FAFSA troubles with parental information and documentation

Paying for College
1

I’ve been trying to complete the FAFSA for months. But there has always been one problem with completing it: parental information. Every time I so much as mention the FAFSA, my dad instantly gets angry. He starts shouting that he should just quit his job so he can catch up on taxes (he doesn’t have 2015 taxes completed yet) and other, more vulgar statements. College starts in about 1 month and 1 week for me. They’re going to be asking for payment soon. I decided I couldn’t stall any longer. For parental information, I just marked that I cannot provide it and that I do not have a special circumstance. I know that it makes me only eligible for unsubsidized loans, but that’s all I can possibly do. I could ask my dad every night, get yelled at indirectly every night, and it still would not get done by the time tuition is due. But in the end, I finally got my FAFSA complete.

But here is the problem. I was told from an email from the FAFSA web site that I need to provide documentation to verify my situation (that I cannot provide parental information for a non-special circumstance). What kind of documentation could I even find/produce to verify this? I don’t think I could write up a sheet that says, “My dad hates the FAFSA. He just refuses to complete it. Every time I mention it he just gets furious. There is no possible way I could get it completed otherwise if I didn’t mark ‘unable to provide parental information.’” Is there even a way for documentation to verify my “situation”?

I’m not just trying to complain about my dad. He’s a hard worker. But I need a loan. And time is running out. I need to find a way to pay for college.

2

If I understand correctly, you want to take out the $5500 Stafford loan so you can pay for college. You are also hoping to be eligible for other money (?).

Questions/comments:

  1. Completing the FAFSA will qualify you for a Stafford loan. It will also determine whether you are low income and therefore eligible for a Pell grant. Are you low income? I think that the FAFSA needs to be 100% complete... With all parent info or required documentation.... The FAFSA needs to be complete in order to be processed..... Even for the Stafford loan.
  2. Some schools require the FAFSA for merit aid or institutional grants. Is this the case for you? Are you expecting this?
  3. What is the college? Did you get a merit scholarship and you need a $5500 Stafford loan to pay the balance?
  4. And..... Are your parents contributing anything at all? Even if your FAFSA is completed, YOU can only borrow $5500. Where is the rest of the money coming from? For example.... if you are attending an in-state school that costs $20,000 a year..... Where is the remaining $14,500 coming from? Your parents? Are you Pell grant eligible? If so, you will still have a balance left to pay.
  5. You need to call FAFSA and ask what they need.
  6. Have you discussed college costs and paying for college with your parents?
3

How much Loan money do you need?

Other threads indicate you are hoping to someday go to medical school.

  1. Many, if not most, medical schools will also require the parent financial information on the fafsa...up to a certain age. So...if your dad won't do the fafsa NOW, will he do it when you are in medical school?
  2. If you plan to attend medical school, you need to keep your loan debt to a bare minimum.
4

Is there a neutral intermediary (family friend, uncle, etc.) who can have a non-judgemental conversation with your dad to explain that unless he cooperates with the paperwork you are likely not going to college? Unless your plan is to live at home, work full time and go to classes part time, it is not realistic to think that you can get a college education without your parents help (even if that help is just a roof over your head and filling out the forms so you can qualify for a loan).

Is there someone your dad trusts who can sit him down to explain your situation? And perhaps also explain that not filing 2015 does not make his tax obligation go away… it just means penalties, the hassle of late filing (unless he filled out an extension back in April) etc. And if he’s getting a refund- a delay on his refund!

5

It is possible to check “did not file” re: taxes on the FAFSA. Can you do that? And if you do, would your dad give you his parental info (such as his W-2) so you could at least complete the parent part of the FAFSA for him?

6

If the father was required to file 2015 taxes but has not, the financial aid office cannot award aid.

OP, you will only be able to get an unsubsidized loan of $5,500 freshman year without parental information … but to get that, your parents will have to certify that they are not providing you any assistance (including health insurance, living at home, etc). This is generally not the case, and many students are not able to document that this is really the case. Unfortunately, in order to get aid, your dad is going to have to file his 2015 taxes (and he should also file 2016, since you’ll need those next year). Blossom as some good suggestions for how to approach your father.

7

Is your dad self employed? Or does he get a W2 as an employee? Unless he is self employed or not having enough taxes withheld from his paycheck, why does he think he will owe taxes?

Can he get some advice from a tax preparer to see what filing 2015 and 2016 now would entail?

If your family is truly low income, he might even get some money back from a tax credit.

Do you know how much he made? Can you run an EFC calculator on the Collegeboard website and see what your EFC would be?

I agree that you need to talk to dad calmly about how your tuition and other costs will be covered.

If dad is worried about back taxes, then he might not have any money to contribute, in which case you might have to work and save money to go to community college.

8

Call your school’s financial aid office and describe your situation. There is also an assistance line at the department of education.

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/contact

9

@RoaringMice not good advice…it sounds like the parent was required to file…if he puts that the parent didn’t file, he will need to complete a non-filers statement…and the jig will be up. So sure…at this point the dad did not file…but for financial aid consideration…this isn’t optional if required by the IRS.

