Central Washington University | Financial Dependency Status

Financial Dependency Status

Financially Dependent Students

Students who are financially dependent upon parents or legal guardians must provide documentation to prove their parents/legal guardians have established a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington. To be considered, parents/legal guardians must have a qualifying status to apply.
Parents/legal guardians must provide the following documentation showing they meet the conditions:

1. Established a bona fide domicile in the state of Washington. Please reference Residency Requirements, guidelines 1 & 2.

2. Claim the dependent student on the most recent U.S. Federal Income Tax Return (page listing dependents claimed and signature page).

Legal guardianship: Sufficient documentation is required to verify the guardianship is valid.
Dependent students whose parents/legal guardians are either divorced or legally separated may be classified as residents as long as they are claimed by one of the parents/legal guardians and at least one parent/legal guardian has established bona fide domicile in Washington State.
The student and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will need to complete the Residence Questionnaire Application. Student’s information will be completed on page one. Parent(s)/legal guardian(s)’ information will be completed on page two (Section 3). Both student and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must sign and date the Statement of Intent (page two).
This process requires documentation of residency from the Washington resident parent(s)/legal guardian(s) and taxes from the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) who claims the student. Students’ documentation is not required.

Financially Independent Students

For Students 25 Years of Age or Younger (Single/unmarried)

To be considered financially independent, students must meet the following criteria:

Parents/legal guardians are not claiming student as a dependent on the Federal Income Tax returns for the current and prior calendar year.
Students are paying at least 51% of their total expense independently (including out-of-state tuition and living cost) for the current calendar year and previous calendar year.

Documentation to provide along with the Residency Questionnaire Application:

1. A copy of the student’s most recent tax return.

2. A copy of the parents’ most recent tax return (page listing dependents claimed and signature page).

3. Verification of student’s earnings to prove financially independent status (reference FAQs or see below for more details).

4. Documentation proving student has established bona fide domicile (see below).

Disclaimer: This appeal process is for residency consideration only. For questions about dependency status on the FAFSA or WASFA, contact the Financial Aid Office.

For Students 25 Years of Age or Younger (Married/Domestic Partnership)

To be considered financially independent, a marriage or domestic partnership must be in place for at least one calendar year prior to the quarter of application.

Documentation to provide along with the residence questionnaire application:

1. Proof of marriage or domestic partnership (e.g. certificate)

2. Documentation proving student has established bona fide domicile (see below)

To Establish Bona Fide Domicile

See Residency Requirements. Financially independent students must meet items 1-4 of residency requirements to establish bona fide Washington State domicile.

For more specific information on bona fide domicile, please reference the Residency FAQs.

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