Why can't I claim my girlfriend as a dependent on my FAFSA?

Paying for College
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<p>I have a different opinion from WandMParent. I think you should indicate “yes” on that question if it’s the truth. Then you can either make an appointment to see a FA advisor, or assume they’ll get in touch with you if they have questions.</p>

<p>If a question is clearly asked (and this one is) and you have a clear, honest answer, then just answer it. The question is not asking you if your girlfriend is a “dependent”, it is merely asking if you provide more than half of someone else’s support.</p>

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<p>But…I don’t see how he can file as an independent.</p>

<p>If anything, he has to file as a dependent, include his income and his parents income…and then (if allowed) list his GF as someone he provides support for.</p>

<p>OP…how much do you earn? And…with your parents’ income, what is your EFC without your GF on your FAFSA?</p>

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<p>He would not be filing the FAFSA as an independent. When you fill out a FAFSA you never answer a question like “are you independent?” You answer questions (age, marital status, etc.), the answers to which determine your dependency. If he answers those question honestly, the FAFSA will require his parents’ income/asset information to complete the FAFSA.</p>

<p>Just because a student is dependent for FAFSA purposes does not preclude the possibility that they provide more than half of someone else’s support.</p>

<p>The issue is that we don’t know what they then do with that information. But it’s not the student’s responsibility to second guess that. It’s the student’s responsibility to answer the questions honestly, and he hasn’t suggested that he has any intention to do otherwise.</p>

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<p>OP…does your college meet full financial need? If not, you could be fretting about this for no good reason. Your school might not give you a nickel more of need based aid. </p>

<p>Run your numbers with and without your gf as a dependent. My guess is it’s not going to make a HUGE dent in your family contribution as you will still be required to include your parent’s information on the FAFSA form.</p>

<p>This OP should just plan to have the documentation to show that he IS providing support for this person. This would include things like health and car insurance bills, and some evidence that SHE is not providing financially for herself. The OP will likely need these if the college has any questions. </p>

<p>Personally, I think this student is completing a FAFSA that is going to scream “VERIFICATION”…so he will need to be sure that he has ALL of the documentation to support what he has put on the form. The onus of proof will be on the STUDENT.</p>

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<p>Yes, I agree, Thumper. He will likely be required to verify his FAFSA information. (We have to verify ours every year too.) So, CJSMajor, you sound like you have good verification documents, so just hang onto them and provide whatever the school may ask for. But go ahead and get your FAFSA submitted for now… it’s not like you have any choice but to give them answers to the questions they ask.</p>

<p>By the way, CJSMajor many, many people have to go through FAFSA verification, some of whom have nothing irregular in their FAFSA apps at all. It’s a minimum of 30% of applicants, and can go as high as 100% at some schools… so don’t read much into being selected for verification. Just provide them with whatever documentation they request (you do not need to provide them with documentation they don’t request, and in fact you should not).</p>

<p>And the school’s FA office will come to you with that verification request. You do not need to go to them. Who knows… you may not even be selected for verification (although I agree with Thumper that the odds are very high you will) – in any case, the first step in the verification process comes from the verifying school, not the student.</p>

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<p>but I’m actually in the process of transferring to a new school.</p>

<p>Thumper makes a great point. If this school doesn’t promise to meet need (for transfer students) then this may all be for naught. </p>

<p>If the EFC is higher than Pell amounts (which it sounds like it would be when you include parents income and OP’s income), then even if he has “need”, he may only get a $7500 student loan for being an incoming junior or senior.</p>

<p>What school is this?</p>

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<p>Why would qualifying for a $7500 federal loan “be for naught”? Regardless of his or his parents’ income, he still needs to file a FAFSA to get it.</p>

<p>Unless you’re suggesting he should lie about the support he provides his girlfriend (and say “no” to that question) because saying “yes” won’t get him any additional aid anyway.</p>

<p>That may well be the case, but I wouldn’t advise any student to lie on the FAFSA regardless.</p>

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<p>Because he could get that 7500 whether he can claim his GF or not. The “naught” was about “free aid.” </p>

<p>If the school doesn’t meet need (for transfers) and only gives him a $7500 loan because he doesn’t qualify for Pell no matter whether his GF counts or not, then all of this worrying will be for naught. </p>

<p>It appears to me that the OP wants to file as an independent, not use his parents’ income, and be able to claim his GF…I don’t think he’ll be able to do that.</p>

<p>I don’t know how PJ will play into this. If it appears that the OP has an apt that he pays for so that he can live in it…and he lets his GF live there for free…and she has some income…I don’t see how he can get a full dependent deduction without some consideration of how much she earns. </p>

