<p>Here is the situation: I am a graduating senior, going to college in the fall. I am getting half my tuition off because of my dad's job, and the other half is being paid for with scholarships I've earned. I was planning on saving some money and moving out in a year to attend college in another city. I would be paying my own housing and living costs, and like I said, my college would still be free. My dad says I won't be covered under his insurance anymore, because to be a dependent, he has to be paying for half my support when I move away. Is that true? I'll still be a college student. I didn't think that the parents had to provide half your support in order for you to be claimed as a dependent.</p>
<p>[How</a> We Determine Your Dependency Status](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc01k.htm]How”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc01k.htm)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my tuition discount because of dad or my insurance or my scholarship.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Are you talking about moving out and then going to ANOTHER school where you won’t have the father discount or scholarship? IF so, that is dumb. You’ll still be considered dependent for aid purposes, so you won’t get much help.</p>
<p>if you move and go to another school, how will you pay for THAT?</p>
<p>Please clarify what you want to do. Where will you be going to school in fall and where will you be going after that?</p>
<p>I would still be getting the tuition break from my dad if I went to this other school, because it’s the same school just different location. But he’s saying that since I’d be supporting myself, I would not be a dependent and therefore not qualify to be under his insurance and therefore not even receive his tuition break. It all comes down to whether or not I’d be a dependent. </p>
<p>The tuition break isn’t the most important thing: I can find more scholarships to pay the other half myself. The problem is health insurance. That is hundreds a month which I would not be able to come up with since I’d be already paying my own housing and all that.</p>
<p>Oh–I’d be going to IUPUI in the fall and IPFW after that. Same school. Just in Fort Wayne.</p>
<p>For tax purposes the rule for a full time student under age 24 being a dependent of their parent is that the student can not be providing more than half their own support. The parent does not have to be providing half the support. There is a subtle difference. We do not pay half our daughter’s support as her scholarships and grants cover over half her support. But she does not pay over half as the scholarships/grants are not considered by the IRS as being provided by her and her income (from part time work) plus her loans do not come to half her support. So she is still considered our dependent for tax purposes. If she were providing more than half her own support she would not be our dependent for tax purposes.</p>
<p>*The tuition break isn’t the most important thing: I can find more scholarships to pay the other half myself. The problem is health insurance. That is hundreds a month which I would not be able to come up with since I’d be already paying my own housing and all that. *</p>
<p>Don’t kid yourself. It’s hard finding scholarships to pay for the other half. Most scholarships are for incoming freshmen, not for continuing students or transfers. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what the insurance rules are. If you will be completely self-supporting, the maybe your dad won’t be able to claim you on his insurance once you move out and transfer.</p>
<p>Why would you consider transferring? It sounds like a VERY unwise decision!</p>
<p>I think you are GROSSLY underestimating how much you’d have to work to pay for your year round housing/food expenses. Why would you want to jeopardize your grades or being able to graduate on time by doing that?</p>
<p>Is the issue that your parents won’t contribute to your living expenses if you’re not living at home, and that you want the independence of living away from them?</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I think that’s it…but it could be disastrous. The student will lose his scholarship if he transfers and he’s a bit naive about how much he’d have to work to pay for his living expenses. He’d have no life outside of classes and job. It may interfere with his grades and ability to graduate on time.</p>
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<p>Absolutely not true. Your father can carry you on his insurance as long as you are a full time college student. With the recent passage of the health care bill, even if you were not a student he could carry you until you are 26.</p>
<p>I agree with others, about the flaws in your plan if you believe that you are going to get outside scholarships to cover your tuition should you transfer.</p>
<p>*I agree with others, about the flaws in your plan if you believe that you are going to get outside scholarships to cover your tuition should you transfer. *</p>
<p>I’m also concerned with the plan to work enough to pay one’s rent, food, utilities, cable bill, cell phone, car insurance, car maintenance, etc, while also going to school full-time. </p>
<p>Typically when kids do this, they end up taking longer to graduate (because they can’t take classes offered during their work hours) and they have to work too many hours to pay for all these things AND keep their grades up and graduate on time.</p>
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<p>Hmmm are you talking about health insurance? Perhaps the recent changes in the health care legislation will make this different in the future…but here’s what it is for me…right now. If my kids are NOT dependents (for tax purposes), they cannot be carried on my health insurance. WHEN the new health care initiatives go into effect, I WILL be able to carry them on my health insurance BUT they MUST RESIDE in the same state in which <em>I</em> reside.</p>
<p>So…you need to check…is your college in another state? If so, your dad might be correct even WITH the new health initiatives.</p>
<p>You would also need to check car insurance…that varies by the insurance vendor. Ours will let us keep our kids on our insurance driving cars in OUR name…but it will not allow us to insure them if they live elsewhere and register and own the cars in their OWN names.</p>
