<p>When I applied for financial aid I didn't know I was pregnant. Now, I'm trying to go back to school and was accepted at UT Arlington. I have barely enough financial aid to go but only part time which I feel is better for me anyways at the moment. But is it too late to file as independent? I just want to see if I can get a little extra and to prevent my mother from trying to claim me on hers as she's done in the past just for the extra money when she didn't help me or even visit me at my previous university.</p>
<p>What condition makes you qualified for Independent Status? Check the list on the Fed page:</p>
<p>[Dependency</a> Status | Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#am-i-dependent-or-independent]Dependency”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#am-i-dependent-or-independent)</p>
<p>Independent status for financial aid, and for taxes are two different things. Since you are going “back” to school, I’m going to assume you are over 18. If you are over 18, and not a full time student, your mother is not entitled to claim you on her taxes, unless she provides over half of your support. Even so, without your own child, you would still include her on your FAFSA, as you are a dependent for FAFSA purposes. Once the baby is born, you will be independent for FAFSA purposes.</p>
<p>The tax situation is a little tricky, based on what you’re saying. While you were at your previous university, she was entitled to still claim you if you did not provide more than half of your own support. If the majority of your support came from your own wages and loans taken out in your name, then she should not have claimed you - you should have. But if most of the support came from her or someone else, she was entitled to claim you.</p>
<p>You cannot file as an independent status while you are pregnant. You have to actually have the child and prove that you are supporting the child more than 50%. </p>
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<p>If you are living in your mother’s house and she is taking care of you and your child, you will not be independent for financial aid purposes</p>
<p>I believe being independent for financial,aid purposes requires that you have a child who you (the student) are supporting.</p>
<p>I had read somewhere that being pregnant can make you independent for financial aid purposed under certain circumstances. if you will be proviiding more than 1/2 the support of such child, it may work out. You should call the FAFSA help lines and ask specifically. I saw this on some qeistion answer forum, but can’t remember where, and so can’t give you an official cite or link. Also things change and I don’t remember when I read this. So check it out directly.</p>
<p>Bear in mind if you, yourself, are not taking care of yourself fully, getting housed and feds, on parent’s insurance, etc, coming up with proof that you going to be fully supporting this baby when it is born is not going to be so easy. But do check out specifically what you are entitled to get and the most beneficial way to approach this.</p>
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See [FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Independent Because of an Unborn Child](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/unbornchild.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/unbornchild.phtml)
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<p>Here’s the 13-14 fafsa question 50:</p>
<p><a href=“https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1314/help/fahelp54.htm[/url]”>https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1314/help/fahelp54.htm</a></p>
<p>But the student would have to be planning on providing 50% of the support.</p>
<p>According to this, the student must update fafsa when they find out they are pregnant:</p>
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<p>[Correcting</a> or Updating Your FAFSA | Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/correct-update]Correcting”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/correct-update)</p>
<p>The ‘must update’ would still be only if the student plans to provide over 50% support.</p>
<p>“Plans to” or does? I guess there has to be reasonable evidence the student can prove 50% of the support. What if someone is supporting the student but the student is support the child?</p>
<p>I think that the challenge is going to be having the student that she is /will be providing more than half the support for a child when right now it seems that the student is not even supporting herself; mom is supporting the student (one of the reasons that she wants to change her status to independent).</p>
<p>This actually varies according to school policy. I used to work at a school that would allow pregnant students to be considered independent (unborn children are allowed to be considered part of the household per FAFSA regs). If they were selected for verification, we would ask them for a statement indicating how they planned to support the child. Those who would be getting public assistance, taking out loans, living on their own were considered to be providing their own support (although they could live with the parents … since it’s a 51% test … it depended other factors in such a case). If they lived with their parents & said the parents would be providing support, they were not considered independent. </p>
<p>It was actually more stringent for the young men who were claiming independence due to supporting a child. They had to provide receipts for the support (diapers, formula, clothes, etc) to show that they were providing at least 51% of support.</p>
<p>Kels,</p>
<p>Do you think that now with the IRS data retrieval/non-filers statement, young pregnant women would be required show more to prove self sufficiency? For example, if some one has a non-filer’s statement, they would prompt some kind of low income flag.</p>
<p>I know that I have had students who have received a combination of public assistance, food stamps and WIC as part of their 51% while living with others. However, I have also seen where minors were still considered to be dependent on their parents and they were not eligible for benefits (other than WIC and medical benefits for the child) if they were still living with parents.</p>
<p>Sybbie, I have seen that some schools really cast a blind eye on a lot of the FAFSA info. They just take the federal entitlements that the bulk of their students get, as that is their bread and butter. Such schools often do not give penny one of their own aid and live on the government teat. In those cases, the professional judement on any number of things tends to be generous so that the student can get as much aid as possible. </p>
<p>NOw my kids schols even did verification for PLUS and DIrect loans, all unsub. Had to send in tax returns. So there are diffrent standards out there. I 've seen kids going to some local schools that have gotten all kinds of considration on things that if they asked on this board, the answer would be that it is an issue, because it is, for the schools most CCers are considering.</p>
<p>Sybbie, I am not sure how that might affect things. Verification requirements continue to evolve. I think much is up to the individual school.</p>
<p>I went to college in the fall of 2012 but dropped out after one semester due to financial reasons. Now, I am attending another university and I am expecting a child and living on my own with my boyfriend. I was looking at my financial aid for next semester and was wondering if changing my status to independent would increase my financial aid. Going back to college was a last minute decision so all I qualified for was the Pell grant and 2 loans. I only went part time so I managed it last semester but I want to go full time this coming Spring semester. My major is nursing if that changes anything. Anybody have any ideas to increase my aid?</p>
<p>What’s changed since you started this thread?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1539511-too-late-independent-status.html#post16261036[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1539511-too-late-independent-status.html#post16261036</a></p>
<p>It seems the threads are now merged.</p>
<p>OP, How are you living now? Who pays for your food and shelter? Will you be supporting your new child?</p>
<p>So, your mom hasn’t been supporting you for awhile? When was the last time that your mom supported you? </p>
<p>If I’m understanding this, your mom hasn’t been supporting you, BUT she has been claiming you to get a tax break?</p>
<p>The answer to your question is that becoming independent is not likely to increase your aid for this year. If you already receive a full Pell grant, that’s the most you can get. Schools generally award all of their own grant money and federal SEOG to those who file by the school’s priority deadline - meaning money for this year is gone by now. If you don’t get loans at the independent level already (due to parent PLUS denial), you would be eligible for the additional loan money independent students can receive ($4000/year freshman and sophomore, $5000/year junior and senior). When you change filing status (from dependent to independent) during the course of the year, you will most likely be asked to prove your independent status (for you, that means proving you have the means to provide at least 51% of your child’s support). Talk to the school’s financial aid office.</p>
<p>To answer everyone’s questions: Yes, I am providing for my child along with my boyfriend. My son was just born last week as well. We both work and pay for rent and everything on our own. My mother has not provided for me for some time and still continues to put me on her taxes claiming it’s “easier for financial aid purposes”.</p>