Can't apply for fasfa because parents don't file taxes, need advice!?

Question

Hi. I'm 21 and live in alabama, and have been supporting myself since I was 18 because my parents don't file taxes, so I can't apply for fasfa. I'm pretty much in a rut now and was wondering if there was anything I could do to help me get into college, (besides joining the army, tried it, I have asthma, flat feet, and a trick knee, they want nothing to do with me). Is there nothing saying if you've supported yourself for a certain amount of time you can apply? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

Well, unfortunately, you are going to have a tough time with this until you are 24.  You cannot claim yourself as an independent on the FAFSA until you are 24, get married, have a dependent who you provide at least 50% of their support, are a military vet, or are going for a graduate degree.

If you don't meet any of the above, you will need your parents' tax info for the FAFSA.  HOWEVER, if they don't file taxes (for which they can be arrested, but I'm sure you know that), you may be able to appeal to your school's financial aid office.

Answer 2

You didn't indicate why your parents don't file taxes. If it's simply because they don't earn enough to be required to file taxes, that's a problem you can work around. If they don't file taxes because they have made a conscious decision not to conform to US tax laws, then, I think you have a BIG problem.

If your parents don't file taxes because of their income limitations, all you need to do is check the "Will Not File" box on the parents' tax information portion of the FAFSA form. You can ask your school for a "non-tax filers' statement", and include that with your FAFSA submission.

The FAFSA instructions say:

"If the student, spouse, or parents were not required by IRS rules to file a tax return, the student should still report any income earned from work in lines 38–39 (student and spouse) and/or lines 82–83 (parents)...

Beginning in 2008–09, the application will be rejected if a non-filer’s work income is above the tax filing threshold."

If your parents don't file taxes because they don't believe that the tax system is legal (or some other variation on tax protest), then you're probably looking in the wrong place. Federal financial aid is subsidized by - guess who? The American taxpayers. If your parents willingly don't participate in revenue generation for the federal government, you can be pretty certain that the federal government isn't going to be sharing other taxpayers' money with you in the form of student assistance.

As for your other question - no. There are almost no exceptions at all to the rules that govern dependency status. (And if anyone follows my answer by saying "go talk to your financial aid office, I'm sure they can help you", then they have no idea what they're talking about.)

There IS an exceptional circumstances exception to the dependency status regulations, but the very section of the rules that allows the exceptional circumstances exception says this specifically:

"However, none of the conditions listed below, singly or in combination, qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override:

1) Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education;

2) Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification;

3) Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes;

4) Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency."

I think you can see that self-support is one of the things that is explicitly listed as a circumstance that will not result in a dependency override.

I'm sorry for the bad news - hopefully you're in situation #1 above, and your parents don't file taxes because they don't have sufficient income to require it. (Actually, that's not good either, is it?)

Answer 3

You can file for Fafsa.  Even though your parents didn't file taxes, you've been living on your own and not claimed as a dependent.  Get the form, read through carefully, then fill it out.  If you have questions, visit the financial aid office at a college and ask for help.  Good luck.

Answer 4

You don't to have you parent files for taxes in order to fill out the FAFSA form.  When your filling out the parents section, it ask three questions: Are you filing, alreay filed, or not planning on filing. You can still do it without a tax form.  Plus, if your consider a dependant then you don't need your parents information.

If you still want to be sure then called them

1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)