Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

Verifying Household Size

AwardYear: 1998 - 1998
ChapterNumber: 2
ChapterTitle: Required Verification Items And Acceptable Documentation
Section: Verifying Household Size
PageNumber: 1

As explained below, an applicant’s household size generally includes any persons who are dependents of, or who receive more than half of their support from, the applicant’s household. If the applicant completed a verification worksheet, no further documentation for this item is required. However, in lieu of the worksheet, you may accept a statement signed by the applicant (and at least one of the applicant’s parents, for dependent students), listing the names of the household members, their relationships to the applicant, and their ages.



For Dependent Applicants

For federal student aid purposes, the following persons may be included in the household size of the dependent applicant:

the applicant;

the applicant’s parents, excluding a parent not living in the household as a result of death, separation, or divorce;

the applicant’s parents’ other children,2 if they received or will receive more than one-half of their support3 from the applicant’s parents between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999;

the applicant’s children, if they received or will receive more than one-half of their support from the applicant’s parents between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999;

the applicant’s parents’ unborn child and/or the applicant’s unborn child, if that child will be born before or in the award year, and the applicant’s parents will provide more than one-half of the child’s support from the projected date of birth to the award year’s end; and

other persons, if they live with, and receive more than one-half of their support from, the applicant’s parents at the time of application and will continue to receive that support from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999.

For Independent Applicants

The following persons may be included in the household size of the independent applicant:

the applicant;

the applicant’s spouse, excluding a spouse not living in the household as a result of death, separation, or divorce;

the applicant’s dependent children, if they received or will receive more than one-half of their support from the applicant’s household between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999;

the applicant’s and/or spouse’s unborn child, if that child will be born before or in the award year, and the applicant and/or spouse will provide more than one-half of the child’s support from the projected date of birth to the award year’s end; and

other persons, if they live with the applicant and receive more than half their support from the applicant’s household at time of application and will continue to receive that support from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999.

When Verification of Household Size is Not Required

You do not have to verify household size in the following situations:

The student’s valid federal output document (SAR, SAR Information Acknowledgement, or ISIR) is received within 90 days of the date the application was signed.

The household size is the same as the number reported for, and verified in, the previous award year.

For dependent applicants: The parents are married, and the household size reported on the output document is three; or the parent is single, divorced, separated, or widowed, and the household size reported is two.

For independent applicants: The applicant is married, and the household size reported is two; or the applicant is single, divorced, separated, or widowed, and the household size reported is one.