<p>This is my situation. Last year for my community college FAFSA i showed my mom’s income because i lived with her , but now I love with my friend and pay a small rent (utilities). I have recently started contact with my father and he is sending me a small allowance every month. My question is, who is more beneficial for me to report their income. My mom will be reporting at about 29,000 as a single mother with 2 kids and my father’s income might show up in the negatives or VERY little because he recently started a business and he hasn’t gained from it yet. Which parent is more beneficial for me to report. I called financial aid and told them my living condition and they said i could report my dad.</p>
<p>what do you think will help me get more aid? I’m hoping to go to UCLA or CAL</p>
<p>Doesn’t sound like you really can use just your father’s income unless you BS’ed whoever you called at “financial aid”.</p>
<p>"The custodial parent is the parent with whom the applicant lived the most during the previous 12 months. If the applicant lived with neither parent or lived equally with both parents (e.g., recent divorce or a leap year), the custodial parent is the parent who provided more than half the applicant’s support. "
[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml#help16]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml#help16)</p>
<p>If you are living with your mother and your father has only recently started sending you small amounts of money you have to list your mother.</p>
<p>Why does it honestly matter which you report? Your mother’s income falls under 60k. It won’t make a difference whether you report your mother’s or father’s income.</p>
Not true for FAFSA. It is the parent you live with the most whether they claim you on their taxes or not.</p>
<p>
Probably not true either. You can be claimed by one of your parents as a dependent for tax purposes. Most college students are claimed as a dependent by their parents.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom… most likely the parent that the student lives with is usually the parent that claims the student on their taxes, with some rare exceptions…even if the student lives away from home but is under 24 and is a full time student the parent can claim the student on his or her tax return as a dependent and thus the student must provide the parent’s income information… i am assuming the op by the sound of things is a dependent of his/her mother and she claims him/her on the tax return. If the school asks to do a verification of income which they often do (randomly), then the OP will be required to submit a copy of the tax return which shows the income of the parent in which he or she is a dependent of. </p>
<p>I know this for two reasons:
1st- working on students financial aid package for the past several years
and
2nd- working as a income tax revenue agent for the past 7 years</p>
<p>getitoverwith…although you live by yourself, you are under 24 and a full time student…your mom can and should claim you on her tax return, I would definitely use her income on your fafsa app</p>
<p>First of all if any of your parents owns a small business that does not mean that it is considered asset for FAFSA purposes. When you are doing your FAFSA, carefully read the part where they ask if you parents have any asset/farm/business. It specifically state the conditions that a business your parents have would count as an asset. Second, most likely you will put your mom’s income on your fafsa application. Most likely you do not meet any of the requirements to be consider as an “independent” student.</p>