And…Putting false information knowingly on a financial aid document, and getting aid therefore, is considered FRAUD (look that up…it’s a crime).

I feel badly that this student is caught in this situation.

And if he didn’t file…he would have to show that he wasn’t required to file.

Where is the mother in all of this? Did the parents file a joint return? Are the parents divorced…and is the student living primarily with his father?

Additionally…at this point in time, it’s likely the only aid this student would receive is the $5500 Direct Loan, and any portion of the Pell to which he is entitled. The deadline for applying for institutional aid has likely LONG since passed.

And as noted above…if 2015 taxes were required for the dad…they MUST be filed or financial aid cannot be disbursed.

And once more…where is your MOM during these discussions?

10

This is not going to work out well.

He needs to start at a community college and pay his way through. The reason the dad is getting angry is because every time the subject gets brought up it reminds him that he has been delinquent in filing his taxes. And that makes him angry. He’s not going to file for whatever reason he has. Maybe he owes taxes and he doesn’t have the money to pay

Student, you’re not going to get a loan.

Do you have high stats? If so, take a gap year and reapply where you’d get huge merit…and don’t take any classes anywhere.

If your stats aren’t high enough for huge merit, then get a job and pay for a CC yourself.

11

There is an analysis (maybe one of the CPA’s can link us to it) which shows that most people who neither filed nor filed an extension are actually getting a refund. So the reasons for not filing (which are many and varied) are usually not that the person doesn’t have the cash to pay the tax liability… it’s often some other “thing” they just don’t want to confront or deal with, and that by kicking the can down the road they don’t have to deal with it.

OP- we are all very sympathetic. But you are either going to have to find a third party who can discuss this rationally with your dad- or find a community college where you can work part-time and pay the tuition out of your earnings. Big hug to you- this is for sure challenging.

12

Where is the OPs MOM? Did I miss that piece of information?

13

<<<
I am an upcoming freshman at college who aspires to earn an MD. I am planning to work summers (starting next summer), and I figured that it would be a win-win situation if that job could be in the medicine industry. But it doesn’t seem that easy. Most, if not all of the jobs, require either experience or training/certification. I have neither. I am debating completing an EMT-basic course during my first semester. But even then, where I live, there seem to be virtually no openings for an EMT.

My parents will probably pay fully for 2-3 of my college years.
<<<<<

Is an ACT 29 your highest score or did you retest?

Recently you said that your parents will pay for 2-3 years of college. Did you just assume that or have they actually said this?

And you’re still premed?

14

Thumper, the op hasn’t been on this thread since you asked.

15

Starting at CC only puts the problem off for a couple years. What about after OP finishes the two years of gen eds?
Where does the money for junior and senior year come from?
If loans are never possible, OP needs to start and finish at a CC and get a two year career certificate or something.

16

Previous thread provides some background information. In that OP states that parents will be paying 2 to 3 years of tuition.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20427084#Comment_20427084

17

I deeply apologize. I forgot about this thread. I’ll try to address every point

First, the main situation that will answer many questions. My mom has always been the one to manage financials. In Fall of 2014, my mom suffered a horrible stroke. She has been rendered disabled. Unable to work or contribute in any way. Currently in a nursing home.

Paying for college. It was originally understood that my first three years of college would be payed for, like everybody else’s. But ever since my mom’s stroke, bills have been piling up. My dad is somewhere in the process of trying to get medicaid. But there are still tons of bills. Medical bills until he actually gets the medicaid. Lawyer bills for helping him with all of the paperwork. It all adds up fast. And I had some clue in the back of my head, but he has just mentioned in the past week that he is unable to pay for my college for at least this year (and I’m guessing more).

I still want to be a doctor. If the situation is as dire as it is being shown as, as much as I would hate to, I may have to give that dream up.

twogirls

  1. I am not low income. My dad’s gross income is north of 100k per year.
  2. My School (University of North Dakota if relevant) does not require FAFSA for merit aid. It costs ~$18000 a year and I will receive about $4500 per year in merit scholarships.
  3. University of North Dakota. I don’t 100 percent understand all of the loans. I just know I need enough to cover that remaining cost of attendance. I don’t know if my dad would cosign on a standard bank loan. I will definitely have to look into that.
  4. For this year, definitely not. Possibly later years they might.
  5. I definitely will have to now.
  6. Yes, I understand that I will have to pay for this year and later years are up in the air. The 3 previous kids have had their first 3 years paid for. The situation has changed.

thumper1
I know. I’m still hoping he eventually catches up and eventually stays afloat with taxes, FAFSA, etc, but I understand that that is unlikely. I guess that is at least four years away, so I’ll continue to hope.

blossom
I honestly don’t think so. I know a lot of people who know my dad, and there are is one main perspective. “Your dad is so busy.” “Your dad is such a great person.” “He works so hard, between work and the kids (on a side note, he vastly exaggerates his contributions with us).” That’s the response I get nearly every time I try gauging any issues/problems.

