<p>Both of my parents are deceased, making me an independent student. My income for the year was 14500. I haven't filed my taxes for the year yet but I have paid in $1030 for income taxes (I am expecting at least a partial refund once I file), plus approximately $1200 for social security, medicare taxes, etc. I have no assets (well, 500 in the bank).</p>
<p>I did receive food stamps for a short time during this year (I thought that automatically made my EFC zero?).</p>
<p>My EFC is 2500...this seems awfully high to me.</p>
<p>Is there something that I am missing? This is the first year that I have filed the FAFSA as an independent student. But last year I had roughly $9,000 of income and my parents had roughly $21,000 and my EFC was 0.</p>
<p>Also, there is a question on the FAFSA that I am not quite sure how to answer..."Is the student, or was the student in legal guardianship as determined by a court in Washington at the time the student received the determination?" Well, currently I am petitioning the court to become the legal guardian of my younger sister, but this has not come through yet and so I am not sure how to answer the question, or what the question is even referring to.</p>
<p>Unfortunately an independent student with not dependents other than a spouse is not eligible for the automatic 0 EFC. Only dependent students whose parents make <$30k and independent students who themselves have a dependent (other than a spouse).</p>
<p>An independent student has about $7000 in income protection plus allowances for taxes, FICA etc. Anything over than that 50% goes to the EFC. </p>
<p>The guardianship question is about whether you are in legal guardianship. </p>
<p>If you become the legal guardian of your younger sister then I would think she may would your dependent for FAFSA purposes. I’m not sure. Hopefully Kelsmom or Nikkil will see this and have some insight.</p>
<p>Even though I will become my sister’s legal guardian, I am technically not going to be providing more than half of her support (social security will). So I am not sure if she will count as my dependent on the FAFSA?</p>
<p>UW student–my condolences to you, and my admiration for you taking on your sister’s guardianship.</p>
<p>I’m not a FA expert, but I’m wondering if the EFC reflects the fact that SS might be assessed differently from other income (not sure, that’s why I hope the experts come by.) I know that my SS torpedoed my aid situation back when I was in college, the 70s(don’t get me wrong; I was glad to get it, but since my mom was using it to pay the mortgage, it made my FA situation very difficult). But back then, you could get it till 21 if you were in school. For you, I assume that’s not true, hence possibly that may change your EFC for next year.</p>
<p>You don’t have to report untaxed SS income on FAFSA anymore. That change happened last year.</p>
<p>I am not sure how the SS will affect your sister as far as her being your dependent for tax purposes and for FAFSA purposes. I would have thought she could still be your dependent but am not honestly sure. My daughter received SS because her dad was already getting his pension before she turned 18. We still claimed her as a dependent.</p>
<p>Yes, currently I am receiving no SS because I am over 18, my sister does get it, but this money is not in my name. All 14500 was received from working full time between january and september, when I started school. I took a year off after graduating high school to work.</p>
<p>My EFC is 2500…this seems awfully high to me.</p>
<p>Remember, that will considered against an entire Cost of Attendance, not just tuition. COA includes “personal expenses and transportation,” so surely you are already spending $2500 a year on personal expenses. Right? so that doesn’t sound like a “new expense” for you.</p>
<p>I may be wrong (others correct me), but if your chosen school has a COA of - say - $20k (for tuition, room, board, books, transportation and personal expenses), and you get $17,500 in aid, then the remaining $2500 that you would be responsible would be for costs that you’re already paying for (personal expenses and transportation.)</p>
<p>Adding my condolences, and probably unable to help you. I agree it seems like a lot to pay, if compared to someone WITH parental income (however small)! So I have no info and I know you’re not here to get pats on the back, but I’ll give them anyway. </p>
<p>I was orphaned at age 5 and. I was fortunate (or not, depending on your definition) to be raised by various aunts/uncles. But my older siblings did everything they could and continue TODAY to help me. There is nothing like family and I’m SO excited that you’re taking on a task that is bigger than you know. AND…that you’re trying to go to college! Without parents, there was no one to tell me I should go. My high school counselor was completely useless. Now, with the internet…here you are trying to research and figure out and STAY IN SCHOOL. I didn’t go to college and it’s THE biggest mistake of my life (and, trust me, I’ve made PLENTY of others). Keep at it, it’s the right thing to do. And hopefully little sibling will see it’s hard, work hard at school, and maybe get a scholarship to an in state institution. Best of luck and I hope you get this cleared up favorably.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s not that I can’t pay it…2500 isn’t that much to take out in loans…it’s just that with my income and everything I wasn’t expecting to see anything except a zero EFC. I was thinking what box did I forget to check? But swimcatsmom explained that there were different rules about how the EFC was calculated for independent students.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s necessarily true, but you have to have a really low income to hit 0 EFC. </p>
<p>The sad part is, for some reason the Department of Education is really screwing people over with Fafsa.</p>
<p>Let’s say you get an EFC of $2500. Let’s assume your cost of attendance is $25000 a year. Minus the EFC, you still have $22500 that you don’t have the money for. For some reason, with a 2500 EFC, my Pell grant got docked $1500. $1500! Yet my cost of attendance is STILL over $15000. I really don’t see the justification in this.</p>
<p>^ The cost you pay for school is not the fault of the DoE. Many students will work their way through school and attend a CC for the first couple of years. It is a shame that school costs have gone up so much more quickly than FA amounts, but that is also not the fault of the DoE.</p>
The Pell grant is entirely driven by your EFC - not by the school COA or anything else. Someone with a 0 EFC gets the maximum Pell of $5350 (2009-2010 #s). As the EFC goes up the Pell goes down, until at an EFC >4617 (2009-2010) there is not Pell eligibility. The amount of Pell eligibility will be the same for a student at a community college costing $8000 a year as it would be for that same student at a school costing $40,000 a year. If he is eligible for $3000 at school A then he is eligible for $3000 at school B. That is how the Pell works.</p>
<p>*But last year I had roughly $9,000 of income and my parents had roughly $21,000 and my EFC was 0.
