sometimes i feel like they want me to fail

[seXieleXie]

.

 

[april-wine]

Hmmmmm I know this gang, of ummmmm vaginaterians, we could go and hijack the forms for ya.........


Sorry leXie, don't know what else to say......Hugs.......april

 

[Guest]

Lexie,

That fucking sucks. I don't blame you one bit for being upset and angry. Unfortunately, I don't know how to help.
I had the same issues with my parents. I worked two jobs and was given no financial support during college. They claimed me on their taxes and I could get no financial aid due to their income level.

You could go to financial aid and speak with your advisor. Tell them your situation and see if anything can be done.

I'm sorry.

 

[stargazer]

Sorry, I have no advice. Parents are parents and don't seem to want to change the way they are. (sigh). However, venting is good for the soul. Keep it up. We're all family here.

 

[Bindii]

Go the financial aid officer and explain to them what happened.

I don't think that your parents want you to fail, its just that they aren't thinking.

I would be pissed off too!

 

[morninggirl5]

lexie,

If you don't have the forms by the time they're due, just go to one of the couselors in the financial aid office and tell them your situation. Obviously, your parents are going to fill the damned things out by next Monday, so you should have them by the middle of the week. Believe me, those deadlines are written in sand not stone.

Hugs.

mg

 

[Liontamr]

Well I don't know anything about the American tax system, but isn't there a number you can call to find a little help and at least let someone know you'd get those forms filled if it wasn't for your problem?

As for your parents.. It's too bad they seem to be as petty as they are. My best advice is to continue on, take care of the things in life that you control and in the end the things you don't control will take care of themselves.

My mom one time told me during a very trying time: "This too shall pass." Sometimes you just have to remember that above all else. Having been a guy who for the past four years has been almost burried in debt and now months away from being totaly free and clear of it, I can tell you that phrase did wonders for my sanity at time.

I hope everything works out in the end!

 

[LukkyKnight]

Seems to me if you pay rent you aren't a dependant, and should start filing your taxes and financial aid on that basis. If the Financial Aid officers object ask THEM to try to get the info from your parents. If the IRS objects explain that you pay rent. If your parents object ask them what the fuck it means to be their dependant if they won't help you but will take your money.

Then call me harsh.

 

[Azwed]

I can give Hugs not so sure about advice.

*big hug and snuggle*

I don't belive you need the exact tax forms in order to fill out FAFSFA.

If you parents made about the same amount of money last year that they did this year then just use last years numbers.

I would also calculate your Taxes and FAFSFA information without them claiming you as a dependent.

See if you end up better off if you do it this way and then tell them not to claim you as a dependeant anymore. This would not help you out this year but you would not have this problem next year.

There is a certain time limit to how long you have to be not a dependent for your FAFSFA to change I think it is one year but I a not positive on this.

I get into a similar situation with my parents. Well my dad actually. My mom does not make enough money to give me much of anything. She helps me out a during the semester when I know I am going to be short on rent or some other bill but thats it. She pays my can inssurance which is next to nothing because I have an old crappy car, i only have the kind of issurance you have to have(I forget the technical name) and a good driving record. My dad who is fairly well off does not give me shit. I have gotten 300 dollars from him in the last 2 years tops.

His job pays ok and he will be eligiable for his army retirement in a year or so plus he has a huge inherentance from his farther and I never get anything. I was supposed to get a good bit from my grandfathers will but my crafty(read corrupt in bed with the mob bastard) family up north has screwed me out of most of it or tied it up in court.

I doubt I will ever see any of it and I don't really care anymore. I do ok by myself and I only have one semester of school left. Now I get to tell my kids all the stories about my poor college days where I worked two or three jobs to get by and walked both ways up hill in the snow to get to class.

(Yes the above is completly true we really do have to walk both ways up hill to get to class because of the valley our campus sits in. I have worked three jobs but only ever worked two at the same time)

 

[seXieleXie]

Seems to me if you pay rent you aren't a dependant, and should start filing your taxes and financial aid on that basis. If the Financial Aid officers object ask THEM to try to get the info from your parents. If the IRS objects explain that you pay rent. If your parents object ask them what the fuck it means to be their dependant if they won't help you but will take your money.

