Hello, I am facing some difficulty as a returning independent student and my financial aid office. I just wanted to get some outside insight on how to deal with this.
I left school in Fall 2012 to work full time. I live with my mom, who cannot work, so I provided support for our housing and bills (we were sharing a house with my aunt and cousin). I returned to school in Spring 2015 after a 2 year break. For FAFSA and tax purposes, I was considered dependent, so we filled this out with my mom’s information. I was selected for verification and filled out a form to list who is in our household and required to list my mom.
I filled out 2015-16 FAFSA in January. I am now 24, so I am independent. My friend who is a tax preparer helped me with taxes this year and told me that I would qualify as head of household for tax purposes, with my mom as my dependent. I was selected for FAFSA verification and had to fill out another household form. The form told me to list people who live with me and that I provide financial support for, so I listed my mom again. My Financial Aid office is now questioning why I would do this, and I explained that I work full time and am responsible for her housing and bills. The FA counselor says that listing this information is incorrect and falsifying information. They also implied that I was taking advantage of the system, so I would lose my aid upon further investigation.
Can anyone here clarify why this is wrong to do for financial aid if it was valid for tax purposes? I was under the impression that my FAFSA information and tax information should match up, so that is why I listed my mother.
@GMTplus7 Thanks for your response. She is not disabled, but she has a chronic illness that makes has made it difficult for keep a job due to constant doctor visits and side effects of her treatment/medication. What documentation do you think would be appropriate for this situation?
I’m not sure that the fafsa does have to match up with the fafsa. This is a but too unusual situation that most won’t have encountered. If it is legal for taxes then it is fine for that, maybe there is some IRS code your can cite. Maybe you need to supply your mother’s taxes or if she isn’t required to file, and an account of her resources. I am just throwing things out there. What did the FA person say when you told her your accountant said you are qualified to do that?
Perhaps I can call the two experienced members, at least one was a former aid officer. @kelsmom and @sybbie719
Additional information: on this verification form, I need to fill out who is in my household. The form directly states “List your household including you, your spouse (if married), your children (if you will provide more than half of their support between July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016), and other people who live with you (if you will provide more than half of their support between July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016).”
I also included my mother based on the instructions.
At this time, what did you turn in as your mom’s information?
Currently, how does your mom take care of herself?
Does your mom receive:
Social security benefits
Unemployment benefits
Public assistance or food stamps
Alimony/Spousal support
You must supply proof of how your mom survives day to day. You state that she has a chronic illness that makes has made it difficult for keep a job due to constant doctor visits and side effects of her treatment/medication.
Who pays for her medical treatment and doctor’s appointments?
Oh, this is confusing. You say you returned and you are dependent, then you say you are 24 and independent. Independent for FAFSA is 24 and over. So you turned 24 after you filed FAFSA last year right?
Also is this a public school or a private?
Yes you must be providing more than half your mom’s support to claim her, yes? Did your friend sign the taxes as having been prepared by him, putting him also responsible for accuracy of claiming your mom?
The school is not challenging whether or not he is independent, because that is pretty black and white; he is 24 years old.
It seems that OP is having a problem with the verification process. This is the part that is going to actually hold up his money/financial aid.
When OP turned in his tax information, filled out the school’s verification paperwork this is where the school has found inconsistencies.
The school may request that he refile his taxes using the correct filing status in order to receive his money because it may look like on face that he does not actually provide more than half of his mother’s support (which would include her medical expenses).
What is your EFC with and w/o claiming your mom? If you’re beyond Pell when claiming your mom, will it matter if you take her off FAFSA?
Sybbie is right in asking those questions…
Does your mom have any assets that provide her income?
Does she receive any money from any other source?
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was considered dependent, so we filled this out with my mom’s information
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When you were dependent and filing FAFSA, what were you THEN saying was your mom’s source of income and assets? On previous FAFSAs, were showing that mom had NO income/assets, and only you had income? If so, that doesn’t seem right since you would have been an auto zero.