*</p>
<p>Yes, it’s not that I can’t pay it…2500 isn’t that much to take out in loans…it’s just that with my income and everything I wasn’t expecting to see anything except a zero EFC. I was thinking what box did I forget to check? But swimcatsmom explained that there were different rules about how the EFC was calculated for independent students.</p>
<p>I’m confused. Are you currently at UW? </p>
<p>Are you commuting to school? </p>
<p>You mention that you’ll become the legal guardian to your sibling. Does that mean you sibling will be living with you while you’re in college?</p>
<p>When you add Misc & Travel, that equals $2,770. That is less than your EFC of $2500.</p>
<p>Others can correct me if I’m wrong, but this is what I’m thinking…</p>
<p>You earn about 9k per year. Aren’t you spending some of that money on car, gas, and misc? So, why would you need to borrow your EFC? You’re already paying your EFC by paying for these things out of pocket, right?</p>
<p>What did your aid package look like this year? I don’t think it will be any less next year than it is this year, unless they have been giving you $19,000 in free cash.</p>
<p>If the OPs EFC was 0 last year and is 2500 this year then the aid package will likely be very different unfortunately. With a 0 EFC he would be eligible for the maximum Pell grant of $5350 (2009-2010 figures). With a 2500 EFC his Pell will be reduced to $2900. Also a lot of schools award SEOG grant money only to students with 0 EFC. So if he had SEOG he might lose that also. I know if my daughter’s EFC were to increase from 0 to 2500 she would lose $5450 in grant money - $2450 in Pell grant, $2000 in SEOG, and $1000 in a state grant (whose EFC cut off is 1700). And at her school that lost $5450 in grant money would not be replaced with grant money as her State U has no institutional grant money so it would have a massive impact on her aid package. </p>
<p>The OP is in the unfortunate situation of being much worse off as an independent student than he was before. I hope he is at a school that may have institutional grant money available and that they will work with him. OP - you should talk to your FA office about your situation.</p>
<p>*An independent student has about $7000 in income protection plus allowances for taxes, FICA etc. Anything over than that 50% goes to the EFC. *</p>
<p>So, the OP’s EFC was hurt by his/her 2009 income of $9k. But, according to above, wouldn’t the OP’s EFC be $1000, instead of $2500? Or am I figuring that wrong?</p>
<p>If the OP earned $9k, then they are saying that that MORE than 100% of the earnings over $7k is going towards the EFC. Is there some mistake? Can the OP ask for some kind of correction?</p>
<p>Otherwise, there’s no point in the OP earning more than $7k in 2010 if it’s going to raise her EFC to a greater amount than the difference of her earnings. A negative incentive to earn money!</p>
<p>BTW…the way that is worded…do you mean that the OP can earn $7k PLUS taxes & FICA? If so, it sounds like the income is ok, and the EFC should be 0 (or near 0).</p>
<p>*I have paid in $1030 for income taxes (I am expecting at least a partial refund once I file), plus approximately $1200 for social security, medicare taxes, etc. *</p>
<p>Ahh…you’re right…I misread that. When s/he said “But last year I had roughly $9,000 of income,” I thought she meant for 2009; I see now s/he meant for 2008. (note to self…always wear reading glasses! )</p>
<p>$14,500…Well, that’s a lot of income for an undergrad. </p>
<p>I hope the OP posts what his/her FA package looked like last year, so we can see what will likely get cut or eliminated. </p>
<p>OP…have you made UW aware that both your parents are recently deceased?</p>
<p>Does anyone know how generous UW is for in-state kids with lowish EFCs?</p>
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