Okay, my mom’s EFC has always been zero. Her main source of income is child support. The problem with CSS is I have to include my NCP.
My dad has never contributed a penny to any of my brothers’ college education, so I’m worried colleges will want a lot from him.
Even though he doesn’t contribute anything to my brothers’ education, would I still get more aid because I’ll have 3 other siblings in college? (according to the CSS, NOT the FAFSA)
Are some of the siblings half-siblings? Are any in grad school or community college? Does your dad have a high income?
By the way, my dad only makes around 45k after child support, so it’s not like he’s loaded.
@Madison85
I have 7 siblings, all 100% blood related.
The problem is we don’t live with our dad, so they might want a lot. Every dollar matters.
Your dad earns $45,000. What does your mom earn?
First, you need to have some colleges that are FAFSA only or CSS Profile schools that do not require NCP data. For CSS schools, yes they will base your need on income of both parents, regardless if they will pay. That may mean you have to pay a bit more sure.If you apply to very generous colleges maybe it won’t matter because the income is still low with a lot of students in the household and you are Pell eligible likely. What did your brother do about the situation? You can include the info that no contribution was made for your brother and none is expected for you, but the colleges still base aid on both parent income unless there is no contact for extended period or some other compelling reason.
@thumper1 around 30k, basically low income.
But how much does he make before child support is subtracted? Alimony is deductible from AGI but child support is not. I realize you may not know the answer.
Are you a senior? What are your stats? Do the schools you applied to guarantee to meet 100% of need? If not, they will most likely be unaffordable.
@Madison85
around 73k before child support. I’m pretty sure it’s subtracted though?
Almost all of the schools I’m applying to claim to meet full financial need. I also applied to some SUNY’s just incase
So your dad pays $30,000 in child support? Or so? Is that in,chided in yoir mom’s total income?
@thumper1 Yes
Maybe a more experienced poster can chime in with the correct answer.
I don’t think you can have your cake and eat it too: it can’t be ignored on your dad’s end if it doesn’t count as income on your mom’s side? Child support is a personal expense. My husband and I support our kids but we don’t get to subtract that from our income for financial aid purposes.
So are you saying the only income your mom has is the child support your dad is paying? Just trying to understand what you mean.
@thumper1 My bad for not elaborating… She has a part time job and makes less than 8k in addition to the 30k child support. Her efc on the FAFSA is zero.
Well. For schools that require the NCP Profile, you will have to send it. And yes it will be counted.
if your dad hasn’t contributied to yoir sibling college costs, I hope you considered that when you crafted your college application list.
Just clarifying again. Your dad’s total income is $78,000 a year, and $30,000 gets sent to you for child support? This is not computing well for me. That is a very large amount of child support for that salary.
@thumper1 My dad is supporting all of my brothers and sisters through child support (all 8 of us). That’s why it’s so high
There are 8 kids in the family.
Ah.
ETA…Yoir dad makes $78,000, and $30,000 goes to child support. He also has taxes, FICA, etc taken out of his pay. To be honest, his take home is likely in the $40000 a year range…or so. How much did you expect him to be able to contribute to your college costs?
Where have you applied? What is your GPA and your ACT/SAT scores?
Patty29
Will your Dad fill out the NCP Profile? I would recommend trying the NPC of one of the schools that requires the NCP Profile - run it twice - once with your Dad’s income (it usually will ask what he pays in child support) and once with your Mom’s income (it will ask about untaxed income which should include child support). Add the EFC together and see what that total is. There will probably be student loans and student earnings so don’t double those amounts just count them once.
This may give you an idea of what the result might be. If you are applying to any 100% need met schools that require NCP Profile I think you will get a generous aid package based on the incomes and the size of your family. Has your Dad remarried? Does he have step children? That can effect the calculation too.
ALSO - once you do narrow down your choices make sure you ask what future financial aid will be as your siblings graduate from college - your aid could drastically decrease due to siblings graduating.
Good luck.