The FA office seems to have a problem with the turn-around…
I work in financial aid, and I do require documentation for adult children who claim their parents. This doesn’t mean I don’t allow it … I just make sure I document that the student is providing at least 51% of the parent’s support. If the parent receives disability - social security or otherwise - or if there is some other type of monetary support provided to the parent, that can get sticky. The easiest cases are where the parent has no income at all. Keep in mind that being allowed to claim someone on your taxes is different than being able to claim them in your household on FAFSA. That said, if you are working full time, it is entirely possible that you are able to support your parent at least 51% - as long as that is not the reason you are independent (which it is not). I most likely would not put you through the wringer on it (but I don’t have all the facts, so maybe I would), but every school has different policies.
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Also you said your aunt and cousin live with you and your mom. Who pays the majority of household expenses? Rent, utilities, food?
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Maybe the problem is this. When he was using his mom’s info when HE was the dependent, he was selected for verification because his mom’s income was either too low or was non-existent, so the school wanted to know how they were surviving. At that time, maybe the student claimed that the aunt and cousin were letting them live there and providing for them.
BUT…now that the student is independent, he now wants to claim her.
There has to be a reason why the FA office believes that he’s taking advantage of the situation.
I returned to school in Spring 2015 which was 2014-2015 FAFSA, and I was still a dependent due to age. They are now doing verification fo Fall 2015-Spring 2016, which I am now considered independent since I turned 24 (born January 1991).
The only information on my mom is her on my FAFSA for 2014-15, since I was required to list her, though her income was 0 at this time. She is not on my 2015-16 FAFSA, but I listed her on the verification form due to what the instructions said. She has never received any benefits or public assistance. We lived off of my income in 2013 when I was working part time to pay for medical expenses, but food and housing was covered by family we lived with in exchange for my labor (more listed below).
My EFC is 1000 with my mom and between 4400-4500 without my mom.
My mom has no assets. She had no income in 2013. I was working part time for all of 2013, and all of this income was listed on FAFSA.
This has not been brought up as an issue. I still plan on working full time since I work a majority of my hours are at night and over the weekend.
We live in my aunt’s house with a minor (they were never listed on any verification documents). They allowed us to live there in exchange for my labor (yardwork, car maintenance, etc) and for my mom to babysit the child. When I started working full time last January, my aunt requested that I pay rent each month and 2/3 of the electric, water, and internet bill each month. I have been paying for groceries and food for my mom and I for several years now.
We have lived in my aunt’s house since 2011, but I’ve never had them listed on my FAFSA and she never claimed me for tax purposes. I was never selected for verification up until this. I had a 0 EFC when I began college and my mother was still receiving alimony. I also had a 0 EFC for the other years I was enrolled before I took a break.
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2013 seems so long ago, so I apologize if there are some details I’m not remembering as accurately as possible. But I have had a 0 EFC before I took a break, and I was never claimed as dependent by my aunt who we lived with. I have been taking care of all financial obligations since January 2014.
Please let me know if there is more information I can provide or clarify. Thank you again for all your help.
from your new info, I’m not sure why they think you’re taking “advantage of the situation”. Did they provide more info in this area?
Maybe they just mean by adding in your mom, you get more Pell? They seem to suggesting that you’re scamming the situation, which it doesn’t sound like you are.
Thanks for your detailed response.
Seeking clarification:
for calendar year 2014 and presently are you saying that your mom has no income at all, she is not receiving any kind of benefits and you are her sole source of support ( or you can demonstrate that you provide 51% of her support)?
@mom2collegekids it’s very possible, the initial FA counselor I spoke to was the one who accused me of taking advantage of the system but wouldn’t provide further details. I wrote an email to this counselor and his supervisor (who was the first person who contacted me about verification) asking for clarification of what possible issues there are, and so far I have no received a response.
@sybbie719 yes, I am her only source of support, she has not had income since 2011 or 2012. I have my bank statements/receipts of her medical expenses since I pay for that, and I also have receipts for paying rent and utilities. I also pay for the groceries and food. I’m not sure if this is enough proof of providing 51% of her support though
@mommdc yes I can, I write checks directly to my aunt every month, and then I pay for my share of utilities directly to the various companies online, so I have receipts for everything. Should this be sufficient evidence?
@mom2collegekids would it be sufficient to have record of her medical bills and medication being paid by me? How about her bank account showing minimal activity and no income? If all fails, I’m fine with not having my mom listed in my household (I only did it to match taxes/FAFSA), but I was under the impression from the Financial Aid counselor that I have to provide proof that I do support her or I’ll lose all my aid.