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FAFSA: Special Circumstances

Students whose financial situation—or that of their family’s—has changed recently are encouraged to contact the financial aid office at the college or career school where they are enrolled as soon as possible to discuss options.

Category
Paying for Education & Training
Topics
Financial Aid, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA))

Changes in Financial Aid Circumstances

Some students have special family circumstances that make it more challenging to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, they should still plan to complete the FAFSA and apply for aid via additional/other avenues.

Below are some of the most common special circumstances that cause confusion when filling out the FAFSA, as well as clear directions for each case.

When in doubt, contact the Financial Aid Office at the institution the student is enrolled at to explain the circumstance.

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Foster Youth

 There is a lot of complexity added to the FAFSA when dealing with the foster system. For the most part, foster youth can fill out the FAFSA just as any other student would. However, there are a few key distinctions when it comes to filling in parental information:

  • A foster child can select “unknown” for the highest level of education a parent has gotten. If they live in a foster home or with a relative that is not their parent, they do not need to include their guardian’s information on the FAFSA unless they have been legally adopted. Note: a legal guardian is NOT the same as being legally adopted.
  • A foster child is most likely going to be considered an “independent” rather than a dependent when it comes to determining their status.
  • A student can be considered a foster youth if they’ve been in and out of foster care. The federal requirement for this is that a student must have spent any time in the foster care system past the age of 13.

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Homeless

Homeless students are another special population you may encounter, here are some of the things to know.

  • A student must indicate that they are homeless on the FAFSA in order for Federal Student Aid to enact certain workarounds, which then allow the student to submit it without all the information that a non-homeless student would need.
  • A homeless student does not need to enter parental information if they are an “unaccompanied” homeless student. This specification indicates that they are homeless and that their parents are not with them.
  • When it comes to entering an address, if they selected they are homeless, they need to put down an address where they can receive mail. However, if at any time they do find permanent housing they need to update their FAFSA in terms of being homeless and then putting down a permeant address.

Scroll down to see more details about completing the FAFSA as a homeless student.

src: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/homeless-youth.pdf

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Parents Unwilling to Fill Out FAFSA

You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form. However, there is a clear process for completing the FAFSA if students find themselves in this situation.

src: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info#unwilling-parents

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Parents Are Not Going To File Taxes

For a variety of reasons, parents may choose not to file a tax return but students can still complete a FAFSA without that information.

  • Students should know: it is NOT a requirement that their parent(s) file taxes in order for the student to successfully file the FAFSA. It may, however, impact the aid that they receive.
  • Parents not claiming the student on tax returns does NOT make a student independent.
  • If the parent(s) do not file taxes, this needs to be indicated on the FAFSA under the tax information portion of the form. From there a student can fill out the FAFSA as normal.
  • Odds are that the student’s FAFSA will be flagged for verification, but the process will be slightly different.
  • A parent will most likely need to submit a “Verification of Non-Filing Letter” indicating that they do not need to file taxes. To do this they will need to submit a special form—the 4506-T—to the IRS to receive this letter.
  • Many schools will then ask the parents to fill out a “Tax Non-Filing Statement” which will ask them about income, wages, and other benefits.

 

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Divorced Parents and Stepparents

How students fill out the FAFSA form depends on whether their parents live together or not. Here are some scenarios to consider.

src: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info#divorced-separated

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Undocumented/DACA Students

Students that are not legal U.S. citizens do not have the ability to file the FAFSA, however, there are other venues for these students to receive aid.

  • Undocumented students, and/or their advocates, are encouraged to contact the institution(s) they would like to attend. Institutions often have ways they can provide funding in the event that a student is unable to file the FAFSA due to residency status.
  • ^^^This is especially true if students do not have a Social Security Number which can bar them from completing the FAFSA.
  • If the student is a DACA student, they must answer “No” to the question about being a U.S. citizen.
  • If a DACA student has a Social Security Number, they can fill out the FAFSA normally, even if their parents do not have one. Their parents should enter all zeros when asked for their Social Security Number. If a student’s parent(s) is undocumented, but the student was born in America, they are an American citizen and they are eligible to file the FAFSA, just like anyone else.

What if my parents are concerned about providing their information because of their citizenship status?
How should we report information about my noncitizen parents on my FAFSA® form?

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Not all special family circumstances are covered in these questions. More help can be found below.

Tips to Help Students in Unique Situations and Populations

src: https://www.nasfaa.org/Unique_Student_Circumstances

Source: MCAN

 

 

Special Circumstances Questions

Students will answer “Yes” to this question and not provide any parent information on the FAFSA if they meet any of the following conditions:

  • You had no living parent, even if you are now adopted; or
  • You were in foster care, even if you are no longer in foster care today; or
  • You were a dependent or ward (of the court, state, or county), even if you are no longer a dependent or ward today. You should have court-ordered documents that designate you a ward of the court.

The key to this question is determining whether a student experienced these situations at any time since they turned 13. If a student met one or more of the conditions at or after the age of 13 but then their situation changed and they no longer meet the criteria, students can still answer ‘yes’ to this question.

Institutions may ask for a copy of the document(s) indicating that a student meets one of these statuses. A copy of the legal or court document can be provided to meet the requirement. An official aid offer notification from the student’s caseworker also will meet the requirement. Caseworkers can help you get the required documents.

If a student has been in foster care there are some special scholarship/grant funds that may be available to help pay for college costs. These free funds can be a significant amount so follow the ETV Application and Submission instructions via the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Students will answer “Yes” to this question and not provide any parent information on the FAFSA if they meet the following conditions:

  • You can provide a copy of a court’s decision that as of the day you file the FAFSA you are an emancipated minor. Also, answer “Yes” if you can provide a copy of a court’s decision that you were an emancipated minor immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state.
  • It is important that you have a court document concerning this decision because the institution you will be attending will ask for a copy of the document.

Students will answer “No” if they are still a minor and the court decision is no longer in effect or the court decision was not in effect at the time they became an adult.

Students will answer “Yes” to this question and not provide any parent information on the FAFSA if they meet the following conditions:

  • You can provide a copy of a court’s decision that as of the day you file the FAFSA you are in legal guardianship, even if it is a non-parent relative. Also, answer “Yes” if you can provide a copy of a court’s decision that you were in a legal guardianship immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state.
  • It is important that you have an official court document that gives other than a parent legal guardianship because the institution you will be attending will ask for a copy of the document.

Students will answer “No” if they are still a minor and the court decision is no longer in effect or the court decision was not in effect at the time that they became an adult.

Each school district has a person designated as a McKinney Vento liaison and is able to help students in this situation.

If you are in this circumstance you should work with the designated McKinney Vento liaison to determine your status. This person may also help provide documentation to the institution if documentation is requested. Your high school counselor or principal can tell you who this person is for your school district.

Summary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

Students should work with the director of the emergency shelter or transitional housing program with which they participated to determine their status.

This person may also help provide documentation to the college or career school if documentation is requested.

Students should work with the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program to determine their status.

This person may also help provide documentation to the college or career school if documentation is requested.

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