One of my parents do not have have to file taxes as she/he works for the UN. How will this fare when I apply to colleges/FAFSA? Can I effectively not put the income he/she makes a year since he does not file taxes, or do I have to file this “non-filer’s statement” or whatever? How will they check otherwise, and what exactly is a non-filer’s statement?
More details: I am a green card holder (citizenship expected ~2020) living in the US since I was very young (6) but both my parents, though they live with me, only have visas (they can only apply for a green card later)
One of my parents doesn’t file taxes because he/she works at the UN while the other in fact does as she has a conventional job at a hospital.
Do they have SSN? If so, they will be able to get a FSA ID and complete the FAFSA online. If neither parent has a SSN, you’ll have to complete the FAFSA by having one parent sign a hard copy and sending it in.
You will fill in the income and other earnings of both parents on the FAFSA. It doesn’t matter if it is non-taxable, self employment, income from interest or dividends. It all gets reported.
neither parent has a SSN yet, but only my mom files taxes from her nursing job. But because one of my parents specifically does file taxes (as s/he is working in the united nations) do we report that income on a separate part of the FAFSA? or on a “non-filer’s statement”? if not, what exactly is a non filer’s statement
You report ALL income on the fafsa…including the UN income. The parent who does not file taxes will complete a non-filers statement. The non-filers statement will explain why the parent was not required to file taxes.
You should run the NPCs with his income included, is he taxed in another country? Is he highly paid? In that is it likely you won't get FA anyway?
On the financial aid application forms you are required to list ALL income your parents earn regardless of where it is earned.
So,you will be listing the income for BOTH of your parents. It doesn’t matter whether they file taxes or not…it is still income.
You will need to contact your college to find out how they want your parent who is not required to file taxes to indicate why. The IRS non-filers statement might be what they want. I honestly don’t know if there is a place,to indicate in that what you are describing.
You will not be able to link to,the IRS Data Retrieval Tool…because it will not include the UN income from that parent.
I would,suggest you order a tax transcript for your other parent. In addition, you will need clear documentation of the income your other parent earns at the UN…it is,possible the college will,want to see that.
I’m aware that it’s required to list all sources of income, but the parent that doesn’t file taxes doesn’t seem to understand that… he’s basically under the assumption that they can’t find out his income specifically because he doesn’t file tax returns. How rational is this justification, and how do I tell him to simply proceed with the non-filer’s statement instead? It’s true that the IRS often conducts verifications, correct? And if they find any sort of misnomer after verifying, you can be in serious trouble for fraud, right?
Your dad works for the UN but wants you to commit fraud? And he is hoping to get a green card? And you are hoping to get citizenship? Do you see how awry this could go? How it could be a federal offense? Have they seen our govt in action at the minute? What does he do at the UN?
Are your parents divorced BTW? He lives with you and your mum?
@Sybylla Not entirely sure but I do not think it is taxed to another country.
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/employees-of-foreign-governments-or-international-organizations
I’m pretty sure my non filing parent’s situation falls under the “2. 2. Employees of international organizations” subheading’s first bullet
You won’t be able to use the data retrieval tool to like the IRS tax forms your parents pay to the FAFSA, so you’ll likely be selected for verification. You’ll then have to submit the tax forms your parents do file. If it only shows your mother’s income from the nursing job, they’ll ask if another parent has earnings, or if it isn’t enough to support your family, they’ll ask how you support yourself.
You will sign the FAFSA and one parent will sign. You’ll certify that the information is true. If you don’t include your father’s income, then you are lying to the government. That’s not a good thing to do if you want to get a green card and become a citizen one day.
