Everything is the same from last year, how did the EFC increase?
Your FAFSA EFC increased? Or the amount the college expects you to pay increased?
If it’s the fafsa EFC…recheck each entered number for the current fafsa for accuracy. You should have been able to use the DRT. Did you?
We’re your assets the same?
What about parent assets?
ETA…how much did it increase?
I just looked at the report from this year and last year, and the EFC increased. I am guessing that it is the FAFSA EFC?
What are you looking at? The SAR from your FAFSA? Or your financial,aid,award?
yea the SAR
Did your EFC increase by $100 or $10,000.
A small increase could be reflective of asset differences.
The assets are the exact same as the year before? I find that hard to believe. Also, part of the FAFSA EFC calculation is based on the age of the oldest parent. That definitely changed from last year (although I think that an older parent is more beneficial for the EFC calculation). The asset protection allowance may have changed; the tax formula may have changed.
Did you have a sibling in college last year, but not this year?
How much was the EFC last year and how much this year?
But @BelknapPoint both this year and last year use the SAME tax form info. That should not have changed!
True; the things I mentioned above are not related to a tax form. When I say “tax formula” I mean the FAFSA formula that figures an allowance for taxes paid based on state of residence.
Hmmm…my DD did her fafsa in October. She used the DRT for her info…clearly…the same as 2015. Her assets were about $20 different. Her EFC per the SAR was exactly the same as last year.
But her EFC is…well…I think $0.
To the OP…what IS the difference?
If your EFC went from $500 to $5000, that is. Whole lot different than if it went from $500 to $800.
Has there been a change in household size? Were there 2 in college last year, but only 1 in college this year?
Income may be the same, but is it possible that parents assets have changed?? Those figures wouldn’t be the same unless both years the parents had exactly the same assets/savings.
no the number of students in college is the same. the difference is 1300. It isn’t much, but I still want to know why it would change. Everything is the same. I even compared the two.
number in household is the same?
You compared the entire two FAFSAs line by line?
Did the college request a W2? Did they maybe add back pretax retirement contributions that were missed last year?
No typos anywhere?
The only thing that changed on my D’s FAFSAs from last year to this year, is her savings account balance. That increased the EFC by $60. Otherwise the EFC would have been a bit lower thanks to increased parent income protection allowance.
You and your parents coincidentally had the exact same dollar amount in assets as the previous year?
^^ If you are on simplified asset reporting, it’s possible.
^Or if parent assets are under parent asset protection amount both years, then exact balances of parent assets don’t have to be reported.
Maybe THIS year the parent assets were ABOVE the asset protection allowance.