Education calculators

FAFSA Calculator

Updated Jul 24, 2026 By Jehan Wadia
Rate Formulas
Household Setup
Tell us about the student's status and household basics.
Is the student independent for FAFSA purposes?
Parent marital / family status
Affects the state tax allowance against income.
Enter a household size between 1 and 20.
Enter between 1 and 10.
Parent Financial Information
Reported for dependent students only. Values reference the parents' 2025 tax return.
Enter an age between 18 and 100.
Turn off to enter an estimated total income instead.
$
IRS Form 1040, Line 11.
$
IRS Form 1040, Line 24.
$
Form 1040, Lines 1a–1h.
$
Second earner's wages.
$
Not reported on the tax return.
$
Exclude retirement accounts & primary home.
Report net worth of all businesses and family farms (current FAFSA rules).
Grants in AGI, education credits, combat pay, etc.
Estimated Total Parent Contribution $0
Student Financial Information
The student's own income and assets. Student assets are assessed at a higher rate than parent assets.
Turn off to enter estimated income.
$
IRS Form 1040, Line 11.
$
IRS Form 1040, Line 24.
$
Form 1040, Lines 1a–1h.
$
Not reported on the tax return.
$
Assessed at 20%.
Estimated Student Contribution $0

Your Estimated Student Aid Index

Contribution Breakdown

Parents' Contribution $0
+
Student's Contribution $0
Estimated SAI $0
Your Estimated SAI
2026–2027 Academic Year
$0
The SAI is not what you pay — colleges use it to gauge your financial need. A lower SAI means more potential aid.

Aid Eligibility Scale

High eligibility (SAI < $6,000) Moderate ($6,000–$20,000) Limited ($20,000–$60,000) Minimal / none (> $60,000)

Federal Pell Grant Indicator

You may be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant.
The Pell Grant is a need-based federal grant (max ≈ $7,395/yr) that does not need to be repaid. Eligibility here uses a maximum SAI threshold of $6,206 for 2026–2027.

What This Means

Estimate Your Financial Need

$
Tuition, fees, housing, books & living costs.
Estimated Financial Need (COA − SAI) $0
Financial need is your maximum grant + subsidized-loan eligibility. Actual aid depends on your school.

Formula Breakdown

Contribution Components

Step-by-Step Solution

This is a simplified estimate of the 2026–2027 federal SAI formula. Complete the official FAFSA at studentaid.gov to receive your official Student Aid Index.

Introduction

The FAFSA uses a formula to figure out how much money your family can pay for college. The result is called your Student Aid Index (SAI). Schools use your SAI to decide how much financial aid you can get, including grants, loans, and work-study. A lower SAI means you may qualify for more aid.

This free FAFSA calculator estimates your SAI for the 2026–2027 school year based on the federal formula. Enter your family's income, assets, and household size to get your estimate in seconds. The tool also shows whether you may qualify for a Federal Pell Grant and breaks down every step of the math so you can see exactly how your number is calculated.

This calculator is for planning purposes only. To get your official SAI, you must complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov.

How to Use Our FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) Calculator

Enter details about your household, parent finances, and student finances below. The calculator will estimate your Student Aid Index (SAI) for the 2026–2027 school year. The SAI tells colleges how much aid you may need.

Household Setup

Independent or Dependent: Choose whether the student is independent or dependent for FAFSA purposes. Students who are 24 or older, married, veterans, or graduate students are usually independent. Veterans may also want to explore the GI Bill Calculator and GI Bill BAH Calculator to estimate education benefits they have earned through military service. Dependent students must report parent information.

Parent Marital Status: Pick the option that matches the parents' current status. Choose married or remarried, single or divorced or widowed, or unmarried but living together. This controls whether you enter income for one or two parents.

State of Legal Residence: Select the state where the family legally lives. This sets the state tax allowance used in the formula.

Number in Household: Enter how many people the parents support, including the student. Count anyone who gets more than half their support from the parents.

Children in College: Enter how many children in the household attend college at least half-time. Do not count the parents.

Parent Financial Information

Age of Oldest Parent: Enter the age of the older parent. Older parents get a larger asset protection allowance.

