Do parents not claiming student on taxes affect FAFSA dependency status?

Not claiming your daughter on your taxes does NOT make her independent for FAFSA purposes. Tax dependency and FAFSA dependency are completely different things. For FAFSA, she's likely still considered a dependent student unless she meets one of the specific criteria like being 24+ years old, married, has dependents of her own, is a veteran, etc. The fact that she filed her own taxes and wasn't claimed on yours doesn't change her dependency status for financial aid. You'll still need to provide your income info on her FAFSA application.

my sister had the same thing happen two years ago with her son. they thought not claiming him would help but nope! fafsa still counted all their income and they got way less aid than expected. its about her age not your taxes

This just happened to me!!! I wasn't claimed on my parents taxes for TWO YEARS and FAFSA still said I was dependent! Had to put all my parents income and they make too much so I got basically nothing in aid. The system is rigged against middle class families!!!!

To add some clarity here: FAFSA has very specific criteria for independence status. Not being claimed on taxes is NOT one of them. For 2025-2026 FAFSA, your daughter would need to meet at least ONE of these criteria to be considered independent: - Born before January 1, 2002 (age 24+) - Married - Working on master's/doctorate - Has children or dependents she provides >50% support for - Veteran/active duty military - Orphan/ward of court/in foster care after age 13 - Emancipated minor or in legal guardianship - Homeless or at risk of homelessness - Documented unusual circumstances (requires professional judgment) If she doesn't meet any of these, she's dependent for FAFSA regardless of tax filing status. The new FAFSA uses your 2023 tax info, and you'll still need to provide it.

Has anyone actually tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline to get clarification? I've been trying for two days and can't get through to anyone when I call the 1-800 number. Keep getting disconnected after 30+ minutes on hold.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information. I see now that I was confusing tax dependency with FAFSA dependency. It's disappointing since we're in that awkward middle income bracket where we make "too much" on paper but not enough to actually pay what the SAI calculation thinks we can. Is there anything else we can do to help her qualify for more aid? We have three kids in college at the same time next year.

just wondering did anyone else notice that the new fafsa doesnt even ask how many family members are in college anymore??? my son filled it out and that question was gone!

My financial aid advisor told me that sometimes the schools themselves have special consideration forms you can fill out to explain situations not covered by FAFSA. Like if your income on the tax return looks higher than your actual current situation or if you have unusual expenses. Might be worth asking about!!

I went through this exact same confusion last year with my daughter! Like everyone else has said, tax dependency and FAFSA dependency are totally separate things. The FAFSA dependency status is based on those specific federal criteria, not whether you claimed her on taxes or not. One thing I learned the hard way - even though it's frustrating that your income still counts, make sure you're maximizing everything you can on the FAFSA. Double-check that you're reporting the right tax year info (2023 taxes for 2025-2026 FAFSA), and definitely mention having multiple kids in college since the system should automatically account for that when processing applications with matching parent info. Also, don't give up hope on aid! Even with a higher family income, she might still qualify for some federal loans, work-study, or merit-based aid depending on where she applies. Every bit helps with college costs these days.

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this is such a common misconception! I work in a high school guidance office and we see families make this assumption every year. The key thing to remember is that FAFSA dependency is really about the student's life circumstances (age, marital status, military service, etc.) rather than financial support or tax filing status. Since your daughter is likely under 24 and doesn't meet the other independence criteria, you'll definitely need to include your family's financial information. But don't lose hope! Even dependent students from middle-income families can still qualify for federal student loans, and many schools offer merit-based scholarships that aren't tied to the FAFSA at all. Make sure she's applying broadly and looking into scholarship opportunities through her school, local organizations, and national programs. The multiple kids in college situation should help somewhat, even with the new formula changes. Good luck with the process!

As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters, I completely understand your frustration! We made the same assumption about tax dependency affecting FAFSA status. What I learned is that the FAFSA system is really designed around the idea that parents are the primary source of support for traditional college-age students, regardless of tax filing status. One thing that helped us was creating a spreadsheet to track all the different aid opportunities - federal loans, state grants, merit scholarships, and school-specific aid. Even though our daughters were considered dependent and our income counted against them, they still qualified for some federal student loans and several merit-based scholarships that didn't consider family income at all. Also, since you mentioned having three kids in college next year, definitely make sure each child's FAFSA accurately reflects your family size and household information. The system should recognize the multiple college students when processing the applications, even though they don't ask about it directly anymore. It might not be as much help as the old formula, but every bit counts!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now with my son! We didn't claim him on our 2023 taxes either and I was really hoping it would make him independent for FAFSA. Reading through all these responses has been so eye-opening - I had no idea that tax dependency and FAFSA dependency were completely separate things. It's frustrating because like many of you mentioned, we're in that middle-income bracket where we make "too much" according to the formula but not nearly enough to actually afford what they think we can pay. My son worked part-time and filed his own taxes too, so I was really counting on this helping our situation. The information about professional judgment appeals is really valuable though - we had some unexpected medical expenses in 2023 that inflated our income situation, so maybe that's something we can pursue with the schools he's applying to. And I'm definitely going to look into those merit-based scholarships that don't consider family income. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and clearing up this misconception. It's disappointing but at least now I know what we're actually dealing with and can plan accordingly!

I'm a current college student who went through this exact confusion two years ago! My parents didn't claim me on taxes my senior year of high school, and I was so disappointed to learn it didn't change my FAFSA dependency status at all. What really helped me was understanding that the FAFSA independence criteria are actually pretty strict for a reason - they're trying to prevent families from gaming the system by simply not claiming dependents on taxes. The age 24 cutoff exists because that's when most people are truly financially independent. Even though your daughter will likely be considered dependent, don't give up! I still qualified for subsidized federal loans, and my school's financial aid office was actually really helpful when I explained our family's situation. They had additional institutional grants that weren't tied to the FAFSA formula. Also, definitely look into your state's grant programs - many have different income thresholds and criteria than federal aid. In my state, having multiple kids in college still matters for state grants even if the federal formula changed. The whole process is frustrating, but there are more options than just the FAFSA dependency status. Your daughter should also apply for as many merit scholarships as possible since those typically don't consider family income at all!

As a parent who just went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - tax dependency and FAFSA dependency are completely separate! I made the same assumption and was really disappointed when it didn't help our aid situation. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned much is to make sure you're looking at your state's specific aid programs too. Some states have different criteria or income thresholds that might be more favorable than federal aid, and they may still consider multiple children in college even with the federal formula changes. Also, when you're completing the FAFSA, double-check that you're selecting the right tax year (2023 for 2025-2026) and that all your income reporting is accurate. Small errors can delay processing and affect your aid timeline. The professional judgment appeals that others mentioned are definitely worth pursuing, especially since you mentioned having three kids in college next year. That's a significant financial burden that aid offices may be willing to consider even if it's not automatically factored into the new SAI calculation the same way it used to be. Don't lose hope - there are still plenty of aid opportunities out there beyond just the FAFSA dependency status!