<p>Your application will not be denied because you left Parent Information blank.</p>
<p>If you are independent and do not live with your parents, you have no reason to enter their information into your application UNLESS you may benefit from scholarships or considerations by disclosing this information. </p>
<p>Just passing this information along for future searches, it's frustrating when you can't find a straight answer on the forum.</p>
<p>Source: Admissions Officer at UC Berkeley on this date</p>
<p>thanks for this info. Just to clarify- many of us who are under 24 and are completely independent from our parents still have to classify ourselves as “dependent” due to the UC’s strict rules. If we fall in this category (aka, independent but still listed as dependent), we can still leave out parent information, right?</p>
<p>I file my taxes independently, I live on my own, but since I am under 24 and have no kids/not married/not military I am still forced to state that I am dependent.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^ I dont think thats true… I have been stating on my taxes that I am independent for the past 2 years. I am 20… and I am not married, or have kids, or military or anything…</p>
<p>Right, you file your taxes as an independent (aka, you are independent in the eyes of the IRS) but you still must list yourself as dependent on the UC application.</p>
<p>I have a question for those that are claimed: what did you put for the for the 2012 income? I put the same amount my dad made last year. I don’t have an actual number because his taxes haven’t been released yet.</p>
<p>Hi Shannon, when I asked the admissions officer, nothing came up about age. I am 30 years old and he knew that, so maybe that is why he didn’t talk about the issue you are concerned about. I get the impression that you can still leave the information out. The admissions officer stated that the only benefit he gets from having parent information is knowing if you are the first in your family to attend college, or if you your family falls into a lower income bracket. He didn’t mention any other benefit than that.</p>
<p>Hi Mermaker, I made an estimate of my household gross income for 2012. This is standard practice for questions like these, but I did not confirm this with the admissions officer.</p>
<p>Since my dad claims me, do I have to include my income as well? Also, I believe my mom worked at my dad’s company for a bit in 2011. But since they file jointly, do I just include the number that is says on my dad’s 2011 taxes?</p>