veteran,	or	will	be	one	by	June	30,	2026.	Students	should	provide	the	financial	aid	office	at	their	school	a	copy	of	their
DD214	(the	Certificate	of	Release	or	Discharge	from	active	duty,	with	<Character	of	Service=	as	anything	but
<dishonorable=).	If	it	shows	that	the	student	is	a	veteran,	they	can	receive	aid	as	an	independent	student.	If	a	National
Guard	member	or	a	reservist	who	served	on	active	duty	(for	other	than	training)	did	not	receive	a	DD214	but	can	obtain	a
letter	from	a	superior	officer	that	documents	the	call-up	to	active	duty	and	that	classifies	the	character	of	service	as
anything	but	<dishonorable,=	the	student	will	be	considered	a	veteran	for	FSA	purposes.	If	the	VA	match	problem	is	due	to
an	error	in	the	VA9s	database,	the	student	should	contact	the	VA	and	correct	the	error.	Once	the	error	is	corrected,	you
may	request	to	resend	the	application	to	agency	matches	on	the	FAFSA	Partner	Portal.	A	subsequent	transaction	will	then
reprocess	the	match	with	the	VA.
If	the	student	is	not	a	veteran	and	will	not	be	one	by	June	30,	2026,	they	must	correct	their	answer	to	Question	5	and
invite	at	least	one	parent	to	contribute	to	their	FAFSA	form.
Children	and	Legal	Dependents
Students	who	have	legal	dependents	are	independent.	Legal	dependents	include	children	or	other	people	(except	a
spouse)	who	meet	all	the	following	criteria:
They	live	with	the	student	(or,	in	the	case	of	children,	live	apart	from	the	student	due	to	a	qualifying	temporary
absence	under	IRS	code,	such	as	living	apart	due	to	college	enrollment).
They	currently	receive	more	than	half	of	their	support	from	the	student.
They	will	continue	to	receive	more	than	half	of	their	support	from	the	student	between	July	1,	2025,	and	June	30,
2026
If	one	or	both	of	a	student9s	parents	are	directly	or	indirectly	providing	more	than	50%	support	in	cash	or	other	assistance
to	the	student9s	child,	then	the	student	could	not	claim	to	have	a	legal	dependent	who	receives	more	than	half	of	their
support	from	the	student.	<Indirect	support=	includes	support	that	a	parent	gives	to	the	student	on	behalf	of	the	child.	If
the	student	is	living	with	a	parent	who	is	paying	for	most	of	the	household	expenses,	the	parent	would	usually	be
considered	the	primary	source	of	support	to	the	student9s	child,	and	the	student	should	not	indicate	they	have	legal
dependents.	However,	there	may	be	some	cases	where	the	student	can	demonstrate	that	they	provide	more	than	half	of
their	child9s	support	even	while	living	at	home	with	their	parents,	in	which	case	the	student	could	indicate	they	have	legal
dependents.
If	the	student	receives	money	or	other	support	for	the	legal	dependent	from	sources	other	than	their	parents,	the	student
may	count	it	as	part	of	their	support	to	the	child.	Sources	include	government	programs,	such	as	Temporary	Assistance
for	Needy	Families	(TANF)	and	Supplemental	Nutrition	Assistance	Program	(SNAP),	that	provide	benefits	for	dependent
children.	So,	a	student	may	be	considered	independent	when	the	benefit	they	receive	is	the	primary	support	for	the	child.
However,	child	support	received	from	a	noncustodial	parent	cannot	be	counted	as	part	of	the	student9s	support	to	the
child.
When	a	student	completes	a	FAFSA	form	after	the	award	year	has	begun	and	indicates	they	have	a	legal	dependent	who
is	not	the	student9s	child,	the	support	already	given	by	the	student	during	the	award	year	plus	the	future	support	for	the
remainder	of	the	award	year	must	total	more	than	50%	for	the	whole	award	year	for	the	individual	to	meet	the	definition
of	a	legal	dependent.
Legal	Dependent	Examples
AVG,	Chapter	2,	Example	1:	A	student	and	their	disabled	sibling	currently	live	together.	The	sibling	receives	a
small	disability	payment	each	month,	but	the	student	provides	more	than	50%	support	for	the	sibling	and	expects
to	continue	to	do	so	through	the	award	year.	The	sibling	is	considered	a	dependent	of	the	student	and	can	be
included	in	the	student9s	family	size	on	the	FAFSA	form.	The	student	is	also	an	independent	student	due	to	having
a	legal	dependent.
AVG,	Chapter	2,	Example	2:	The	same	student	and	disabled	sibling	currently	live	together	and	expect	to
continue	to	do	so	through	the	award	year.	The	sibling	receives	a	small	disability	payment	AND	a	pension	payment
each	month.	The	combination	of	the	pension	and	the	disability	payment	will	be	enough	that	the	student	won9t	be
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