FAFSA dependency status confusion - can my daughter file as independent in 2025?

she cant do independant unless shes 24, in military, married, has kids, or emancipated minor. doesnt matter if she pays everything herself. my son tried last yr got denied

The previous commenter is correct. For FAFSA purposes, your daughter will almost certainly be considered a dependent student unless she meets one of these specific criteria for the 2025-2026 application: - Born before January 1, 2002 (will be 24+ by Dec 31, 2025) - Married - Working on a master's/doctoral degree - Has dependents who receive more than half their support from her - Veteran/active duty military - Emancipated minor or in legal guardianship - Homeless or at risk of homelessness - Orphan/ward of court/in foster care after age 13 Unfortunately, self-sufficiency and living independently do NOT qualify a student for independent status. This is one of the most common misconceptions about FAFSA. The "providing more than 50% of her support" rule you mentioned is actually part of the IRS tax dependency test, not the FAFSA dependency criteria.

This happened to me too!!! I was LIVID when I found out my son couldn't file independently even though he hadn't lived with us for 3 YEARS and we don't give him a PENNY! The whole system is rigged against middle-class families. They assume we're all paying for our kids' college when many of us CAN'T or DON'T!!! 😡

My daughter was in the same boat last year. Have you looked into a dependency override? It's rare but possible in some cases.

Not to go off-topic but this is exactly why I tell all my students to wait until they're 24 to go back to school if they don't have parental support. I was in the same boat - parents made too much on paper but couldn't help me, and I ended up with massive loans. The FAFSA system seriously needs an overhaul to account for situations like this.

I went through this exact situation with my own daughter last year. After weeks of getting nowhere with the general FSA helpline, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FAFSA specialist who explained all our options. They have this video (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) showing how they can connect you directly to an agent without the usual 2+ hour wait times. The agent I spoke with confirmed everything people are saying here about dependency status, but also explained some strategies for explaining special circumstances to individual schools. Definitely worth the time saved versus waiting on hold forever.

While your daughter may not qualify as independent for FAFSA purposes, there are a few options you might consider: 1. Have her speak directly with each college's financial aid office about her situation. Some schools have additional institutional aid they can offer in special circumstances. 2. Look into the CSS Profile (if the schools she's applying to use it) which sometimes allows for more nuanced financial situations to be considered. 3. Consider a professional judgment review where financial aid officers can adjust the SAI (Student Aid Index) based on unusual circumstances. 4. Focus on merit-based scholarships that don't consider financial need. The FAFSA dependency rules are federal regulations, so there's no way around them, but these alternatives might help your daughter secure more financial assistance despite being classified as a dependent student.

just fyi the new FAFSA is super confusing my daughter tried filling it out like 5 times before it worked

One additional note: There's a common misconception that if parents don't claim a student on their taxes, the student can file as independent for FAFSA. These are completely separate systems with different rules. Even if you haven't claimed your daughter as a dependent on your taxes for years, she'll still need to include your financial information on her FAFSA unless she meets one of the independent student criteria I mentioned earlier.

After your daughter completes her FAFSA and receives her SAI, make sure she schedules appointments with financial aid counselors at each school she's considering. Be prepared with documentation of her financial independence (lease, utility bills, tax returns, etc.). While this won't change her dependency status for FAFSA, some schools have discretionary funds they can allocate in special circumstances. The key is to start this conversation early in the process, not waiting until aid packages are released.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now with my son! He's 23, completely self-supporting, hasn't lived at home in 4 years, but still has to use our income on his FAFSA. What's really frustrating is that we literally cannot afford to help him with college costs, but the system assumes we can based on our income. One thing that helped us a little was having him apply to schools that are known for being generous with institutional aid - some private colleges have more flexibility with their own funds even when federal aid is limited. Also, make sure she applies for EVERY scholarship she can find, no matter how small. They add up! The whole dependency system definitely needs reform, but until then we just have to work within the broken system we have.