<p>
That’s not the pool I was referring to. Suppose for a moment that after the taxes all of the bonus $ went to pay off the medical bills. Before the bonus (which was unexpected) there must have been a “Plan A” with regards to paying the medical bills. Some other source of money or scheme. Then comes the bonus, and “Plan B” was to use that to pay the medical bills. Well, then the money from “Plan A” is still out there, waiting to be borrowed or whatever to pay for your ed. </p>
<p>Some people are seeing this as a major windfall for your family, but there can be situations where despite appearances you are no further ahead. We see it all the time here on cc where a student gets a large “outside” scholarship and the school immediately lops it off his need-based aid. If the aid wasn’t loans or work-study, the student has no net gain. The only one who wins is the school. </p>
<p>In this case, it seems like the government got a chunk and the school wants the rest, so they are the ones who win, and your parents have no net gain from the bonus. Unfortunate, but what can you do?</p>