Financial aid question......??

i have lived on my own w/ my sister for about 1 year now and i am going to be filling out a financial aid form and i noticed that they want my parents tax and salary information....is it necessary? i don't live with them. so that shouldn't matter right??
your answers are appreciated!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

It doesn't apply to you so don't fill it in. That's only if they provide for you.

Unfortunately, it does matter. I lived on my own since I was eighteen and had to use my parents wages until I was 22.

Nope, it will matter for that very reason. They determine your "Need" based on your parents income and this is counted for like 5 years or so. It doesn't matter that you moved out, they will count it. Unless you can produce a death certificate for both of them, their income counts.

Their thought process, and rightfully so, is that everyone would move out and thus not have any income and therefore all would qualify.

Justy is wrong, You had better fill it out because they audit these VERY close. If you fail to disclose information, you will be disqualified. It has nothing to do with whether they support you or not.

You need to fill them in, because college suppose that your parents support you for now and will support you later on in college.

financial aid at the school you are applying should anser all your questions.
you do not have to list your parents income if you no longer live with them and they no longer support you.
You do not have to list your sisters income if she does not support you even if you live with her.
If you work and nody claims you at tax time all you have to do is show proof of your own yearly income

Even if your parents are not going to pay for your college you have to fill out the info unless you are considered independent (there are guidlines for this too... even if you think you are independent, you probably are not). I have to fill out this info even though my parents are not giving me anything for college. It sucks, but its how financial aid works unfortunantly.
I would check to see if you are considered independent though. If you are then you do not need to put the information in.

The following mean you are independent:

Independent Student. A student who reports only his or her own income (and that of a spouse, if relevant) when applying for federal financial aid. Students who will be 24 or older by December 31, 2006, will automatically be considered "independent" for 2006-2007. Students who are under 24 will be considered independent if they are:

Married as of the date of filing the FAFSA.
The supporter of a legal dependent other than a spouse.
A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
An orphan or ward of the court.
Classified as independent by a college鈥檚 financial aid administrator because of other unusual circumstances.
A graduate or professional student.
Currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training purposes.

Hope this helps!

I went through the same thing. Even if you don't get any support from your parents, you still have to provide their information. The only way you do not have to is if you are married, over a certain age (I think it's 23 or 24) or have been in the service. If you have a super special situation, I believe you can make an appointment with your schools fiancial aid office to check out your options.

It doesn't have to, if they are not supporting you then you do not have to use them. And if the school say differently you can prove it. If you file your own taxes and you are not on your parents then you have the to omit them from your finical aid info.

Dependency status is based upon a series of questions on the FAFSA, one of which is not "do you live with your parents?" Unfortunately, what this boils down to is, you are considered independent only if you are:

24 yrs or older
OR married
OR have children or other dependents you provide more than 50% support for
OR a veteran
OR working on a master's/doctorate degree
OR you are or were an orphan/ward of the court up till age 18

So....you must provide your parents income information even if you don't live with them and they don't provide financial support for you. Based on the needs analysis calculation decided upon by the US Department of Education, parents are expected to contribute to a child's education, so their income must be provided if they do not meet the specified criteria.

The one and only exception is called a Dependency Override. This is granted by a Financial Aid Assistant and your school's financial aid office--it gives them to right to determine that you are an independent student based on extenuating circumstances, although you usually would be considered dependent based on the FAFSA definition. This is usually only granted when there are cases of abuse, neglect, or drug use with the parents that would make it harmful to the student to try and contact them, or if the student has no idea where there parents are (for example, a child who hasn't spoke to his father since age 5 and his mother has passed away).

Aimee see the email I sent you