<p>Since you have your mom’s tax form, look at the following lines (it varies depending on which form she filed): for form 1040EZ, look at line 8a; for form 1040A, look at line 40A; for form 1040, look at line 64a. If blank, you have likely overlooked a major tax credit (3000-4000 most likely), and you can go back 3 years and amend your returns to claim the credit. You get this credit <em>even if you didn’t owe any tax</em>. Please look into this, there is some major money potentially on the table here.</p>
<p>And I know you have a lot on your plate, but I urge you to look into (or get your mom to look into) Social Security Survivor benefits, you and your sister may be eligible for hundreds of dollars per month in benefits, this would have a huge impact on your standard of living. A call to the SS office is probably all it will take to get the ball rolling.</p>
<p>I would just be honest. It will get found out anyway. If they find something that dosen’t quite add up or they reckon your lying, then you’ll definetely get thrown to the bottom of the pile.</p>
<p>The father may very well have worked and paid FICA tax before his death. Plus, how long you had to have worked depends on how old you were when you died. There may be a minimum benefit, and there are likely other complicated rules that govern benefits that can only be resolved by talking to the SS people.</p>
<p>I don’t have all the answers, I just think it is worth following up on.</p>
<p>^^
I know someone else in a similar situtaion. The dad never worked because he was a student from an affluent home and going to college. So, when he died (while a student) his girlfriend’s baby wasn’t eligible for SSN benefits. :(</p>
<p>there is a small amount that you pay to SSN that is like an insurance policy for survivors. If he never paid SSN, then he never paid that small amount.</p>
<p>I understand that your mother’s income (line 7, I assume) is $20,200. What is her AGI?</p>
<p>I am also a bit curious about the rent. It really isn’t especially relevant to colleges, because it is a “choice.” FAFSA doesn’t give a rip about your rent. Profile asks for it, but is probably more interested in the value of the home as an asset (market value minus amount owed on mortgage). The “red flag” that reporting a large amount of rent raises is important because schools are watching for folks who misrepresent their situation.</p>
<p>If you need to provide an explanation, you just outline the facts of the situation. Provide a “budget” that shows what comes in & what goes out. If you receive groceries & supplies from others, state that. If someone else gives your mother money to pay bills IN HER NAME, provide the amount (this is reported on the FAFSA as untaxed income). The FAFSA rule is: if someone else pays for something your mom is obligated to pay for (that is, her name is on the bill, lease, insurance policy, etc), it is untaxed income. She is NOT to report amounts for federal benefits, if she receives them … but if you are explaining how she lives on so little money, you really should provide the actual amount of anything she receives. Just explain the source, and the financial aid officer will figure out where to count it in the scheme of things. The idea is, you need to provide the aid officer with an understanding of how your family is able to survive on so little income. Schools with a lot of institutional money to award want to make extra-sure that they award it to students based on a realistic picture of their situation.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about things. Just be ready to explain IF ASKED. Do not provide information unless & until you are asked to do so … but be prepared, just in case.</p>
<p>Alright, so apparently those social security benefits do not apply to me because my father died too young / didn’t work. He was a senior at Stanford University at the time.</p>
<p>I’m holding the 1040A right now. Line 7 says $20,200. Now… line 40a says $3,879, and line 43 says $5,308 (total earned credit). That’s a lot of money. Those figures were reported on the CSS. kelsmom: not sure about AGI.</p>
<p>I’ll wait until colleges ask me to explain something. If they do, I’ll listen to all of your advice, and put together a budget sheet / explanation with my mom.</p>
<p>The FAFSA might be used to clear some of this up for colleges that don’t ask. I’m hoping colleges will at least ask me to explain anything they doubt. I’m most afraid that they’ll think I’m lying and immediately reject me.</p>
<p>One more thing: I had an interview for Penn today. She asked me if there was anything I wanted to “add to my application”, and I mentioned exactly what we are talking about. It made total sense to her, and the interview went amazingly well. (If only interviews counted for much!) At least that might clear possible confusion for one school, in addition to Middlebury.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the help everyone. To conclude, I’m deciding to just wait until colleges ask me, and then I’ll provide a clear explanation as was outlined in this thread by other posters.</p>
<p>In addition, as thumper1 said, “need-blind” schools might not even discuss this on the admissions table.</p>
<p>Do you mean an alumni interview? Chances of anything you said there making it to FA are about zero and that will not be a helpful route for you to clear things up. An on campus interview is a different story.</p>
<p>If the financial aid office and the admissions office don’t even communicate, then I feel a lot better about the situation.</p>
<p>kelsmom: I don’t know where to find the exact figure for AGI, but I doubt it’s over $30,000. How could it be? Automatic 0 EFC definitely sounds great though.</p>
<p>I don’t think it should have been any surprise that a school’s financial aid office has asked how you are meeting expenses with the income figures provided. Hard for me to believe that your family doesn’t pay for food and all other supplies. If that is the case, and a school is curious, let them know what things you are getting regularly. They may want some verification from the church and other agencies who are providing you with the goods.</p>
<p>Right. Like I’ve said, I want them to ask me, because I can easily explain/prove the situation. Our income and rent are both factual, and we have nothing to hide… we’re just poor. I was mostly worried that they wouldn’t even bother to ask, and that their it would somehow affect the admissions decision.
Thanks again for the help everyone.</p>
<p>I think you just need to be very honest. I assume that the schools know you are in CA because your HS transcripts will show a CA school and I am guessing your address on the application is in CA and your parent’s address is in Utah. They can reasonably conclude you live with your grandparents. (Will your grandparents deduct you as a dependent in 2009?) Lots of kids live with their grandparents, so I don’t see this as being odd. I would suggest you get a copy of your dad’s death certificate to send in along with your supporting information.
I would also suggest, IF you are asked to provide information, to write it concisely and stick to the facts. I would leave out the stuff about miracles.
I also think you have done really well under challenging circumstances and I hope you keep us informed as to your progress!</p>
<p>Agree on leaving out the “miracles”. Be real about the actual sources of assistance; grandparents, the names of specific churches, agencies or progams. You can certainly express your gratitude for the generosity of these sources, but don’t use the word “miracles.” Miracles suggests something that can’t be explained or documented… and you don’t want to leave that impression. It would undermine your argument that everything is above-board here.</p>
<p>Llama, we know you’re poor. But what everyone here is saying is that it’s hard to buy that charities repeatedly give free food, etc. to people living in a high rent place. $1400 wouldn’t get you much in LA, but it’s a lot in Utah. It defies logic to spend all that for rent and then rely on getting free food to keep you going. And how do the utilities and basics get paid for with the $3000 left for the whole year? What everyone here is asking is what colleges will be asking themselves. Does this make sense?</p>