Thanks for all the helpful answers… I’ve heard of the verification procedures in regards to the non filers statement before but my (sad to say slightly stubborn) parents have not and I will inform them of this wealth of info. My parents were simply scared as they did not qualify for FAFSA aid as they combined made ~130k a year back when my sister was applying to college a couple years back (this was back when my father filed taxes without realizing he wasn’t required to I believe, or something of the nature). However, her college is much cheaper (~20k a year) which is fairly cheaper that the private colleges that I am interested in; also, I believe she qualified for scholarships from her university which brought down the cost dramatically. So another question I was meaning to ask: Does the net price you have to pay as determined by the FASA depend on any scholarships etc. said university grants you, or is my family’s income bracket simply too high? Also, does the FAFSA take into account things such as personal debt (i.e to family friends/3rd parties) and/or mortgage loans? I’ve very briefly used a few net price calculators for the projected costs of a college and the price that my family was expected to pay scared me knowing as I know my parents could not pull together that amnt of money a year. Also, these net price calculators are contingent on my family qualifying for FAFSA in the first place, correct, so why did my family not qualify 2 years ago when my sister was applying for college? Was it because of the reasons I stated above, or possibly a mistake, or what? Thanks for taking your time to read this… paying for college truly scares me and it pains me to say that I might not be able to apply early to my number one choice for college (which is normally around ~70k a year with room and board 0_o) through early decision since I believe you would effectively be “locked” into that college’s projected net price for you and would be unable to compare options//know if another university would give you a better price etc.
obviously I know there are scholarships and I’m applying to literally millions out there, both big and small, but there’s no guarantee for getting them as they are heavily vied for.
Thanks for taking your time to read this and for helping me figure out this dilemma of paying for college :C
Parents do not qualify for the fafsa, the student does. You said YOU have a green card, so you’d qualify. Maybe your sister didn’t have one when she applied to colleges?
The fafsa only determines if you qualify for a pell grant, federal loans, or other federal money. It does NOT determine how much it will cost you to go to college. It is also used by some colleges to determine if you qualify for any school aid, by some states to determine if you might qualify for some state aid. Do you live in NY? Do your parents together still make about $130k per year (including the UN income that is not taxed? it is still income)?
If you are looking at elite colleges, most will also require the CSS profile. That is a more detailed financial aid application. FAFSA does NOT take into account your personal debts. It does not consider equity in the home you live in. CSS does ask for equity, and it is up to the school how to treat that equity when determining FA.
Yea together including the UN income my familys entire income bracket is around 130-150k. Yes we all live near NY. My sister either didn’t have a green card before college apps/FAFSA was due and got it finally right after or actually did have one by then. I would have to double check w my family tmrw. Also, it’s true that I will be on the same same playing field as all my friends ie I won’t be considered an international if I am a green card holder (with SSN) here even though my parents are visa holders and won’t be getting their green cards til later (we’ve all been living in the US for the past 10+ years, though)?
You are filing the FAFSA…including accurate information from your parents regarding income and assets. You MUST be honest about these things. It is considered FRAUD to get financial aid by providing known inaccurate information. Your parents KNOW that both parents earned an income. Therefore, it would be FRAUD to not include one income on the FAFSA. Look up fraud. It’s a crime.
As noted upstream, committing a crime is NOT going to help your parents get a green card. It’s not going to help anyone gain citizenship. It’s also not going to help you in terms of,college…because colleges frown on crimes. You would likely lose your admissions spot, and also get fined.
You say your U.N. employed parent has no idea how much he earned? That is simply poppycock. If this parent got paid…at the very least there is a directo deposit to some bank…or a pay stub issued.
Also, if asked…the agency who paid your parent would be able to tell them the amount earned.
And remember…you are looking for 2015 income if you are applying for aid for 2017-2018.
You are looking for 2016 income for 2018-2019.
When do you plan to start college? It’s almost the beginning of March. If it’s fall 2017, you probably have missed deadlines for institutional aid consideration.
When will you start college?? If you are just starting your college search, I would suggest you look for affordable colleges.
You parent who works for the UN also probably gets a housing allowance. This too must be included on your FAFSA/CSS profile. For many years I sat on a co-op board where many my neighbors worked for the UN. Your father definitely can get proof of income.
