I'm 18, have moved out, why am I still considered a dependant of my mom ?

Question

I moved out in April and have been on my own since. I am enrolling in college and am filling out the forms for financial aid but still need my moms tax income. I called the college and they said legally your not independent unless you were born before 1985. I want to know what I have to do or who I have to talk to to become independent now that I have no connection with my mom. Thanks a lot for you help. I really appreciate it.

Answer 1

cus ur under 21

Answer 2

The end all be all actual answer is :

No matter whether or not your parents claim you on their taxes, they have the possibility of claiming you up until you are 24. Even if you don't live with them, but moved back in at age 23, they could still legally claim you for that last year. So until you are in the clear over 24, the government doesn't believe that your parents aren't helping you somehow. You must otherwise get married, serve in the military, have a child, or have extenuating circumstances to be emancipated.  Plenty of us went through it. I moved out at 18 and had to take out loans even though I only made about 10,000 a year! I'm finally 25 now though and that Pell Grant money is nice now that its finally kicked in.

Answer 3

You may well be independent and on your own, but for the purposes of college financial aid, the scenario the school desribed to you is correct.

Given your age, your mother no doubt filed you as a dependent on her income tax for the year 2007. That's why her income tax information is relevant.

You have to understand that if by saying "I am completely dependent from my parent," you were eligible to receive a maximum amount of financial aid, everybody would make the same claim. As it is, many do.

Furthermore, the FAFSA information reflects the period of January 2007 to December 2007.

What happened in 2008 will be reflected in the FAFSA you file next year (2009).

In the meantime, file the FAFSA and wait for the Student Aid Report (SAR) to come back. Then meet with the Student Financial Aid Advisor to discuss the results. Very often, adjustments can be made to reflect your real circumstances.

Answer 4

Because you are under 24 with no dependents of your own and no spouse

Answer 5

As long as you are 18 and self supporting...you can be considered independent...but I believe you have to be on your own 6 months before the independent status is recognized

Answer 6

You can petition a court to issue a decree of emancipation.  That will sever your legal ties to your mother and give you majority standing.

Answer 7

When it comes to aid you're attached to your parents until you're 24, married, or in the military.

Answer 8

As many people have pieced together, you are not eligible for dependency status without meeting criteria set forth by the department of education:

24 years of age

married

children who receive at least 50% of their support from you

Dependents who receive at least 50% of their support from you

If your parents are both deceased, or, if you were a ward of the court until your 18th Birthday

Veteran of the Armed Forces or Currently Serving on Active Duty

Or if you have already received a bachelor degree and are working towards a Master or Doctorate.

If you can relate to one of those scenarios, then you are independent, if not, you are considered dependent.

The only thing that you can do, at this moment to try and change that, is to request a Professional Judgement to re-evaluate your status as dependent.

Just so you know, chances are more than strong that you will be rejected.  It takes extreme circumstances to have your dependency status changed without meeting the above criteria.  I believe less than 1% of PJ's are actually approved.

But, I don't know your situation.  And if you are dealing with extreme hardships and there are drastic circumstances, maybe this is the option for you. Speak with your FAO on campus, and best of luck to you.

Answer 9

You gotta be either 24, married or have a child to be a independent.  It does not matter how long you live on your own or anything.  I lived on my own for 3 years and still was not able to get Financial because I was a dependent, even though my parents did not claim me.