<p>But, maybe Kelsmom can clarify if she chimes in.</p>

<p>and…nowhere did I say or imply that he should lie.</p>

<p>Again…families can’t often claim grandparents who they are “supporting” because the GPs have some income. Those people aren’t “lying” when they don’t include the GPs when they’ve been told that they can’t include the GPs. Things like providing a bedroom for grandma and putting a value on that can get weird…what if the family lives in some million dollar home. Can they claim that they are providing GM with a $100k bedroom and therefore are providing more than 50% of her support…when she has $1200 a month in SS?</p>

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<p>What I’m saying, Mom2collegekids, is that it doesn’t matter what you think he’ll qualify for or not qualify for. He is under an obligation to answer the questions truthfully. He is not claiming anyone’s dependency or independence, although he has been been using that term inaccurately himself in this thread.</p>

<p>He has to answer questions, through which dependency issues are determined… but they are not determined by him… and not by you either, for that matter.</p>

<p>He will be required to provide his parents’ financial information whether he wants to or not. Supporting his girlfriend will not change that. Both things can be true and coexist in the FAFSA questions as they stand. This is not the same thing as you’re used to thinking of it with regard to federal income tax. When you say “whether he claims his girlfriend or not” it implies this has something to do with his federal income taxes. It does not. In fact, he may well be independent for tax purposes (sounds like he is), but he’ll still have to provide his parents’ financial information for the FAFSA.</p>

<p>I would think, if he states on his taxes that he provides more than half of his girlfriend’s support, then his FAFSA should also be in agreement with that. Nothing worse then inconsistency in the world of financial aid.</p>

<p>The outcome of his financial aid application is not in our hands.</p>

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<p>Again, the OP (in spite of his own language) is not “claiming” his girlfriend on the FAFSA. He is merely answering a question honestly. It’s up to people other than us to determine the impact (if any) of that answer.</p>

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<p>Rentof…my guess is the OP wants to list his girlfriend as a member of his household. In the vast majoriity of cases, dependent (for financial aid purposes NOT for tax purposes) students do NOT have members of their own households as they are considered members of their parents’ households.</p>

<p>To be honest, I do agree with Rentof…just complete the form and let the school determine if you have done so appropriately…my guess is they will inquire.</p>

<p>But back to my other comment…this student will be able to take out the Stafford loan by completing a FAFSA and will be able to secure a Stafford loan in the amount of $7500 regardless of whether the girlfriend is listed on his FAFSA or not. </p>

<p>At the end of the day…there may not BE any other aid available to this transfer student. He should complete the forms to see…but I just didn’t want him to get his hopes up based on including his girlfriend in the equation. It may not matter at all if the school doesn’t meet full need OR doesn’t provide institutional aid to transfer students.</p>

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<p>Yes, I think you’re right, Thumper.</p>

<p>The student would be well-advised to not labor this issue and just answer the questions truthfully. It’s silly to fret about what “claim” or “dependent” means with regard to the FAFSA… because the applicant doesn’t make that call. </p>

<p>There is a question. It needs an honest answer. That’s about all there is to it.</p>

<p>And yes, CJSMajor, it very well may have no impact on your aid award, but you still need to answer the question truthfully… as with all the other FAFSA questions.</p>

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<p>I just went in and looked at the 2011-12 FAFSA, and indeed, if you answer “yes” to that question it seems it will kick you out of all the parent income and asset questions.</p>

<p>Hmmm… interesting.</p>

<p>Can I ask, CJSMajor, if you claimed your girlfriend on your taxes as a dependent? If you did, and given what the FAFSA rep told you on the phone, then I think you would be kicking yourself into “independence” from a FAFSA perspective.</p>

<p>But if an honest answer to that question does in fact make you independent for FAFSA, then it just does. You will almost surely have to verify it with the school, but if you can do that, then there ya go.</p>

<p>If they deny it upon verification, the worst thing is you’ll have to provide your parents’ info and you’ll just be back to the way you’ve done it in the past.</p>

<p>But not through any fault of your own by providing inaccurate information.</p>

<p>I would be really interested to hear how it resolves itself.</p>

<p>In any case, I would not answer the question untruthfully just because the school will almost certainly want verification. You still need to answer honestly. If you do clear the independence hurdle, it might well be beneficial for you from a FA perspective.</p>

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<p>OP is an “outlier” – someone who has a circumstance that is a bit unusual. Not many college students are under age 22 and have dependents who are other than children. </p>

<p>The whole fin aid thing is nutzo. You are supposed to be an adult when age 18 (and you are considered so if you rob a bank!) but you can’t have a beer until age 21 and you can’t enroll as an independent adult in college until age 22 (or 24). And you can’t rent a car until age 25. </p>

