?-Automatic $0 EFC from Free Lunch status

Paying for College
1

<p>Our family qualified for Free & Reduced Lunch (F&RL) status when D2 was in HS. During her most recent FAFSA, we were able to answer yes to question 76.</p>

<p>Last year, question 76 on the FAFSA said:
Select the appropriate check box if your parents or anyone in your parents' household received any of the following during 2011 or 2012:
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Free or Reduced Price Lunch
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)</p>

<p>Fast forward. Now, D2 (last child) is a Sophomore in college. We received the F&RL qualifying letter for her in Sept of 2011 (her Sr. yr in HS) and the benefits continued until she graduated in May, 2012.</p>

<p>Here's my question: Assuming the next FAFSA uses the time period "2012 or 2013", will we be able to answer yes to that question? In other words, even though her qualification started in 2011, her letter was in force until she graduated in 2012. </p>

<p>If FAFSA asks about 2012 & 2013, I'm just not sure if the (F&RL) benefit we received is considered a 2011 benefit, or if it can be considered a 2012 benefit, since it carried over throughout the last 5 months of HS, which was in 2012.</p>

<p>Sorry if this is confusing. Thanks for any help. :)</p>

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<p>^I think it can be considered as 2012 benefit.</p>

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<p>You will fill out the FAFSA for school year 2013-2014 using information for tax year 2012. </p>

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<p>Hopefully Kelsmom will come on the thread and answer as to how long must a student have the benefit.</p>

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<p>2013-2014 is the CURRENT academic year. Are you asking about 2014-2015…a year from now?</p>

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<p>I think that they also look at the year that your daughter is in school. For the 2012-2013 school year your daughter was a college student. Where as in 2011/2012 she also had to out down the name of the high school she was attending</p>

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<p>Thank you for your replies. I’m talking about the FAFSA we will complete AFTER Jan 1, 2014. This will be for the 2014-2015 school year.</p>

<p>The means test (on the yet, unpublished FAFSA) will probably refer to “2012 or 2013”. We did RECEIVE the F&RL benefit during the 1st 5 months of 2012, though it was AWARDED in Fall, 2011. </p>

<p>I am hoping we satisfy this portion of the requirement, but that is the question for me as I think ahead to the upcoming FAFSA cycle.</p>

<p>FWIW, it looks like we will also satisfy the <$24,000 requirement (#2 on the list above).</p>

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<p>The Jan 2014 fafsa will pertain to income assets for the calendar year 2013
However, The 2013 Fafsa states that you can say yes if you received these benefits at any time during 2011/2012</p>

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<p>The question the OP is asking about does say this in the 2014-15 formula guide which is out:</p>

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<p><a href=“http://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/091913EFCFormulaGuide1415.pdf[/url]”>http://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/091913EFCFormulaGuide1415.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>In the absence of it saying the 2012-13 school year, I believe it refers to calendar year and the OP can answer yes.</p>