Then call me harsh.

i eat their food. i drive their car when they allow it. they keep my cat and feed her and stuff while i'm gone. they didn't charge me rent when i was there for a month in december. i could sue them but i don't have the time, money, knowledge, or desire to persue this in the courts.

 

[paphian]

yes, this is whining. go away if you don't want to hear it. you've been warned.
-----

so i've bitched about money before. that's nothing new. i've complained about my parents who don't pay their expected contribution for my educational expenses. some of you have listening to me whine about the fact that they still claim me as a dependent even though i pay them rent and all that. i'm sure you're all pretty fucking tired of me and my problems.

...
okay, breathe lexie. breathe.

anyone have any advice?

Yes. And you might even be able to use it.

Depending on your age, and the state you have legal residence in, you may be able to emancipate yourself, legally.

Pluses: You're legally your own person, and for the purpose of financial aid, you can't be held "reposnsible" for your parent's income level. The school (and aid institutions) have to accept you on your own merits.

Minuses: You're legally your own person. That means your parents have NO further legal responsibility for you whatsoever. You get to pay your own bills and pay your own way in all respects. Since the school and financial instituions have to take you as a "separate person", you may find you are in worse shape then when you started, especially if they're pissy about credit ratings and/or co-signers.

It also means you're essentially telling your parents to "piss off" where legal and financial matters are concerned. Beware the law of unintended outcomes. You may find that if you do need their help later, that they'll tell you where to stuff it, citing your emancipated status.

So... be careful what you wish for... Check out all of the potential outcomes very thoroughly before you take such a step. It could truly backfire on you.

I know this because I was in almost your exact same situation once. And, for the record, I didn't do it. The downside was worse than the benefits.

 

[Azwed]

Agreeing with the above.

Like I said calcuate your stuff both ways and see how you are.

Sit down and take a good look at all your financial crap and then you just have to make a judgement call.

 

[Dillinger]

Someone who knows the tax system better than me - or maybe one of our resident lawyers who understand the tax code - might be of better help.

The first thing I can do is off you a *hug* and my ear if you need to talk or vent or whatever.

Other then that I do believe that you have the right to insist that your parents not declare you and you start filing yourself and take financial aid/loans/etc into your own hands. Talking to one of the counselors at the school, as recommended above would probably be very helpful.

 

[Aphrodisiac]

lexie ,

Next time you apply for FAA , maybe you should not file that you are still under you parents. I am thinking you will get more money if you file by yourself.

As for the forms not getting there in time, can't you ask your dad where he filed his taxes and call their offices and they can give you some copies. They have to have copies for themselves , or the records are still in their computer files.

Feel better chica. *hugs*

 

[Texan]

As a parent of two college kids, there are some things in this story that don't sound right.

First, the amount of money your parents save on their taxes by claiming you as a dependent is NOT MUCH!!!!. It actually only saves them around $1000. in taxes, plus the taxes on that $1000. For most people, that's around $1,170.00 TOTAL. That amount can vary, but it will usually be less, not more. By the way, if you earn over $600 per year, you must file your own income tax forms. PLUS, if your parents claim you as a dependent, and you have an income, they must add your income to their income for tax calculation purposes. In my case, it actually costs me more in taxes than I receive in a deduction because I claim my boys as dependents until they are 18.

If you are over 18 (and to be on Lit, you better be... ) your parents are legally not allowed to claim you as a dependent unless they pay over 50% of your living expenses. Now, if they are paying over 50% of your living expenses, then they damn sure deserve the $1,170. tax savings. But if they are not paying over 50% of your living expenses, you can file your own 1040 form, and just mark the little box on the form that says than noone else can claim you as a dependant. If they then claim you, they are in trouble. NOT YOU.

