I’m late asking this but I wanted to make sure I did it right.
So my parents are divorced. I’m with my mom right now, but I haven’t seen my dad in three years, and my mom and I don’t have any contact with him (so we filled out non-custodial parent waiver petitions for that).
I live with my mom and my siblings, but my mom is unemployed and we don’t have a house of our own, so we’re all living with my grandmother in her house. My mom has food stamps and still claims me/my siblings on her taxes. As for our living expenses, the housing/electric/etc. is all under my grandmother’s name (since it’s her house), and so my grandmother pays for it.
How should this have been reported on the FAFSA, or other financial aid applications?
You should complete the FAFSA with only your mom’s information…as she is your custodial parent. The non-custodial parent (your dad) would not be listed on the FAFSA. Neither would your grandparents.
Same with the Profile. Your mom’s info. Your dad woild either need to complete the non-custodial parent form, or you would need to be granted a waiver from each college to which you applied.
In both cases, if your mom receives any child or spousal support, these would be included on her forms.
If your mom’s income is really $0, you likely will be selected for verification by the college. They will want to know how you pay your living exoenses with no income. Just be prepared to provide them with any documentation they request showing that these things are in your grandparent name. And be sure to send that documentation ASAP when requested.
ETA…if your mom has no job and $0 income for 2015, why did she file income taxes? Did she complete a 1040EZ indicating no incime…no taxes withheld, EFC?
@thumper1 Thanks for the quick reply. I misstated myself. I said she is unemployed, but she is technically self-employed, as she has sold some items through an online vendor, and so she had to report that income. It’s just not enough to support us…
The rest of my reply still holds. Mom only on the FAFSA. Mom only on the Profile. Non-custodial parent either completes the form…or the colleges grant a waiver.
Are you an incoming freshman in college? Seems a little late to be requesting that non-custodial parent waiver.
Yes, I will be an incoming freshman. As for the waivers, I sent them, but they were late. I didn’t see them in the IDOC service, so I had neglected them. My colleges seem to have received them though and factored them into aid.
Sounds like you’ve got everything handled. Do you have some affordable college choices?
Since you’ve got younger siblings, you may want to encourage your mom to familiarize herself with CC - especially the Financial Aid forum. It could probably be a big help to her in future years, once you’re off to college.