Filed a Tax Return: Turn this on if the parents filed a U.S. tax return. Turn it off to enter an estimated income instead.

Parent Adjusted Gross Income (AGI): Enter the parents' combined AGI from IRS Form 1040, Line 11. This is the main income number used in the formula. If you need help determining your AGI, try our AGI Calculator.

Parent Income Tax Paid: Enter the total federal income tax paid from IRS Form 1040, Line 24. This amount is subtracted as an allowance. You can use our Income Tax Calculator to estimate this figure if you have not yet filed.

Estimated Parent Total Income: If no tax return was filed, enter the best estimate of all parent income here instead of AGI.

Parent 1 Income Earned: Enter wages, salaries, and tips for the first parent. This is used to calculate payroll taxes and the employment expense allowance.

Parent 2 Income Earned: Enter wages for the second parent if there are two parents in the household. Leave at zero for single-parent households.

Parent Untaxed Income: Enter any parent income not on the tax return. This includes untaxed IRA distributions, tax-exempt interest, and child support received.

Parent Cash, Savings, and Investments: Enter bank balances, stocks, bonds, and real estate that is not the primary home. Do not include retirement accounts or the family home. Our Net Worth Calculator can help you tally these assets.

Business or Farm: Turn this on if the parents own a business or farm. Then enter the net worth of that business or farm.

Aid or Income Adjustments: Turn this on if the parents have special adjustments like education credits, grants included in AGI, or combat pay. Enter the total amount to subtract.

Student Financial Information

Student Filed a Tax Return: Turn this on if the student filed a U.S. tax return. Turn it off to enter an estimated income instead.

Student AGI: Enter the student's own adjusted gross income from IRS Form 1040, Line 11.

Student Income Tax Paid: Enter the student's federal income tax paid from IRS Form 1040, Line 24.

Estimated Student Total Income: If the student did not file a tax return, enter the best estimate of total income here. Our Annual Income Calculator can help you add up earnings from multiple jobs or part-time work.

Student Income Earned: Enter the student's wages, salaries, and tips. The formula protects the first $11,510 of student income.

Student Untaxed Income: Enter any student income not reported on a tax return, such as child support received.

Student Cash, Savings, and Investments: Enter the student's own bank balances and investments. Student assets are assessed at 20%, which is higher than parent assets. Use our Savings Calculator to project how account balances may grow before the aid year begins.

Student Business or Farm: Turn this on if the student owns a business or farm and enter its net worth.

Student Aid or Income Adjustments: Turn this on if the student has special income adjustments to subtract.

Cost of Attendance

Cost of Attendance (COA): Enter the total yearly cost of the college, including tuition, fees, room, board, books, and living expenses. The calculator subtracts your SAI from this number to estimate your financial need. You can check a school's Net Price Calculator page to find its published COA.

Press Calculate SAI to see your results. The output includes your estimated SAI, a Pell Grant eligibility indicator, an aid eligibility scale, a full formula breakdown, and a step-by-step explanation of how your SAI was calculated.

What Is the FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI)?

The FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is a form students fill out each year to apply for financial aid for college. The U.S. Department of Education uses the information on this form to figure out how much help a student can get. This includes grants, loans, and work-study programs.

When you submit a FAFSA, the government calculates a number called the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI replaced the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting with the 2024–2025 school year. Your SAI is not the amount you have to pay for college. Instead, it is a number that colleges use to decide how much financial aid to offer you.

How the SAI Works

A lower SAI means you may qualify for more aid. The SAI can go as low as -$1,500. If your SAI is below $6,206 for the 2026–2027 school year, you may qualify for a Federal Pell Grant, which is free money you do not have to pay back.

Colleges find your financial need with a simple formula: Cost of Attendance (COA) minus your SAI equals your financial need. For example, if a school costs $40,000 a year and your SAI is $10,000, your financial need is $30,000. The school then uses that number to build your aid package, which may include grants, student loans, and work-study.

