<prompt> Human: Hey there everyone, I recently got part-time job at 9hour, and Im worried that getting this job might actually hurt my financial aid. At the currently moment, my EFC is at 0000, and my parents make about 10,000. My parents dont pay for my tuition at all, so Im completely dependent on grants and scholarships. If I were to work for a whole year at this wage, I would be making 8,000 - 10,000 at year. So if I continued to be a dependent, I would pretty much be doubling my parents salary. Im afraid that it might affect their housingwelfarefood stamps. So would it be better to just file independently? Or would it be best to just quit the job after the summer, continue as a dependent, and increase my parents annual salary for this year by 2000? Thanks for giving me your time!  <response>: I believe there are differences between what counts as a dependent for the FAFSA and IRS. For the IRS, your parents need to contribute 50 or more of your financial support. I do not think the FAFSA has that requirement. 