Hi, I am a 21 year old college student not sure whether I count as independent or not.
I have lived at home with my parents for just under 6 months of the year, and made a little over $16000 last year. I lived at school for just over 4 months, and then lived on-site at a job for just over 2 months.
My parents pay for a few of my bills, and have paid me a monthly stipend in the past (around $200), but as far as I know didn't pay more than half my expenses. I am paying the majority of my school bill and housing costs.
When calculating my expenses:
Is living at my parents house for free count for them "paying" an expense? Does my portion of the grocery bill count as an "expense"?
What all counts as "expenses" for me that I payed? My parents did not give me more cash support than I made last year. Do I count all my school, food, etc.? I do know that any part of my school bill that is covered by scholarships/grants/birthday money from grandparents doesn't count as an expense, just the part that I payed.
They still pay for some of my bills (car insurance for $600 a year, medical bills for around $1000, and my phone bill which was $250 ish).
And, most importantly: will this screw up my health insurance?