What Affects Your SAI

The SAI formula looks at several things from both the student and their parents (if the student is a dependent):

  • Income — wages, salaries, and other earnings reported on tax returns. Use our Salary Calculator or Take Home Pay Calculator to understand your earnings before entering them here.
  • Assets — money in bank accounts and investments (not retirement accounts or your primary home). Retirement funds in a 401(k) or Roth IRA are excluded from the FAFSA asset calculation.
  • Household size — how many people the parents support
  • Taxes and allowances — payroll taxes, state taxes, and a basic living allowance are subtracted from income before the formula runs

Student assets are assessed at a higher rate (20%) than parent assets (up to 12%). Under the current FAFSA rules, the parent contribution is no longer divided by the number of children in college at the same time.

Dependent vs. Independent Students

A dependent student must report parent financial information on the FAFSA. An independent student does not. You are usually considered independent if you are 24 or older, married, a veteran, an orphan, a ward of the court, a graduate student, or if you have dependents of your own. Independent students have a parent contribution of $0.

Veterans who qualify as independent should also explore the GI Bill Calculator to estimate monthly education benefits, and the VA Loan Calculator if they plan to buy a home while in school. Active-duty families can use the BAH Calculator and Military Pay Calculator to understand how military compensation factors into the FAFSA.

This calculator gives you an estimate of your SAI for the 2026–2027 academic year. Once you know your SAI, consider using our Budget Calculator to plan how you will cover any remaining costs, or explore 529 plan projections if you are saving for a future student. For your official SAI, complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov.

Formulas used

Parent Available Income
\text{AI}_{p} = (\text{AGI} + \text{Untaxed} - \text{Adj}) - (\text{Tax Paid} + \text{FICA} + \text{State Allowance} + \text{IPA} + \text{EEA})
Parent Contribution from Assets
\text{Asset}_{p} = \max(0,\; \text{Net Worth} - \text{APA}) \times 0.12
Adjusted Available Income
\text{AAI} = \text{AI}_{p} + \text{Asset}_{p}
Parent Contribution (Progressive Schedule)
PC = \begin{cases} -1500 & \text{AAI} < -3409 \\ 0.22 \times \text{AAI} & \text{AAI} \le 18{,}200 \\ 4004 + 0.25(\text{AAI}-18200) & \text{AAI} \le 22{,}800 \\ 5154 + 0.29(\text{AAI}-22800) & \text{AAI} \le 27{,}400 \\ 6488 + 0.34(\text{AAI}-27400) & \text{AAI} \le 32{,}000 \\ 8052 + 0.40(\text{AAI}-32000) & \text{AAI} \le 36{,}600 \\ 9892 + 0.47(\text{AAI}-36600) & \text{AAI} > 36{,}600 \end{cases}
Student Income Contribution
\text{SC}_{\text{inc}} = \max\!\left(0,\;\bigl(\text{AGI}_{s}+\text{Untaxed}_{s}-\text{Adj}_{s}-\text{Tax}_{s}-\text{FICA}_{s}-11510\bigr)\times 0.50\right)
Student Asset Contribution
\text{SC}_{\text{ast}} = \text{Net Worth}_{s} \times 0.20
Student Aid Index (SAI)
\text{SAI} = \max\!\left(-1500,\;\text{PC} + \text{SC}_{\text{inc}} + \text{SC}_{\text{ast}}\right)
Financial Need
\text{Need} = \max(0,\;\text{COA} - \text{SAI})

Frequently asked questions

What is a good SAI score?

A lower SAI is better for getting financial aid. An SAI below $6,206 may qualify you for a Federal Pell Grant. An SAI of $0 or negative (down to -$1,500) means you have the highest need and may get the most aid. An SAI above $60,000 means you will likely get little or no need-based aid.

Is this calculator accurate?

This calculator uses the same general formula the federal government uses to compute the SAI. However, it is a simplified estimate. Your official SAI may differ slightly because the FAFSA uses IRS data directly and applies some rules this tool cannot replicate. Always file the real FAFSA at studentaid.gov for your official number.

What tax year does the 2026–2027 FAFSA use?

The 2026–2027 FAFSA uses your 2025 tax return. This is called the "prior-prior year" rule. You report income and taxes from the year that ended before the school year starts.