<p>But colleges could not possibly hold finances together if only the resources of the nations 18 to 22 year olds were considered. They HAVE to have the parents (or most parents) on the hook to get the income stream to work. </p>

<p>Alas, for OP, it doesn’t matter what is “fair” (as the system is clearly unfair) what matters is how the FAFSA and, ultimately, his college, sees his situation. It may not be in OP’s favor. </p>

<p>Many couples these days say “why marry? It’s just a piece of paper” but some paperwork , like birth certificates and marriage certificates, make all the difference in how the laws of the land apply. </p>

<p>I encourage OP and girlfriend to carefully talk to the fin aid office and ask many, detailed questions of the FAFSA site folks (who typically respond quickly). Then ask one another what the years ahead look like. Maybe you do want that piece of paper. . . or maybe not.</p>

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<p>It sounds like he’s still in the process of submitting FAFSA. To me, that doesn’t bode well for aid at this point for the fall semester if he wants more than a $7500 loan. </p>

<p>If this student needs his FAFSA and his aid processed before school starts (and it’s already July), I don’t know how long the verification process will take / delay him getting his aid. </p>

<p>And, it’s highly likely he will get selected for verification since he’s under 24 and would be claiming a non-child person in his “household”…and claiming to provide more than 50% of that person’s support.</p>

<p>And…he’s under 24, not married, doesn’t have a child, isn’t a vet…and yet it sounds like he’d have to file as an independent if he’s to include his GF in some way. That’s another source for a red flag. </p>

<p>I think the red flags would just demand a verification…and that can delay getting the aid in time to start college. This verification could entail more than just submitting 2010 tax info. </p>

<p>We don’t know how much this (under age 24) OP earns, but if he’s not earning a good amount of money, it might be hard to convince the FA office that he’s supporting himself and his GF on a student income. But, maybe he earns a good amount of money? Maybe. </p>

<p>I’m concerned that all of this verification and questions that will need answering…should he be independent, how much does the GF earn, how much support is he providing, etc… could cause a delay in getting his $7500 by the time school starts…but, maybe not.</p>

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<p>Yeah… I guess that’s the central question. Assuming he’ll be selected for verification (with is a safe assumption), will the time involved in that delay getting a financial aid award for the fall. And if it does, can the OP foot the immediate college bills in the fall should his aid award be delayed?</p>

<p>If he is considered independent once it’s all resolved, though, he may qualify for better aid… including some grant aid depending on his income.</p>

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<p>If this works, I’ve finally got a workable plan for my son.</p>

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<p>^^^</p>

<p>LOL…seriously…I think that others could conjure up some extra dependents as well… Can I count a live in maid? If so, I’ll get one. j/k</p>

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<p>Again, thank you for all the responses. I’m starting to understand how this works.</p>

<p>Please correct me if any of this is wrong: fhe FAFSA doesn’t give you the option of filing as dependent or independent, you just have to honestly answer a series of questions that are used to determine your dependency status. You don’t “claim” dependents on it, as with tax forums, but you do say whether you support anyone, and tell how many people are in your household.</p>

<p>So, when I go to fill out the FAFSA, I should answer “yes” to question 52, because it’s the truth. Because of this, the FAFSA won’t require my parents’ information. This also means I’ll have to put the number of people in my household as “2.” I should expect to be put through the verification process and begin gathering documentation to prove that my girlfriend meets the criteria in question 52. Since it’s the responsibility of the colleges to verify FAFSAs, I shouldn’t contact them about my circumstances, but be prepared for a possible delay in my financial aid when they do contact me. If the they don’t accept how I filled out my FAFSA, they can ask me to include my parents’ information, and then it will work how it did in past years. If I always tell the truth, I shouldn’t get in trouble.</p>

<p>Also, to answer a question about my taxes, I didn’t file my girlfriend as a dependent this past year. Although she did live with me for that year, I wasn’t sure if I technically paid more than half of her expenses. Part of the issue was that she was a college senior and receiving financial aid. I wasn’t sure if that “counted,” so we both filed separately. But, if I understand right, taxes cover the past year, and question 52 asks about the future year. For the period of time the FAFSA is asking about, now and through June 30, 2012, I’m 99% sure I’ll be providing more than half of her support, for reasons mentioned in my first post.</p>

<p>And since I’m applying to several schools, I’m not sure if they meet financial need or provide aid to transfer students.</p>

<p>I’ll definitely call the FAFSA line again and talk to people on the FAFSA website about question 52.</p>

<p>I will post updates how this works out. If this goes anywhere, I’ll post more personal information, like my income, my girlfriends’ income, and my previous years’ EFC. Right now, I’m just trying to get the basics down.</p>

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<p>Sounds like you’ve got the basics to me. Good luck!</p>