<p>All good advice, but I agree with intparent. If you take this advice to the extreme, it would make sense to stop working altogether (or at least do what many low income families do around here - figure out the income level that gets you the most tax credits, and best government benefits, and stop working when you reach that each year).</p>
<p>That family that owns a $200,000 house outright do not often qualify for Pell grants - they had to earn the income used to pay for that house over time. And at least in our neighborhood, a $200,000 house is no mansion. More like a starter home, needing some work.</p>
<p>If you think your second job hurts you, try it with a higher base income. For every $10 I earn, $4 pays taxes (federal income tax, state income tax, social security, medicare…), and half of the remaining $6 adds to our EFC - so I take home $3, and get to pay any work related expenses from that. </p>
<p>You’re saying not to have your kid work - your kid can work and earn up to $6000, before it gets dinged toward EFC. Perhaps your kid should work a bit, rather than you getting an extra job. Yes, it can take time away from stidying, but good students seem able to find a way to study more efficiently, and can benefit from learning better time management.</p>
<p>The financial aid system was designed to help people, not give handouts. If you don’t qualify for Pell grants, celebrate the fact that you are in a better financial position than those who do. Celebrate that you’re not wondering how you’re going to decide between paying to heat your home or feed your kids next week. Rants about how you don’t get as much “free” money as last year is a real turn-off to those of us expected to come up with $25,000 per year for our kids to attend a local state school, because that free money doesn’t grow on trees - it comes out of our paychecks.</p>