unusual	circumstances	by	publicly	posting	the	option	on	their	website.
An	FAA	may	conduct	dependency	overrides	on	a	case-by-case	basis	for	students	with	unusual	circumstances.	An	aid
administrator	may	override	only	from	dependent	to	independent.	If	the	FAA	determines	that	an	override	is	appropriate,
they	must	maintain	the	determination	with	any	supporting	documentation.
Under	HEA	Sec.	480(d)(9),	the	FAFSA	Simplification	Act	incorporated	additional	unusual	circumstances	to	consider	when	a
student	is	unable	to	contact	a	parent	or	where	contact	with	parents	poses	a	risk	to	such	student.
Unusual	circumstances	do	include	(but	are	not	limited	to):
Human	trafficking,	as	described	in	the	Trafficking	Victims	Protection	Act	of	2000	(22	U.S.C.	7101	et	seq.);
Legally	granted	refugee	or	asylum	status;
Parental	abandonment	or	estrangement;	or
Student	or	parental	incarceration.
In	such	cases	an	override	might	be	warranted	based	upon	the	student9s	individual	circumstances.	These	conditions	would
also	not	disqualify	a	student	from	being	a	homeless	unaccompanied	youth	or	self-supporting	and	at	risk	of	homelessness.
However,	none	of	the	conditions	listed	below,	singly	or	in	combination,	qualify	as	unusual	circumstances	meriting	a
dependency	override.
Unusual	circumstances	do	not	include:
Parents	refuse	to	contribute	to	the	student9s	education.
Parents	will	not	provide	information	for	the	FAFSA	or	verification.
Parents	do	not	claim	the	student	as	a	dependent	for	income	tax	purposes.
Student	demonstrates	total	self-sufficiency.
Additionally,	the	FAFSA	Simplification	Act	introduced	new	requirements	for	processing	and	communicating	with	students
who	request	an	adjustment	for	unusual	circumstances.	Schools	and	financial	aid	administrators	must:
Notify	students	of	the	school9s	process,	requirements,	and	reasonable	timeline	to	review	adjustment	requests	after
their	FAFSA	form	is	submitted;
Provide	students	with	a	final	determination	of	their	dependency	status	and	financial	aid	offer	as	soon	as	practicable
after	reviewing	all	requested	documentation;
Retain	all	documentation,	including	documented	interviews,	related	to	the	adjustment	for	at	least	three	years	after
the	student9s	last	term	of	enrollment;	and
Presume	that	any	student	who	has	obtained	an	adjustment	for	unusual	circumstances	and	a	final	determination	of
independence	to	be	independent	for	each	subsequent	award	year	at	the	same	institution	unless--
The	student	informs	the	institution	that	their	circumstances	have	changed;	or
The	institution	has	conflicting	information	about	the	student9s	independence.
Documentation	is	critical	3	schools	must	ensure	that	any	supporting	documentation	they	collect	is	adequate	to
substantiate	the	student9s	circumstances.	Documentation	may	include	(but	is	not	limited	to)	the	following:
a	documented	interview	between	the	student	and	the	financial	aid	administrator;
submission	of	a	court	order	or	official	federal	or	state	documentation	that	the	student	or	student9s	parents	or	legal
Dependency	Overrides
HEA	Sec.	479A(c)	and	480(d)(9)
GEN-22-15.
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