<p>Well last year, my EFC was 0. I got Pell Grant and 2 other grants. Everything was going fine. Well my father got a better job, and a tiny business which resulted in the EFC being 1851.</p>
<p>I'm not getting the max pell grant, I don't know if I'd get the same grants because quite frankly, my parents can't contribute 1851 dollars lol. Everything is for bills, gas and food. We don't even buy clothes or any luxury, everything is bills bills bills.</p>
<p>I'm worried that I won't get enough financial aid and there are enough problems already. </p>
<p>I know I have a grant to my name that is for students who's parents didn't go to college. Is it possible for me to get that grant when my EFC is that much, plus the Pell Grant? The grant would be around 1500 dollars.</p>
<p>Also if I do Work-Study would I get less grant money? </p>
<p>That 1851 is enough for a semester but really, my parents can't contribute that.. @_@</p>
<p>I'm in Florida going to a public university if that helps.. I have bright futures but it was cancelled this year (because I took a year off and I didn't reinstate myself... my fault) and I might get it next year because my grades still good and I reinstated today. It pays 94 dollars a credit hour while my school's credit hours are 159.81 each and it is rising every year. </p>
<p>in short : How to keep up my financial aid and not have it become less because of my parents making slightly more money?! D:</p>
<p>I didn't want to prove TOO much information but if it's needed I guess I can say more.. ty for reading</p>
<p>edit : I also put in how much my account money was due to this year's financial aid... should I erase it to 0? my checking account? did that affect my EFC?</p>
<p>First, I don’t think anyone can tell you the conditions attached to your first-generation grant…usually those are scholarships, though, and not affected by a slight rise in EFC. You should read whatever literature/website info that pertains to the grant. Is it from your school or an outside agency? Does it stipulate you must be Pell eligible, have an EFC of 0, or just have financial need?</p>
<p>Bright Futures should make up for most of the reduction in Pell next year. Work study will NOT reduce your Pell grant and will not affect your EFC for the following year, since work study earnings are reported, but not assessed, in the FAFSA formula. Most Pell-eligible students have to work, and many work both on and off campus.</p>
<p>There really isn’t any way to have your folks’ earnings excluded, unless you qualify for the Automatic 0 EFC which requires AGI under $31K and another qualifier like ability to file 1040A or EZ, dislocated worker status, or having qualified for a federal means-tested benefit (food stamps, TANF, free/reduced school lunch) within the past 2 years.</p>
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<p>If this money was a refund from student loans or grants, you should not report it on FAFSA. The instructions state that proceeds of student aid are not reported for FAFSA purposes:</p>
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<p>How much did you report for your account balances? Normally, you would never edit the asset fields since those are reported as of the date of the initial filing. However, if you made a mistake, you should probably correct it. Students have no asset protection allowance and student assets are assessed at 20% (assuming you didn’t qualify for the simplified EFC formula, which excludes assets). If you were given the option of whether or not to enter asset info, then you qualified and your assets didn’t impact your EFC…it was just additional info you provided.</p>
<p>I reported 4k (refund)… I also made a mistake on my exemptions… I put 1 instead of 3 lol. I think I’m going to get back a lower EFC after I re-edit my FAFSA. Though my parents are a little above the 31k mark. DAMN SO CLOSE! About 31,9xx</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware I wasn’t suppose to report my grants and stuff. Thank you so much.</p>
<p>If your $4000 bank balance is all from your refund then that should make about 800 difference if your assets were counted. The number of exemptions on the tax return won’t make a difference.</p>
<p>The Simplified EFC formula, which excludes assets, has an AGI limit of $50K (plus one of the other qualifiers I mentioned in connection with the Automatic 0 EFC info).</p>
<p>What do you mean by exemptions? Are you talking about number in household, number in college, or number of exemptions for tax purposes?</p>
<p>^^^ good point. Did you meet any of the other criteria sk8 mentioned? If your assets were already excluded by the formula (because parents filed a 1040a/ez or met one of the other requirements), then your assets won’t make any difference. But if you don’t meet the other requirements for simplified needs then your assets will make a difference.</p>
<p>"What do you mean by exemptions? Are you talking about number in household, number in college, or number of exemptions for tax purposes? "</p>
<p>The information on 1040, 6d. It says 3 but I put 1 because at the time my dad said it was just me but when I looked closer and at last year’s info… I should have put 3. Even if it doesn’t change anything I’d have to correct it.</p>
<p>Now I’m starting to think I put in the wrong gross of my parents income. There’s two different ones. One of them combined, and another is with them having a business account. It’s just like 2k more but would I have to include that in the grossed income or is that part of assets? On 1040 it has the two different figures… bah I really shouldn’t have rushed the FAFSA, I should have read what line to put. But the total was $31.9k. If not… $29k. </p>
<p>They have below the 54k assets that I saw on FAFSA.</p>
<p>1040A? The forms that I have in my hand say are 1040 and a page that says “1040A or 1040”, that’s all I know about that… lol</p>
<p>Is this your first time completing the FAFSA on your own? I STRONGLY recommend that you go through your SAR and compare the info you entered to what you should have entered, following the instructions given here:</p>
<p>If you’re verified you could be in for an unpleasant surprise if you’ve filed incorrectly. This is obviously important to you and you have thousands of dollars on the line…why would you rush through it? Take your time and do it the right way…it’s worth more than any wages you’ll see for a long time!</p>