<p>I seriously need help and advice. Please read this:</p>
<p>Long story short, I am transferring from a 2 year Florida college to Michigan Tech in January. 4 other universities in Michigan all had me verify the FAFSA and send them all copies of the tax returns and what not (I sent to all because that's just the way I am; to keep all options open). AND, my EFC remained 0. ZERO. So I said great, I can get $5000 pell grant and a 0 EFC shows I am definitely needy, so I'll receive even more aid most likely (from other sources of course). </p>
<p>So anyway, my college that I am at now, said "hey, why don't you go back on FAFSA and have your FAFSA sent here, because then we can credit you back for all the classes you've paid for this semester, and you can have some cash when it comes time to transfer for January." I said, OK, and went online to FAFSA and added the college here in FLorida. So now it's 2 weeks later, and I get an email from FAFSA saying that my FAFSA has had "corrections made." So I go online to the FAFSA site, and, my EFC has been raised to over $6000. I called FAFSA, and they could only say that it was the college here that changed something.</p>
<p>Well, aside from the fact that this will destroy my future because now I can't get pell grant and therefore SMART grant, and therefore cannot afford MTU's $25,000 annual rate, I guess all that I can say is, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?</p>
<p>I am going to my financial aid office tomorrow, but seriously, do you guys have any ideas what the hell happened? This is terrible I am unemployed as is my 55 year old single mother who is on workers comp and I am the first in family to go to college and I get ALL A's etc. etc. etc. Why do I get screwed?</p>
<p>I mean on her tax return she made $20,000 last year… I also made $20,000. I put both our savings at like $500 (which is basically true). Regardless, the other 4 universities all evaluated the EXACT SAME INCOME TAX RETURNS AND ALL OTHER FORMS, why did this little two year college in Florida kill my future my raising my EFC. I am not crazy, I am FREAKING OUT because the only thing I have IS MY COLLEGE FUTURE, which may now be nothing.</p>
<p>Print out your previous SAR and the new one that includes the changes. Go through it line by line to find out what they changed. Then come back and let us know and we will see if we can help. Hopefully it is an error on their part especially as you have been verified by the other schools.</p>
<p>Sounds like it is your income causing the increase. But if you are a dependent for FAFSA (are you under 24?) and your Mom’s income is $20,000 and she files a 1040a or 1040ez then you are eligible for the automatic 0 EFC. In that case your income is not considered. Is her tax return a 1040a or 1040ez? If she did not file a 1040a or 1040 but meet one of the other other criteria you could still qualify. </p>
<p>Don’t panic. If you have been verified by the other schools this is possibly a mistake on this school’s part.</p>
<p>Yeah I just turned 20 in September. I am dependent. I have her tax return in my hand. It is a form 1040 (not 1040a, does that matter?). Her EXACT income was $20,407… </p>
<p>I only have access to my current SAR, how to I get the previous one? (I’m sure I printed it originally and saved in my box of paperwork but would rather just go right to it on the web).</p>
<p>It should have them all. They list them as transaction #1, #2 etc.</p>
<p>The type of tax return can make a difference. One of the criteria for automatic 0 is that the parent be eligible to file a 1040a or 1040ez. Does your Mom know why she filed a 1040? Some tax return software automatically uses the 1040 even if the taxpayer is eligible to file a 1040a or 1040ez. The requirement is that the parent be eligible to file 1040a or 1040ez not that they actually do so. There is a list here of some things that may make her ineligible for 1040a or 1040ez
[FinAid</a> | FinAid for Educators and FAAs | Simplified Needs Test Chart](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/educators/needs.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/educators/needs.phtml)</p>
<p>If she is ineligible to file a 1040a or 1040ez the other criteria for the automatic 0 EFC are that Anyone included in the parents household size (as defined on the FAFSA) received benefts during 2008 or 2009 from any of the designated means-tested Federal benefit programs: the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, the Food Stamp Program, the Free and Reduced Price School Lunch Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); OR the students parent is a dislocated worker</p>
<p>Well she has her own business, but only made $2800 on top of her $17,000 or so from her real job. So I guess that’s why show filed just the 1040. We didn’t get any of the things in that list, except she is currently on workers comp. Does that count the same as a dislocated worker?</p>
<p>I just looked, and something I found right away was that most recent one doesn’t have my mom as a dislocated worker, but the last one (with EFC of 0) did. Is there some way that I can just ask my current school to forget that I ever asked for the aid? I mean, how does one school have the right to change my EFC when a bunch of other schools had it at 0? It makes no sense to me.</p>
<p>You need to ask the school why they changed her dislocated worker status. It seems odd especially as other schools have verified it and accepted it. Hopefully one of the FA officers that post here will also give some input. </p>
<p>FA officers do have the authority to change your FAFSA if you have put incorrect information. The question here is whether the information was wrong or whether they have made an incorrect correction.</p>
<p>Well everyone else had her as a dislocated worker. I really don’t even get why the FAFSA has to get verified more than once per year. I mean, MTU just got all of my FAFSA verification info, so are they just going to see “$6,000” and say “oh no aid for this guy” or are they going to verify it yet again. And do you think I can just remove history of the school here ever even accessing my FAFSA. It’s like they screwed me and I am not even going to get the refund from them. I am surely looking forward to going in there tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>Schools are required to verify a certain % of the FAFSAs they receive. If you submit to several schools they may all verify, or just some, or none. My son’s school verifies every FAFSA. My daughter’s has verified 2 out of 3 of hers.</p>
<p>No you can’t remove history of the school accessing your FAFSA. </p>
<p>First I would talk to the school that made the change and ask why they have changed your Mom to not dislocated worker. I don’t honestly know if workers comp would make her qualify.</p>
<p>If they won’t budge then talk to the schools that had verified and said all was ok. I *think *they can still accept the FAFSA as originally submitted if they believe it is correct.</p>
<p>*I mean on her tax return she made $20,000 last year… I also made $20,000. *</p>
<p>I have a dumb question, since I don’t know anything about this whole EFC 0 issue.</p>
<p>But if the student earns $20k, wouldn’t it make sense that schools would expect that about 25% of the student’s earnings be used towards his schooling? If not, how much can student earn w/o being expected to contribute to his own schooling? Can he earn $30k? $40? $50k?</p>
<p>If a student qualifies for the automatic 0 EFC based on parent’s income of $30,000 and other criteria then both parent and student assets and the student’s income is not considered at all. Does not matter what it is. This is for the FAFSA EFC and follows the FAFSA EFC formula. </p>
<p>Schools can certainly consider other financial information differently for their own institutional monies. But federal aid follows federal guidelines.</p>
<p>The thing is that that was all earned over last year. This year, because I had to quit my job to fly to Michigan for four months to drive my mother to near DAILY medical/legal/rehab etc. appointments for her injury/workers comp. So I’ve only made like $2,300 this year.</p>
<p>If it turns out there correction is correct it sounds like you would have a good case for a special circumstances adjustment. This is where a financial aid officer can make adjustments because of special circumstances such as loss of income and high medical bills.</p>
<p>Make sure you tell your financial aid officers *all *this information.</p>