The financial aid process seems confusing enough, but I’ve heard that net price calculators can be very off for small business owners because it is a more complex situation, and that normally the aid is much less than expected. What exactly accounts for the difference? are business assets the killer or is it business income? My parents own less than half, so its not ignored for FAFSA. Is there any way to accurately gauge how much more I would have to pay? This is for FA determined by schools using Profile. My parents get a salary as employees and then some extra from profits as an owner. Will this ruin my chances at FA if total yearly income is still pretty low?
The issue is that there are deductions allowed by the IRS for tax purposes that are not allowed by some schools fo financial aid purposes. In other words…some of the business deductions your parents have for their business can be added back in as income. This varies by college…as their formulas vary in terms of the info,they use…or not…to,determine institutional need based aid.
If there is a large difference between your parent gross income and their net income, it is likely because of these business deductions.
Can you give me some examples of large deductions that businesses might use?
Also, what about business equity? I think 5.7% of normal assets go towards an EFC, but what about business equity? Surely colleges can’t expect parents to sell their source of income to pay for college?
Deductions that can be added back in…cars and car expenses, cell phones, utilities, home offices, travel, food expenses. If your family owns a building for the business, some of the deductions for that could,also,be,added back in.
Lets say the only expenses are legitimate like cost of goods, salaries, rent, etc, would the NPCs be accurate?
@class0f2017 there is no way for any of us to answer your questions without seeing your parent’s tax returns. The deductions allowed by the IRS are “legitimate expenses”…but some schools don’t allow them for financial aid purposes.
You will also be required to include a value of the business. I don’t know how different colleges use this figure.
All of this might be moot. If your family income is at a certain threshold, you might not qualify for need based financial aid anyway.
There is nothing illegitimate about taking the deductions allowed by the IRS for a small business.
But the financial aid formulas are different than the tax return.
Is this business your parents only source of income (i.e. just their salaries as employees plus some ownership properties) or are their other factors (rental income, etc.)?
Sorry if I worded that wrong, but I meant legitimate for FA purposes such as rent or salaries as opposed to something like food or cell phones.
We do have a rental property with very low equity but quite a few deductions for repairs and maintenance. I have heard that only principle payments for the payments can be deducted, but I’m not too sure about that. Even if all of the rental income is added on to the salary and profits, it’s not even close to 100k so I think i should qualify for aid.
If your income is close to $100,000, you might not qualify for need based aid. You won’t qualify for federally funded grant money unless you are low income.
The equity in your rental property will be an asset. In addition, some of the deductions tak for that might not be allowed for financial aid purposes.
Are you low income? Is your family income below $50,000 a year…below $30,000 a year?
What can your family pay annually formula to attend college?
The amount of need based aid you might get is completely dependent on the policies of the colleges…and some are way more generous than others.
You also need to understand that the vast majority of colleges do NOT guarantee to meet full need for all students. Your colleges could gap you…meaning that your aid will not be sufficient to fulfill your need.
I’m pretty sure we are around 50-60k, so not low income but not too high. I plan on only applying to 100% need met schools for reaches and colleges where I can get merit for matches/safeties. Including the 5500 loan, we can afford around 10k-15k a year comfortably, with about 20k being max. I think this is reasonable for a 100% need met school but I am definitely looking toward some safe merit options too.
Good job spreading your targets around between FA and merit.
At this point, it sounds like you are a junior who has not yet taken the SAT or ACT. What were your PSAT results?
Once you have your SAT or ACT scores, you will be able to craft a more realistic application list. And you will also have a better idea of schools where guaranteed merit aid is a possibility.
I don’t have SAT/ACT scores yet and I’m waiting for this year’s PSAT scores. Do you think 10k-20k per year is a reasonable COA amount for a 50-60k salary at a 100% need met school? I did some NPCs with even higher numbers and it still was within the 10-20k range.
You are a HS junior now, right? The net price calculators are set up,for,the kiddos starting in Fall 2016. The schools will update them in the late summer, early fall for,your class. The updates will,reflect any changes in financial aid that the school might make. So…what you are seeing NOW might not even be the same as a year from now.
Is $10,000 a reasonable amount on your income? Probably.
Is that income your gross income or your net income?
Gross income
You need to have th money talk with your parents. It really doesn’t matter what the NPC says. What really matters is how much your parents can and will,lay annually for,you to,attend college.
Please discuss this with them.
Principal payments would NOT be a business deduction and would not be allowed in a financial aid calculation. Maybe you are thinking of interest expense.