One of the challenges is that once all of this is added together, you may not get a lot of financial aid. Your parents definitely do not want to be in a position that they want to be defrauding the federal government. You don’t want to be in a position where your parents are providing false information. As others mentioned, you can lose your admission/have your admission rescinded, have your degree revoked, leaving you with a worthless piece of paper. You and your parent both attest that the info on the fafsa is true; you both risk criminal charges, jail, fines and repaying all of the financial aid you received by providing false information
You need to sit with your parents, run the net price calculator, including both incomes and the housing allowance to get an idea of how much you will have to pay. Make sure that you have a financial safety in CUNY/SUNY and look at schools where you can get merit money.
Just remember…a lot of the $70,000 private universities use the Profile in addition to the fafsa. The Profile,delves MUCH deeper into your finances.
The schools do NOT verify the non-filers statement unless they think you are lying. They verify that the information on your FAFSA is ACCURATE.
If your father filed taxes by mistake, he would have gotten a refund for overpaid taxes. When you say “qualify for FAFSA” what do you mean? With a $130,000 income, your sister would not have been eligible for any federally funded grants. And in NY, I don’t believe she would have been eligible for state aid either.
I think you need to look at affordable colleges and places where you can get scholarships. It’s nice that you are interested in private (expensive) colleges, but an acceptance without the ability to pay is worthless.
If you get merit aid, you might see your family contribution lower than what your FAFSA EFC would indicate. In terms of need based aid…NO SCHOOL will give you need based aid to cover your family contribution.
Also repeating…most of these $70,000 a year schools use the information on the Profile to determine awarding of institutional need based aid.
No. Consumer debt is viewed as a choice. Everyone has housing expenses…rent or a mortgage. No…these are not considered by the FAFSA.
With $130,000 in income, I would estimate your family contribution to be in the $40,000 a year range. Or more depending on assets.
You need to look for schools that will be affordable.
Was your SISTER a green card holder two years ago? If not, SHE would not have been eligible to file a fafsa form.
Or did she file…and not qualify for federally funded grant money??
You have significant financial considerations. I would STRONGLY suggest you NOT apply ED anywhere. You need the ability to compare net costs once your aid packages have been received…to multiple places.
I will stick my neck out. It’s going to be very hard to get outside scholarships to fully fund a $70,000 a year college.
We don’t know your stats…scores, class rank, etc. but you should also apply to colleges where merit aid isassured for you.
And lastly…no one…I repeat…no one…MUST go to a $70,000 a year school. As a NY state resident, you have a LOT of options that are far more affordable in your SUNY/CUNY schools.
We’re NYS residents with an income of roughly half of your parents’ income and no major assets. Our son gets a small Pell grant and a NYS tuition grant. The total might be a couple thousand per year. It’s certainly not enough to put a dent in a $70k/year price tag. I wouldn’t expect to get either with your family income.
How much can your parents pay per year without borrowing? You can borrow ~$5500/year and if you work summers you can probably raise ~$3k/year. If your parents can pay $20k, that gives you a budget of ~$28k. If you want to attend a more expensive school, you need to find those that offers merit aid for your stats and/or need based aid for your income. You’re not likely to make up a $30-40k/year gap in outside scholarships.
Turns out my sister when applying to colleges did in fact have a green card when applying to colleges. My parents said she did not qualify for the FAFSA but she got scholarships from her school. What’s the difference between that and me likely having to pay around ~40k out of the normal 70k? Is that separate from the FAFSA aid? Any other reasons why she didn’t qualify? ie she already got a scholarship or something? Mistakes in the app? Any other theories?
@thumper1 just to clarify my UN parent does know his income, and I am a junior – will be applying to colleges this coming September. Is there special place to put my dads income on the FAFSA? And what exactly is the CSS? I’m not sure what the FAFSA looks like