<p>Antonio you need to focus more energy on where you are going to go to school and less on how you can gain independent status in a couple years. Direct all that energy toward something that might have a positive result. If you’ve got yourself backed into a corner with a list of schools you won’t be able to afford don’t waste anymore time. Get a post up and ask for help with that, I guarantee you that you will get some suggestions for some last ditch effort and if your stats match anywhere near your high school you’re probably a pretty good candidate. But time is ticking by and finaid is getting distributed and if you keep hammering and hammering on the same issues which have been pretty thoroughly covered people will loose patience and start ignoring you. Read the thread that I posted for travelbug if you haven’t already…this is the type of information that schools will require, especially the competitive schools you seem to have your eye on, to grant any kind of independent status with regard to finaid.</p>
<p>I agree with the above…</p>
<p>It’s starting to sound like the realization has hit Antonio that some of his “best aid” reach schools might reject him, so he’s worried that his match/safeties won’t meet his need.</p>
<p>Antonio…where all did you apply and what acceptances do you have so far.</p>
<p>BTW…I don’t know why you applied to UW-M and UMich. They’re OOS publics, therefore the chance that they would be affordable is very slim. </p>
<p>What are you stats? That can also affect aid packages.</p>
<p>Ugh, I’ve been misunderstood</p>
<ol>
<li><p>to thumper: I’m not applying for an NCP this year! I’m asking about next year, when my dad will no longer live in the same house as me. At that point, I’ll have no idea where he is.
I know his insignificant income won’t impact my financial aid much but the problem will be getting his cooperation–tax forms and etc.</p></li>
<li><p>The 1 dollar question was also misunderstood. I’m not saying I’m going to live off a dollar for a year. I was asking that if I support myself with a dollar more than what my parents will support me with, does that eliminate their right to claim me? They’ll give me zero, so any amount would be more than what they provide me with.</p></li>
<li><p>He only turns off the electricity in a specific portion of the house because there is more than one switch–my portion. </p></li>
<li><p>If I do get accepted by any of schools that I applied to for freshman year, I have already handled my financial aid stuff for this year! But again, reapplying next year will be many times harder.</p></li>
</ol>
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</p>
<p>Now…how would you know right NOW that you will have NO IDEA where your dad is going to be? He could get a place two doors away or in a neighboring town. he might correspond with you from afar.</p>
<p>Antonio…concentrate on NOW. You have no crystal ball looking into the future.</p>
<p>Did you get ACCEPTED at Brown? If not, stop worrying about it.</p>
<p>Antionio,</p>
<p>I know your situation is not stellar . Either you are not getting it or you are hanging on to some fantasy that it is going to be different for you. In most cases, if you do not get the non-custodial waiver as a freshman, you will not get it later on. </p>
<p>In addition getting a waiver requires third party documentation usually from someone who has known the family for years and can attest that as long as they have known the family one of the parents have not been part of the child’s life and has provided no support.</p>
<p>this is clearly not your situation. Your father currently lives in your house. If it were this simple, every person who has to file non-custodial forms for financial aid would simply say I don’t know where my non-custodial lives and get the waiver.</p>
<p>Unless your mom is going to kick your dad out of the house, you will know where he is next year. And, since you have a sister, would your dad really not let HER know his whereabouts?</p>
<p>3. He only turns off the electricity in a specific portion of the house because there is more than one switch–my portion.</p>
<p>Well, then, the phones in the rest of the house should still work. Put the answering machine on another circuit. You couldn’t have thought of that?</p>
<p>Why does your dad keep the electricity off in your “area” while you’re at school???</p>
<p>Why not just flip the switch back on? It’s not HIS house!!! He’s a guest there!</p>
<p>When will you be 18? If you already are, then what is really going on here?</p>
<p>BTW…just curious…what country is your dad from?</p>
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</p>
<p>Even IF the mom kicks the dad out, the dad’s whereabouts might still be very known.</p>
<p>Antonio: if your father has been unemployed for six years and has no income, there would be no reason for him to even file a return, let alone claim you. </p>
<p>As for your original question: When the time comes that you are providing more than half of your support and are therefore eligible to claim yourself, you simply file your return as soon as you can, definitely before he does, and then he CAN’T claim you. The return will be rejected because only one person can take your exemption.</p>
<p>Claiming yourself on your tax return, however, has absolutely nothing to do with being declared independent for FAFSA purposes.</p>
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</p>
<p>A police officer might be able to. They’ve been through a few times…
Or my former social worker.</p>
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</p>
<p>my answering machine is built into my phone. And my phone has to be plugged into an outlet.</p>
<p>He doesnt turn it on even when I’m at school because he’s too freaking lazy and is just a bad person overall.</p>
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</p>
<p>The switch is in the basement and he has exclusive access to the basement. It’s not his house but it’s not mine either. And my mother just doesnt care enough.</p>
<p>While we’re on the subject, is it possible for me to find out whether a school has ever called me? I doubt a random attendant answering the phone would know.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This December. As for the second question, I have no idea.</p>
<p>
China</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not if the house has different residents next year(this fall)
My mom has to borrow money from various sources to pay the bills and after I leave for college, she will simply sell the house because she’ll only have my sister to care for and she obviously sees no reason to continue to provide housing for my dad. So if she sells the house, I won’t know where anybody will be. I wouldn’t want to, anyway.</p>
<p>As long as I have my dad’s 2009 form, can’t I make it work for me by saying "I don’t know where my dad is(which would be telling the truth), I have this other guy(probably social worker) who knows about it, here are his 2009 forms–as you can see, his assets and income are marginal at best. </p>
<p>btw, i think he still files a tax return because he is “self-employed.”
aka craiglist postings of who-knows-what service offers.
He has a SE schedule.</p>
<p>my answering machine is built into my phone. And my phone has to be plugged into an outlet.</p>
<p>Right. It can’t be that far from “your electrical circuit” to another…use an extension cord to connect that phone to another circuit. </p>
<p>Even if the police have been called to you home for abuse, that won’t prove lack of support. However, you might be able to use those records to gain independence - were the police called because your dad was abusive to YOU or your mom. That would be different. Was your dad ever prosecuted?</p>
<p>As for colleges contacting you…if they couldn’t reach you by phone, they’d email you.</p>
<p>I thought you said that you’re on good terms with your mom. Are you saying that when you go to college, you’ll never see your mom or sister again?</p>
<p>
So he does work.</p>
<p>Do you have a cell phone? Do you have an email account you can access at the public library? The colleges can get a hold of you via cell phone or email. </p>
<p>Antonio, you have gotten lots of good advice on this thread and others you have started. Please try to at least consider what others are trying to tell you. You seem to believe that your situation will be treated differently than others like it. That isn’t going to happen.</p>
<p>Just FYI…if your mom sells the house, tell her to do it AFTER she completes your FAFSA so the profit (if there is one) won’t be in the bank as an asset the day she files the FAFSA.</p>