Am I a Dependent or Independent Student for FAFSA Purposes?

Your dependency status in your completed FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form can impact your financial aid significantly. If you are a dependent student, your parents’ financial information will be taken into consideration.

Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, the financial aid office will calculate your aid — type of aid and amount — based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) included in your FAFSA Submission Summary. The SAI is an index number ranging from –1500 to 999999, which is calculated using the information that you and your parent(s) provided on the FAFSA form.

It is, therefore, crucial that you get it right when completing the FAFSA form. And a major part of it involves sorting out your status as a “dependent” or “independent” student.

Why is it so important to know if you are a dependent or independent student for FAFSA purposes?

It is important because the FAFSA form requires different information based on your status.

If you’re a dependent student, you will be asked to submit your parents’ information in addition to yours. If you need help figuring out who your parents are for FAFSA purposes — the picture is not as clear as you may think — check here.

If you’re an independent student, you only have to submit your own information, unless if you’re married, in which case you have to submit your spouse’s information as well.

Here is what you need to know to determine your dependency status.

1. How can I determine if I’m a dependent student?

You are deemed a dependent student for the 2025-26 FAFSA if you answer “NO” to all 12 of the questions below:

1. Were you born before Jan. 1, 2002?

____ Yes ____ No

2. As of today, are you married? (Answer “No” if you are separated but not divorced.)

____ Yes ____ No

3. At the beginning of the 2025–26 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?

____ Yes ____ No

4. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)

____ Yes ____ No

5. Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?

____ Yes ____ No

You should answer “Yes” if you meet any of these conditions:

You have engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. armed forces (military, naval, air, or space service) and were released under a condition other than dishonorable;
You have served full-time as a Reservist or member of the National Guard;
You were called to federal active duty; or
You are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30, 2026.

You should answer “No” if you meet any of these conditions:

You have never engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces.
You are currently a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy.
You are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for state or training purposes.
You were engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces but released under dishonorable conditions.
You are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2026.

6. Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026?

____ Yes ____ No

7. At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?

____ Yes ____ No

8. At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?

____ Yes ____ No

9. At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?

____ Yes ____ No

10. Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence?

____ Yes ____ No

11. Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?

____ Yes ____ No

12. At any time on or after July 1, 2024, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

____ Yes ____ No

If you answer “Yes” but you don’t have a determination from an individual at an eligible agency, you will be considered provisionally independent and be allowed to fill out the FAFSA form as an independent student.

An individual at an eligible agency could be:

Your high school or district homeless liaison or designee;
The director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving those experiencing homelessness;
Tthe director or designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant; or
A financial aid administrator

If you answered “No” to ALL 12 questions, you are deemed a dependent student, even if you’re not living with your parents, they don’t claim you as a dependent on their tax forms, or you’re paying your own expenses, including educational expenses.

You are considered an independent student if your answer is “YES” to ANY one of the 12 questions, in which case you will not be required to provide parent information on your FAFSA form.

Note: If you are unclear about any of these questions (or have any questions during the application process), don’t hesitate to ask your college’s financial aid office.

2. What documents do I need to fill the FAFSA if I’m a dependent student?

The documents or information you actually need to provide as a dependent student will depend on whether you are a U.S. citizen and the tax forms you (and your parent contributors – i.e., your parent, and/or your parent’s spouse or partner) used for the applicable tax year.

Generally, though, for the 2025-26 FAFSA, you and your parent contributor(s) will need to provide the following information:

Social Security number(s), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
Tax returns for 2023 — IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR
Records of child support received
Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
Net worth of investments, businesses, and farm (excluding the home you live in and retirement accounts)

An easy way to complete the financial section is to select the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT), so your tax information (and that of your parent(s)) is automatically transferred to your FAFSA form. You can check here to find out when the tax return information will likely be available via IRS DRT.

Check here for details on how your special circumstance, or your parents’ refusal to provide information, impacts your FAFSA application.

3. What documents do I need to fill the FAFSA if I’m an independent student?

The documents or information you need as an “independent” student will depend on your status as single or married, U.S. citizenship, and the tax forms you (and your spouse) used.

Generally, though, for the 2025-26 FAFSA, you – and your spouse, if you are married – will need to provide the following information:

Social Security number(s), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
Tax returns for 2023 — IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR
Records of child support received
Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
Net worth of investments, businesses, and farm (excluding the home you live in and retirement accounts)

As mentioned above, an easy way to complete the financial section is to select the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT), so your tax information (and that of our spouse) is automatically transferred to your FAFSA form.

Pro Tip: Start collecting the documents you need to support your application before you actually sit down to fill out the FAFSA form. Organize them by category and have them handy.

If your financial situation has changed significantly since you (and your parent(s) or spouse) filed taxes for the year in question, simply answer the FAFSA questions as required, submit the FAFSA form, and then call the financial aid office at your college to explain your situation.

The bottom line

The FAFSA form is your gateway to financial aid, so be sure to get your dependency status right and provide the required information. For more tips on how to complete your FAFSA form correctly and on time, check this FAFSA complete guide.

And for further insights and resources on the financial aid process and other higher education topics, be sure to check out TUN AI, our AI-powered platform for personalized guidance.