<p>Thanks, @Kelsmom. :)</p>
<p>@pink997, email each school like kelsmom suggested. I found an EFC Quick Reference Table at Stratagee.com and it shows an EFC for an AGI of $165k at right around $40k. My concern for you is that your dad has $70k worth of “cash” income and $95k listed as “other income” on the tax form, which equals $165k of income. I suspect the NPC’s aren’t giving you an accurate information because they aren’t set up to deal with such a complicated situation. Definitely contact the colleges and let us know what happens. Good luck.</p>
<p>@thumper1 I understand it’s unlikely but it could be possible and as a matter of fact I have lived in VA and my dad does have a drivers licence but that doesn’t make much of a difference. I’ve emailed the domicile officer of W&M, I’ll see what he says about whether I’ll be considered an instate applicant. </p>
<p>@austinmshauri I’ll email each of them tomorrow. If my dad’s employer does help pay for college tuition (I’ll find out as soon as possible) then that EFC isn’t a problem, it’s only a problem if my dad needs to pay all that himself from his income of $70K. </p>
<p>Good. You have safeties lined up too, right @pink997?</p>
<p>Is the tuition paid by someone else is really considered as income? What happens if the boarding school tuition is a scholarship? Many colleges ask question about education costs for applicant and siblings and payment sources for that but whether they are considered as income by college is a different thing.</p>
<p>I think the op should use the AGI value on line 37 of the IRS 1040 form as taxable income. There are also various questions on the CSS profile about other benefits. Report all detailed info and let the colleges figure out. Incorrect answers could lead to double inclusion of the amounts and high EFC.</p>
<p>@coolweather there is an untaxed income and benefits line on the profile. That’s why it is there. @kelsmom has already provided the best advice - contact the schools.</p>
<p>^ Yes.</p>
<p>I encourage the student to also follow @austinmshauri 's advice. Make sure to include schools that are affordable without residency or expected need-based aid. </p>
<p>
Please get back to us and let us know if your dad’s employer helps to pay for college; it’ll be a new datapoint for the rest of us. </p>
<p>The general expat compensation philosophy is to provide the equivalent to what the employee can expect in the home country. In the US, that means free primary & secondary schooling, but not free tertiary schooling.</p>
Though in the home country, one could expect the option of paying tuition at the in-state rate at a public university.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek, so true. That is exactly the situation for my daughter and our family. Even the full $40,000 + of most OOS is high in our opinion. Fortunately she is a top student and has earned merit scholarships at a couple of schools so far, we are waiting to see if some other places come forward with admission and merit scholarships, and then we will make a decision about where she will end up going. The bottom line is going to be a huge factor in the final decision, especially since we have lived overseas where there are no employment opportunities for her or her expat peers to earn her own money (though she does give music lessons and play some gigs for cash from time to time). There are many schools that she would love to go to, and may even be a better fit than the ones where she will end up, but there is a financial reality and our biggest goal is to help her get through undergraduate school loan free.
Update
I got my dad to sit down and actually fill in the NPC properly - he was in a hurry the last time and never checked the help boxes. It turns out my dad was inputting his income value (minus expenses that are paid for) on the first box that asks about total wages, salaries etc. So the income value of $70K my dad was inputting was what he wrote on his tax return on line 19 - but the calculator asks to input the value on line 7. So my dad changed the value to the income on line 7 of his tax return - $113K (his total foreign earned income).
I also reported on here that the expenses that are covered are around $95K - well that’s wrong I misread it - my dad inputted that value on the line that asks about ‘‘other gains or losses’’ and that value is a loss so that brings down my dad’s total income & AGI (we have the same value for AGI as all the things you need to add on to bring up your AGI is 0 for us) to around $18K/year.
My dad said he doesn’t have any untaxed benefits/income and the things that qualify as untaxed benefits (as listed on the help section) don’t apply to us as my dad’s tax return says 0 for all those things. My dad said the expenses my dad’s company covers are around $43K/year - which leaves us with $70K/year - that $43K income is included in line 7 (so is part of the 113K total income) so the only issue we had in the first place was that my dad inputted the incorrect income value. Problem solved!