He knows that about the taxes, but he just doesn’t seem to care any more. All it does is incite anger.

RoaringMice
I’m honestly just trying not to tread anywhere near taxes with him. He’s extremely disorganized and I think he’s just past the point of caring. Mentioning it just does not seem worth it.

kelsmom
I guess I’ll just have to hope he’ll cosign on a loan. I don’t believe he’s outright opposed to that.

mommdc

  1. He actually does some of both. He has a standard job, but he also does some self-employed things, like the occasional welding or plumbing job. So there will be some issues with taxes I believe.
  2. He claims he talked to a tax person once. He allegedly gave them all of his materials and a couple of days later the tax person handed it back to him and said it is to complicated. Is that true? I don’t know. I know for a fact he lies to his coworkers/friends about me and my sister. He lies to me about his personal life (He’s seeing and talking to different women. I wouldn’t necessarily mind, but he clearly felt like it was big enough to lie about. And in case I need to justify this to someone, I did not discover by snooping through his email/phone. I was cleaning out a vehicle and there were a couple of letters from someone who undoubtedly was a lover.). So I think he’s a good enough liar where I can’t be sure if he’s being honest.
  3. We’re definitely not low income.
  4. He made about 110k, so I’m assuming EFC will be whatever is not covered by my merit scholarships.
  5. Working and CC definitely isn’t an ideal scenario, but I will definitely consider it.

AroundHere
Thanks, I will definitely have to do that.

thumper1
I originally checked that he “is planning to complete,” but, as the situation moves on, I just realized that it’s not happening. His anger with taxes/FAFSA and disorganization in essence make him unwilling to release information.

mom2collegekids
Definitely not ideal, but I will have to consider it. Thanks for the advice.

blossom
I never thought of that. Although that actually makes sense. His preference for problems is definitely avoidance. If he has something that he doesn’t want to face, lying and stalling are two methods he’d definitely utilize.

thumper1
See above. Sorry about that. Probably should have mentioned. Although it’s not something I usually shout from the rooftops.

mom2collegekids

  1. I retested and got a 32.
  2. My dad said he would for the longest time. But I was informed a short bit ago that I would be on my own at least for the 1st year. That was my fault. I guess I took it for granted.
  3. I still plan on pre-med for now. Many of the required courses for my major(chemical engineering) actually covers many of the med school pre-reqs and my electives for my major cover most of the rest.

AroundHere
Again, not ideal, but it is something I will definitely have to look into and consider.

raclut
Yes that is what I was assuming at the time. But now I am definitely on my own for this year and potentially for all of the other years.

Thank you everyone for all of the advice and support!! This is a lot more dire than I originally assumed. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

18

Ok…gap year time. It’s really the best way. Take NO CLASSES at all this next year, not even at a CC.

Work and save your money. This will also give your dad a year to get his financials straightened out and file his taxes.

Now…you need to apply to schools that will give you HUGE merit for your stats…huge. With your ACT 32, there are schools that will, that also have eng’g, and also will work for premed.

You do NOT want to be borrowing a lot for undergrad anyway if you want to go to med school. You will have HUGE loans for med school, so you do not want to borrow much for undergrad…and certainly not a situation with cosigned loans…which I don’t think your dad would do anyway.

Some schools to apply to:

UAB…has a very good med school, my son just graduated from that med school. You’d get a large merit scholarship. Also has eng’g. UAB would likely throw add’l merit at you, not just their listed awards.

UAH…excellent eng’g and coop opportunities also very good for premed and all STEM. UAH would also give you an eng’g award on top of their Univ award.

Others can chime in here with other suggestions for HUGE merit…you need HUGE awards…more than just free tuition.

19

<<<<
Many of the required courses for my major(chemical engineering) actually covers many of the med school pre-reqs and my electives for my major cover most of the rest.
<<<

Yes, they do. My son was a Chemical Eng’g premed. However, be warned, it’s one of the most difficult premed paths.

Are you very strong in the sciences?

20

@marvun22
My concern is that it is very easy for healthcare costs to spiral out of control and along with taxes possibly owed along with penalties he might not be in a situation to help you. I agree that if you plan to apply to med school in the future you want to graduate from your undergrad school with close to zero debt if possible.

I know of a school that offers a scholarship of four years full tuition but I believe you will still have room and board expenses. You have to apply to the honors program and apply Early Action (Nov 1st) and they do have an engineering school but not chemical engineering. As a backup plan if you decide not to go to med school they do offer a 5 year bachelor’s/master’s program. The top 20 students that get accepted into the honors program obtain this University Scholars Scholarship.

This school has lots of research opportunities and partnerships with two med schools in the area for students who meet a certain gpa the first two years of college. This is known as the early assurance program.

http://catalog.gmu.edu/student-services/scholars-program/

http://prehealth.gmu.edu/pre-medicine/sophomore-entry-programs/