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Sun 12 Apr, 2009 02:57 pm
I lied on the Fafsa. I started filling the form out on Thursday, when I wasn't married, and I got married on Saturday. Then I went to finish filling out the form the following Monday, and they asked if I was married that day. I lied and said no. If anyone wants to tell me how morally bankrupt I am, go ahead and have at it. You are entitled to your opinion. I won't be answering you because I don't really feel too guilty about this. It is arbitrary as far as I am concerned whether I was married 2 days before I completed the form or two days after. I really am just worried about whether I will be caught. I already know there are many who will say that I am a fool for lying on this. I am trying to get a loan, not any grants. I can call them this week and tell them I made a mistake, and it will be allright. Or-I just hope that I don't get checked. My tax return was filed under my name last year. I didn't make a lot of money. Neither did my husband. All his $ goes to child support anyway. I wonder if it is worth the risk. Supposedly a third of people get audited but i don't know if this is true. I could pay for college with a low interest credit card but I would rather not do that. My question is: Is it worth the risk? If they do search on my SS # can they see I got married? Are marriage licenses put on a database that way? Or are chances average that they won't check? (Next year of course I will say I am married when I apply to FAFSA.)
You can go on your FAFSA and edit any information anytime you want. They don't care if your married or not, they only care how much money the household brings in which would be you AND your husband. I'm sure they can look into if they wanted to. I put zero for every dollar amount on there (which is true) and the school kept sending me a paper to verify the information.
I think you should change it, if they do find out you can get in big trouble it says on the terms you agree and accpet that by submitting any false information you can face up to a $20,000 fine and 20 years in prison.
@BarbieQPickle,
Sounds like Barbie is correct
Quote:The penalties for lying on a financial aid application can include a fine of up to $20,000 and up to five years in jail. The federal government requires every school to verify at least 30 percent of the FAFSA applications it receives and many verify 100 percent
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06298/732578-298.stm
@Squirrely,
Off hand I do not think that they would come down on you hard for this even if they could indeed do so.
One interesting thing is that you just handed your new husband a gun to at least annoy you should your relationship not work out in the future.
Seem kind of dumb on your part not to had just full out the form before the wedding day however if this was an issue for you.
@BillRM,
I don't think they would either, but realistically they could if they wanted to. Regardless it is still a legal binding document and you should not lie on it, or any other form for that matter.
@Squirrely,
Get it fixed. It isn't worth worrying about for the rest of your life.
I fixed it. Didn't want to take the risk. Husband doesn't know I did this-that I lied about this, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Yeah, it was dumb that I didn't do it before the wedding, but the week before we got married was very busy and I forgot. All I wanted were loans, and if I don't qualify for a Stafford, I have such good credit that I'll be able to put it on a 6% interest credit card with a very high limit, so all is OK.
@Squirrely,
What are you going to school for? I'm in school as well right now and actually taking out a loan. You'd be better off trying to take out a student loan versus a line of credit. With the student loan you don't have to start paying it back until six months after you graduate. I'm not taking a stafford loan simply because it isn't enough money per year. A private student loan is a good idea and you can get them through any bank like Wells Fargo or pretty much any other one you can just google any bank and try and get one. Most of the credit lines you have to start paying back much much sooner regardless of if your done with school or not. You should look into private student loans, depending on how much your total cost of school will be. I'm really glad you changed your information on your FAFSA to.
@BarbieQPickle,
Student loans you cannot discharge under the bankrupted laws if need be however.
@BillRM,
Un huh, but those low credit card rates are not at all low if you're making anything close to the minimum payment. Rates can change, and usually do if someone starts running a high balance on a month to month basis. The banks have got to make up for the possibility that a certain number of borrowers may end up in bankruptcy, after all.
@BillRM,
Some of the loans you have up tp 30 years to pay off, and that is not including the time you are in school. I think with the credit card people will tend to use it for everything versus the student loan they will only use for school. I have went credit card crazy before. Besides I think by having a credit card with a really high balance on your credit report might not look good considering you never actually had the money in the first place, and now just owing it. My loan has this in the agreement " In order to discharge a Qualified Education Loan in bankruptcy, I must prove undue hardship in an adversary proceeding before the bankruptcy court." Hopefully everyone goes to school for something they can actually get a job doing or they probably will end up bankrupt!
@BarbieQPickle,
Good luck in trying to discharge a student loan debt in bankruptcy court for any reason!
And one of the main causes of education beyond HS becoming so costly having risen at more then double the rate of overall inflation is the student loans programs along with the poor judgement of young people in assuming such a debt load for any reason at least in my opinion.
You should have put that you were married because then you could have filed under indipendant status if you are under 24... but if your not it doesn't matter.
@Squirrely,
Whatever you end up doing is your business of course-but if I were you I would never put it on a card. Low interest cards can go to 20% in a hurry if you are late for one payment! That interest rate will not last-everyone forgets to make a payment on time once in a while( or finish the Fafsa) because we get busy. It's changed now-so move on. Oh and by the way-be honest with the new husband. If he is a jerk about it-run honey run!!!
@BarbieQPickle,
how can I find out if someone put my son on their fasfa form and claim they take care of him when they don't how do I prove that because I think they put my son on their fasfa form just to make themselves a independent which by law they are if they have a kid?? pleas help my email is here I need help thank you
[email protected]
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