The values I got now are in the $11-20K range. Johns Hopkins & Wellesley came out as $11K and Georgetown/BC/Tufts/UVA are around $19-20K. My dad said that 20K is a slight stretch but he’ll manage. But our EFC for College of William & Mary is around $32K - definitely not affordable so this is coming off my list, unfortunately. Unless I get in-state tutition, not likely but I’m waiting for a reply from the Domicile Officer. I hope I do get instate rates, because I really do like W&M. I don’t want to take it off my list.
I am still waiting for replies from each college but as you can see my dad’s employer pays my dad whatever is left from the 113K after they pay for expenses. So it doesn’t even count as untaxed benefits. I forgot to ask my dad whether my dad’s employer will pay a portion of my college tuition but I’ll ask my mom today and I’ll inform you guys.
I’m extremely relieved! 
I ran the calculators for UVA & W&M as an instate applicant. If I do get in-state tuition - I won’t qualify for any grant aid (W&M) and only $58 for UVA. So my dad will need to pay $19K for UVA and $25K for W&M - if I accept the work study and loans they’re offering. I don’t think my dad can afford the $25K for W&M so there is no point in getting in-state tuition as we’ll still have to pay everything - W&M is most probably going off my list permanently 
. And as you can being instate for UVA make absolutely no different in terms of tuition as my dad will be paying the same amount IS & OOS. They only advantage of getting residency is that it’ll make getting into UVA easier.
Seems wrong that the $43k of personal expenses which the company pays is a deduction from AGI. It’s possible that these personal expenses will be added back to income for financial aid purposes, resulting in less need.
@Madison85 I’m not sure. But the calculator doesn’t even ask about AGI - it explicitly state NOT to put in your AGI but total income adjustments.
Please explain how an added financial benefit would actually be a loss. Or is this $95,000 a loss from something else?
For the Profile schools, your dad will need to likely provide documentation of these losses…especially since they just about equal his annual income. The colleges could also question your actual ability to live on a lower income…and some things might actually get added back in. This is not a problem as long as you can provide the documentation that supports this.
The Net Price Calculators are NOT NOT going to be accurate in your situation. They are not. NPCs are accurate for w2 wage earners with really no extenuating circumstances. You have some sort of high loss on those taxes (will,that be the case for 2014 also because that is what counts), compensation from an employer that is not income, and foreign income tax exclusions. These make the NPCs less than accurate.
I would strongly suggest you contact your colleges and see if any one of them can give you an “early read” on your financial aid…because your circumstances are unusual ones.
And I do hope there is a financial safety on your list.
I also would not count on in-state tuition for Virginia, since your dad hasn’t lived there in 2 decades.
I also would not count on FA as an OOS applicant to Virginia. FA for OOS students comes from privates grants and are limited in the number of awards.
@thumper1 It’s a loss from something else, not sure what and my dad isn’t willing to tell me so…But that value was on the line that say s ‘‘other gains or losses’’ so its definitely from something else.
What could possibly get added back in? My dad’s employer pays my dad 113K/year on the basis that 43K will be used to cover our expenses. Just like how if my dad earned an income in the US - he’d get paid X amount and use X amount to cover expenses. Same thing applies here - and that is why my dad’s total foreign income is calculated by the tax return as $113K. My dad will obviously provide the documentation for this, not worried about that as he did for his tax return - on the side it says that you need to attach ‘‘form 4797’’ if you’re going to report a loss or gain.
I see. I’ve emailed each school that I need aid from a couple of days ago. I do have a financial safety: UMN - TC. It’s tuition is $20K - my dad can pay that and I don’t need to add on the room & board costs because I’ll be commuting since my relatives live close by.
Depends on what that loss is. If it’s related to a business, it could easily get added back in.
Are you saying your parents had $93,000 in losses in 2013, and are expecting the same in 2014? If so, my guess is that WILL raise some questions in the financial aid office.