As Determined by a Court in Your State of Legal Residence Are You or Were You an Emancipated Minor

Living alone or walking without the daily financial support of your parents is not enough to prove independence. In order to apply for financial support as an emancipated minor, you must prove your emancipation and the resulting independence. This means that you have a copy of the judge`s order stating that you are legally considered emancipated. No matter how much financial assistance you need or what kind of help you`re hoping for, FAFSA is the first step in setting it up. Even if you have not yet reached the age of 18, you can complete a FAFSA for your first year of school and alert the federal government and any schools you wish to attend that you have a special situation. Since you are considered an independent student for the purposes of financial support, as an emancipated minor who is literally alone when it comes to paying for school, you will have access to much more help. For emancipated minors, the issue of addiction may seem a little bleaker – and it`s important to understand what you need to do to get financial support. If you are an emancipated minor, there are some questions about FAFSA that you should pay special attention to. Enter your personal income and assets, and then in step 3, entering the student`s information for yourself, check Yes to question 53, which asks if a court in your state of legal residence has classified you as an emancipated minor. Report any financial assistance you have received from guardians or foster parents as personal income on Worksheet B.

Contact your university`s financial aid office and explain your situation. See if they have any university-specific advice or protocols. For example, if you are married, you simply need to provide a copy of your marriage certificate. For veterans or those currently serving in the military, they would provide a DD-214 showing past service or their orders current deployment. So it`s important that you make sure you have the documentation to prove it and that you work directly with your school to check off the specific requirements as well. Proving independence is not always difficult. For example, if you are married, you are automatically considered independent. This also applies to veterans of the armed forces, students who are parents themselves, or students who have been in their state`s health care system. Emancipated minors are not necessarily considered independent students if they do not meet the criteria listed above in question 43. They are expected to provide parents` financial information in the FAFSA under any circumstances. However, in some cases, you may be able to work with your grant office to replace your addiction status.

You choose “Yes” if you are an emancipated minor and “No” if you do not meet the above criteria. It is not enough for a student to simply present himself as independent, even if he is – or has been for a while. If you are under 24 years of age, you must provide documents attesting to your self-employed status. In Step 3 (Student), check “Yes” for question 53 (As determined by a court in your rule of law, are you or were you an emancipated minor?). Once you have completed this section, you can skip the entire section of step 4, which deals with your parents` income and wealth. Include your personal income and assets in the FAFSA. Finally, be sure to contact the grants office of any schools you wish to visit and let them know what your situation is. Because your school establishes your financial aid program, they may have certain policies that you should adhere to as an emancipated minor to maximize your financial support. Once you have provided this, you no longer need to enter your parents` information into the FAFSA, and your financial needs will be determined based on your independent status, which will often result in much greater financial support for you when it is time to go to school.

FAFSA can be difficult to navigate for non-traditional families. Students who are/have been emancipated minors, as determined by a court, are not required to include their parents` financial information with FAFSA. This question is asked to determine whether you are considered a dependent or emancipated minor. An emancipated minor is a student who has been legally removed from the custody of his or her biological parents by a court order, who marries or who enters the military. If you`re under the age of 24, the federal government assumes you`re a dependent student for financial aid purposes – and you can`t simply choose to file a return as an independent student. You have to prove that you are really an emancipated minor. Completing the free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) can be confusing, especially when it comes to whether you are a dependent or independent student. Any support received from friends or relatives must be reported on Worksheet B as income for the student.