreciate your unhelpful response. Thank you, and I’m sure your intentions were good, but I am already aware of the financial aid’s office purpose, and I believe calling them on Monday, like I mentioned in the above post, is the best way to communicate my concerns and YES explain to them my mom and her boyfriend’s dynamic to get this sorted out.
Anyway, I hope you have a good holiday!
This still seems odd. While a school can ask for whatever it wants when students are asking the school to give them money, we often see cases where a low/no income single parent is living with grandparents, and I don’t remember a school ever asking for the grands’ tax information.
Obviously, if your mom and BF break up and mom moves in with the GM, then you would tell the school that the BF is no longer in the picture and mom is now living with GM. I wonder if they’ll then ask for GM’s info?
You’re a current student, correct? Or are you a high school senior? If you’re a freshman in college than are these questions about tax forms holding up your aid for this current school year? Or what?
EDIT:
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I really love Wellesley. I’m currently on a leave of absence from my other school, another women’s college, and I hope I will be able to attend Wellesley in the spring.
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OK…you didn’t go to college during the fall, but you did go to college last year at another women’s college. When you applied for aid at your old school, did THAT school question how your mom lives on so little money?
Which school is asking for this BF tax info? Smith? Wellesley? Emory?
Did you already decline your other acceptances? If the school that is asking for the tax info will not budge, then can you still attend one of the other schools that accepted you?
This definitely seems odd. As you have indicated, a discussion with the Financial Aid office is the thing to do. Your moms BF has no obligation to provide for her or yourself in any way. He shouldn’t be considered.
You seem like a grounded and articulate young person. I hope this all works out for you!
Maybe this is going to be a new trend that some CSS schools are going to use with parents who are co-habitating.
While it’s not reasonable to expect a BF or GF to contriibute, I can see a school wanting to know if there are other adults living in the home contributing to the household (but not asking for their tax info).
Just like remarried parents, when a single-parent cohabitates, then his/her income shouldn’t be viewed the same as a single parent solely supporting the household. (altho in this case, the single parent seems to have no income at all).
But, in other cases, imagine three households, each containing a single parent that earns $80k per year. Parent 1 lives only with her 2 kids. Parent 2 is living with a SO who also has a decent income and is contributing to the household.
Obviously, Parent 2’s income isn’t solely supporting the household, so he/she can contribte more to college costs.
Parent 3 living with grandparents who have their own income. Again, Parent 3 isn’t solely supporting the household.
But, again, in the OP’s case, the parent really has no income.
Blossom is correct. If your mom indicated she had NO income on her non-custodial parent Profile, then the school is doing its due diligence to wonder where the money to pay her bills is coming from.
And if she has “income” fro doing housework for her boyfriend, and that is how she views it, she, perhaps should consider herself self employed and list that income on both her taxes,mand her Profile.
The best answer is going to come directly from the financial aid office. You already know that. But do be prepared to show how your mom pays her living expenses. That is likely what they are looking for.
ETA…unless I’m confusing this poster with another, I believe this student is a transfer student planning to enroll at Smith. op posted this on December 13.
Update: I called financial aid office this week (they were on a winter break before) and the reason they asked is because my mom listed him as part of the household so the household’s ability to pay is taken into consideration, which is understandable. So, I asked my mom if she can ask him for his 2014 tax returns, and PLOT TWIST, she tells me that he hasn’t filed a tax return in 3-4 years. I called the office in panic to explain to them, and they said that he can sign a Non Tax Filier Statement. So we did and it said to attach any available 1099 Miss income, so I did.
But just now, I received an email that they can not accept the Tax Filier form since he is required to file it by the IRS and for us to attach a copy of his taxes, which doesn’t exist. I have so much anxiety now that I won’t be getting financial aid, because of this. I don’t know what to do?? Is there anything I can do?
I don’t want his irresponsibility/actions to affect my chance to go to college this spring. I don’t know how I can proceed, can someone please help me.
You mom needs to sit down with him and ask that he file taxes. The school told you what they needed; either copies of the tax return or a non/filers statement that says he has not filed because he is not required to file. The IRS won’t issue s statement because BF is required to file and not done so. (The IRS is not going to aid and abet people doing the wrong thing).
Until he complies financial aid application is incomplete and will not be processed until the information is submitted to Wellesley.
If mom’s BF hasn’t filed taxes in 3 years, likely he owes and has no intention of filing (and paying) just so that you can get college aid.
If that’s the case, then you’ll need to ask the school if you can defer enrollment until Fall, and then have your mom move to live with your grandma. Then the BF’s finances won’t be required or used.
You’re in a pickle.
Question: for FA purposes, was it proper for mom to list BF as part of the household? Would FA forms have been correctly completed if mom did not list BF as part of the household?