<p>I think the schools are in the same state…in the Indiana state system.</p>
<p>I don’t think this kid has thought this all out…having his own car insurance, his own cell phone plan, his own internet bill, everything would be his own.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand WHY this student wants to make this transfer. It seems like financially this will be more of a challenge for the STUDENT (housing and other costs of living). It sounds like this student wants to live on his/her own and the parents cannot or will not pay the additional costs for off campus housing at the other campus. </p>
<p>So…to the OP…just make sure you are VERY aware of all the implications of making this move. Can you really find the money to pay all of the bills your parents will not be paying for you? Is this something you can do without jeopardizing your studies…in other words, can you do this working a reasonable number of hours a week during school? </p>
<p>If not…I’d say…please reconsider…or at least think carefully about this.</p>
<p>Re:the health insurance…your dad will have to check the provisions of his plan. The new initiatives do not go into effect until Sept 23 for dependents to be covered until age 26. If your dad’s open enrollment period is before that date, he may be right if there is a provision in his current plan that you must be a dependent. I’m dealing with a similar issue right now…while the new initiative WILL cover my daughter…it may not be until our NEXT open enrollment period (which is June 2011)…our current policy has her coverage ending the month she graduates…August 2010.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, I’m not underestimating anything. My grades and work ethic thus far have gotten me the scholarships I’ve wanted. I just stopped applying for them once I found out I had half taken care of and the other half through my dad’s tuition break.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be jeopardizing my education–not graduating college isn’t even an option for me. But due to issues at home and the fact that I have amazing friends/family in Fort Wayne, this isn’t some stupid rash decision. </p>
<p>I won’t do it if I can’t be claimed as a dependent, that was the point of my asking. That would also mean I would be living at home until I was close to 24–and that sounds just plain ridiculous to me.</p>
<p>*My grades and work ethic thus far have gotten me the scholarships I’ve wanted. I just stopped applying for them once I found out I had half taken care of and the other half through my dad’s tuition break.
*</p>
<p>You are underestimating. Scholarships are MUCH easier to get as an incoming freshman. Many aren’t even available for students who already in college - unless they were first awarded when the student was an incoming freshmen.</p>
<p>Haha “he” I’m a female. To everyone who is making ridiculous assumptions: I’m not stupid. I know how much it’ll cost for me to live on my own. I already have a roommate lined up and all of my living expenses calculated. By working this summer, I will have a full years rent already saved up. I also have a job lined up in FW. I guessed that I would give myself a few hundred dollars a week just to spend on any miscellaneous items, and built that into my calculations. Bottom line: I already figured how much money I will need to have on hand, and before I do this, I will have more than that amount already in my savings account. I plan saving enough money to last me a few months so I don’t have to start a new job right away, I can get used to school first. But I still plan on working once I move. Believe me I’ve thought this over front and back. It was always in my plan for me to be self sufficient and not have to rely on my parents. Look–young adults go away for college all the time–I’ll be 20, (19 now) I have the monetary situation figured out I just needed to know if I would still be a dependent and covered under health insurance.</p>
<p>I am still a senior in HS, I graduate this May. So I’m still applying for tons of scholarships. But my paying for the other half of my college tuition was only IF I wouldn’t be claimed as a dependent. If I’m not a dependent I won’t get my dad’s tuition break. Let me recap: my moving out was all going to be under the assumption that my college was going to be completely paid for already, and I would only be worrying about my living expenses.</p>
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<p>Let me get this straight…you are going to BE a college freshman and you want to live in an off campus apartment. Is that correct? It sounds like your parents are not in favor of this plan…and had anticpated you would commute from home thus saving the costs of living expenses. YOU want to assume those on your own…is this all correct.</p>
<p>First…many students attend college and live OFF campus AND are still dependents (for tsx purposes). Their parents are paying for their college costs and/or they are receiving financial aid which does not preclude them from being tax dependents. Your parents are justifiably concerned that they will NOT be providing more than 1/2 of your support if you become self supporting. They are concerned that if you become self supporting they will NOT be able to declare you as a dependent on their taxes. AND that may (right now) be a provision of their health insurance. You need to verify this with your PARENTS. No one here knows the current provisions of their health insurance policy OR how soon their employer will allow them to keep you on their coverage per the new initiatives (we don’t know when the open enrollment period is for their insurance).</p>
<p>Your father gets a good tuition benefit for you, it seems. I’m sorry…but as a parent, I’m going to say…why do you want to jeopardize this? What IF his company says “sorry…she’s not a dependent and we are pulling that scholarship?” What will you do then?</p>
<p>AND lastly…so you know where I’m coming from…as a parent, I would NOT allow my kiddo to live in an off campus apartment…I just wouldn’t. Maybe that is where your parents are coming from also.</p>
<p>[How</a> to determine independent or dependent student status](<a href=“http://www.simpletuition.com/student-loan-resources/financial-aid-articles/financial-aid/independent-dependent-student-status.html]How”>http://www.simpletuition.com/student-loan-resources/financial-aid-articles/financial-aid/independent-dependent-student-status.html)</p>