FafsaShouldIProvideDriversLicenseDeadbeat Parents Who Wont Pay for College. The No. 1 way to cut the cost of college is to become an educated consumer. You can learn how by attending my popular online course, The College Cost Lab. Learn more about The College Cost Lab that will start in June, 2. Lynn OShaughnessy. Deadbeat Parents Who Wont Help Pay for College. I got an email over the weekend from a dad named Dan, who is darn proud of himself for making his children pay for their own college education. Getting+Ready+Before+starting+the+FAFSA%2C+gather%3A.jpg' alt='Fafsa Should I Provide Drivers License' title='Fafsa Should I Provide Drivers License' />Here is an easy way to figure out what jobs hire sex offenders in your area. Please review your state laws before doing the following. Flash Player Activex Is Not Installed. This may be illegal in some states. Id like to cash in a savings bond. Can you you please tell me how to do so Do you receive financial aid Learn how the FAFSA uses your tax return with this checklist of commonly asked questions from the experts at HR Block. Interactive career guide featuring multimedia interviews with real people in every career, indepth occupational profiles and information on colleges and universities. I dont think he should be congratulating himself. In fact, he should be worried that the federal government will discover what his family is doing to get taxpayers to underwrite his childrens college degrees. Dan was reacting to a post on my college blog that discussed the plight of  students whose parents refuse to pay for college even if they can afford to help. The post mentioned parents who made 1. Simple Present Tense Quiz Pdf here. Here is that post I dont know how much Dan makes, but he believes his kids hes  got seven Here is part of his note Wah, wah, wah. The youngsters today expect everything and cry if they dont get it. I expect my children to pay for their own college just like I did. Get expert advice for all your financial questions, from spending, saving and investing smartly to tackling taxes to buying a home to getting the right insurance. Suck it up babies, you are not getting a free ride to college, you will actually need to work your way through. Work, what a concept, you dont know what it means yet, but you will. And if you are paying for the books and the tuition maybe you will realize that spending hard earned money on beer parties isnt smart, LOL. Dan then goes on to say that two of his children are in college right now and they successfully claimed independent status. He had them work for one year after high school, live at a different address and then apply as independent students. Here is what Dan wrote about his strategy Its not difficult or impossible for an 1. Lynn OShaughnessy, the author of that ridiculous article, has indicated. If you are out of high school, all you have to do is work for minimum wage for one year and have a physical address in your name for that year and your parents cant have claimed you on their taxes. The FASFA and pin is exclusive to the 1. The 1. 8 year old will start college when he or she is 1. The reason I know this, is because I have 2 of my seven children in college right now as independents and that is how it works. Lynn is giving inaccurate information, which is making all the youngsters cry. Shame on you Lynn. Its Not Easy to Become an Independent Student. When filling out the FAFSA, the federal form asks numerous questions to determine if a child should be classified as an independent or dependent student. If the child isnt 2. Moving out of the house and living independently, as Dans children are doing, is irrelevant. It also doesnt matter if the parents stopped claiming the students on their income tax form. They are still dependents. It is a federal crime, by the way, to lie on the FAFSA. If becoming an independent student was as easy as packing up the car, moving into an apartment and supporting him or herself for a year,  Im sure millions of students would try the same thing. Of course, if that happened taxpayers like us would be footing the bill for deadbeat parents, who want others to pay for their childrens college degree. Qualifying as an independent student means that taxpayers are underwriting the college degree for Dans children. Students who are considered independent only have to use their own income to qualify for financial aid and most of the time thats going to be quite low. Low enough to qualify for federal and state grants and possibly institutional money from the schools themselves. What It Takes to Qualify as an Independent Person. Ive actually gotten three emails in the last few days from people who wondered if certain students could qualify as independent. One came from a sister and her husband who took in her 2. They were wondering if the young man would qualify as independent since he is living with them or if the student could use their lower earnings for financial aid purposes. Sorry, but that wont work. How to Qualify As an Independent Student. You have to answer yes to at least one of these question to be considered an independent student Are you at least 2. As of today, are you married At the beginning of the 2. MA, MBA, MD, JD, Ph. D, Ed. D, or graduate certificate, etc. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U. S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training Are you a veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2. June 3. 0, 2. 01. Do you have dependents other than your children or spouse who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 3. At any time since you turned age 1. Are you, or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence Are you, or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residenceAt any time on or after July 1, 2. At any time on or after July 1, 2. U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless At any time on or after July 1, 2. Learn MoreLearn more about my online course The College Cost Lab that will restart in June 2.