Once you are over 18, there is no such thing as "emancipation". You are automatically emancipated when you turn 18. This also means that your parents are not legally liable for anything you do. It doesn't matter if they claim you on tax forms or not, you are an adult in the eyes of the legal system...... except for drinking, of course.....

When it comes to financial aid, you should do as others here have said, check with the FA office at your school and examine the consequences of filing for aid without your parents' income in the calculation.

You are an adult now.... whether your parents act like adults or not, you are now responsible for your business affairs. By the way, you could try to sue them, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on......

I wish you the very best.... it aint easy growing up.......

 

[alexandraaah]

Fucking drag, lex...fucking drag. Go outside and have yourself a nice primal scream. Life is in a forward motion. I don't know how that could possibly help you, but it's always a comfort for me to know that we just have to keep chugging along...

do you think lexie cares that I just posted a bunch of crap? I hope she feels better anyways; I got no pearls of wisdom on this one.

 

[Cheyenne]

You aren't responsible for what your parents put on their tax forms. You can file your own taxes and not check the box that says you are eligible to be claimed on anyone else's form as a dependent. It is actually tax fraud to claim a child as a dependent when the child doesn't really meet that definition any longer. You don't sound like you do.

If you file your own returns and ignore your parents, then you don't need their copies for your application, right?

edit: Hey, Mensa types faster than me!

 

[Laurel]

When it comes to financial aid, you should do as others here have said, check with the FA office at your school and examine the consequences of filing for aid without your parents' income in the calculation.

Good advice. That's what I did when I got sick of dealing with my parents on the very same issue, and everything worked out fine. Many people have no contact with their parents whatsoever, and schools understand this. Go to the Financial Aid office, and they'll be happy to help.

 

[seXieleXie]

i never claimed i had a leg to stand on for a law suit.

i was under the impression that in order to file independently on the fafsa you had to be at least 22 years of age or not be claimed as a dependent on anyone's tax return.

 

[seXieleXie]

so is there a way to change my tax forms if i've already sent them in?

 

[Cheyenne]

i was under the impression that in order to file independently on the fafsa you had to be at least 22 years of age or not be claimed as a dependent on anyone's tax return.

But that goes back to what I said. As far as you know, you don't qualify as a dependent of your parents so it is logical that you assume they don't take the deduction for you anymore. You aren't responsible for them filling out their taxes incorrectly.

 

[Cheyenne]

so is there a way to change my tax forms if i've already sent them in?

Yes, file an amended return. Happens all the time.

 

[Dillinger]

Sounds like these people know what they're talking about. You should be able to confirm it with the Financial Aid Office.

You then have a few choices. You can keep on as you are and hope your parents come through (Texan gives some good details as to what would qualify for how much they support you. You can just go ahead and file your own taxes - in fact, its not too late, you can do so for the next few days. Or you can call your parents and tell them that they can either help out if they want or that they should remove you as a dependent since you're going to file your own taxes and warn them that they're return will be in violation of IRS rules if they claim you.

But be very aware of the consequences of any of these paths. You might burn some bridges you don't want to.

 

[Texan]

i never claimed i had a leg to stand on for a law suit.

i was under the impression that in order to file independently on the fafsa you had to be at least 22 years of age or not be claimed as a dependent on anyone's tax return.

lexie.... simply put, if you are legally the dependent of your parents... then they are paying more than 50% of your support. If they are not paying more than 50% of your support, you are not their dependent.... whether they claim you on their tax forms or not.

If they are supporting you, then they can claim you as a dependent AND you will need their tax forms for your financial aid.

If they are not supporting you, they are not allowed to claim you as a dependent AND you do not need their help for financial aid.

Your first post made it sound like you are supporting yourself. Think that through carefully, then choose your path. It is up to you, not them. You are an adult now.

 

[Mae13]

*sigh*

I sure don't have any wisdom to offer you here...I can just chime in as others have here....

This Sucks.

*BIG HUG* (and not the silly Tellytubby kind either!)

I wish you the best babe. Karma....karma'll get them someday. Really. Sometimes that's the only thing I can hold faith to in frustrating situations like this. Good luck Lexie-girl