Should I include my home value as an asset?

No. The FAFSA does not count your primary home as an asset. Do not include the value of the house you live in. Only enter bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and real estate that is not your main home.

Do I include retirement accounts like a 401(k) or IRA?

No. Retirement accounts are excluded from the FAFSA asset calculation. Do not enter money in 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, or pension funds.

Why is the parent contribution no longer divided by number of kids in college?

The FAFSA Simplification Act changed this rule starting with the 2024–2025 school year. Under the old formula, the parent contribution was split among all children in college at once. Now the full parent contribution applies per student. This means families with multiple children in college at the same time may see a higher SAI for each child.

What is the difference between SAI and EFC?

The SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) starting in 2024–2025. They serve the same purpose, but the SAI formula is different. The biggest changes are that the SAI can go negative (down to -$1,500), and the parent contribution is no longer split among siblings in college.

Can my SAI be negative?

Yes. The SAI can go as low as -$1,500. A negative SAI means the family has very high financial need. Students with a negative SAI may qualify for the maximum Pell Grant and other need-based aid.

What is the income protection allowance?

The income protection allowance (IPA) is money the formula sets aside for basic living costs. For parents, it depends on household size. For students, it is a flat $11,510. Income below this amount is not counted against you.

Why are student assets taxed at a higher rate than parent assets?

The formula assumes students can use more of their savings for college. Student assets are assessed at 20%, meaning 20 cents of every dollar counts toward the SAI. Parent assets are assessed at up to 12%, and parents also get an asset protection allowance based on age that shields some of their savings.

What is the asset protection allowance?

The asset protection allowance (APA) is an amount of parent savings the formula ignores. It is based on the age of the oldest parent and whether there are one or two parents. Older parents get a larger allowance. Only parent assets above this amount are counted. Students do not get an asset protection allowance.

Does the FAFSA look at my parents' income if I am independent?

No. If you are an independent student, the parent section is skipped entirely. Your parent contribution is set to $0. Only your own income and assets are used to calculate your SAI.

What counts as untaxed income on the FAFSA?

Untaxed income includes money you received that does not show up on your tax return. Common examples are child support received, untaxed IRA or pension distributions, tax-exempt interest, housing allowances, and veterans' non-education benefits.

How does my state affect my SAI?

Each state has a different state and other tax allowance percentage. States with higher income taxes, like New York or New Jersey, have a larger allowance. This allowance is subtracted from your income before the formula runs, so living in a higher-tax state can slightly lower your SAI.

What is the Cost of Attendance (COA)?

The Cost of Attendance is the total price of one year at a college. It includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. Each school sets its own COA. Your financial need equals COA minus your SAI.

Does this calculator tell me how much aid I will get?

No. This calculator estimates your SAI, which measures your financial need. It does not tell you your exact aid package. Each college builds its own aid offer based on your SAI, the school's COA, and the funds available. Your actual grants, loans, and work-study will vary by school.

When should I file the FAFSA?

The FAFSA for the 2026–2027 school year typically opens on October 1, 2025. File as early as possible. Some aid is first-come, first-served, so submitting sooner can help you get more money.

What is the employment expense allowance?

The employment expense allowance (EEA) is a deduction for work-related costs like child care or commuting. In a two-parent household, it equals 35% of the lower earner's income, capped at $4,700. In a single-parent household, it is 35% of that parent's income, also capped at $4,700.

Does financial aid from one school affect aid at another school?

No. Each school creates its own aid package independently. Your SAI stays the same no matter which school you attend, but the aid you receive can be very different because each school has a different COA and different funds available.

What if my financial situation changed after I filed taxes?

If your family had a major change like a job loss, divorce, or medical emergency, contact the financial aid office at your school. They can perform a professional judgment review and adjust your aid based on your current situation.

Related Education calculators

All Education calculators
Education

GI Bill BAH Calculator

Estimate your Post-9/11 GI Bill MHA by school ZIP. Compare up to 3 schools side by side with a bar chart. Includes step-by-step breakdown and rate table.

Open Education

GI Bill Calculator

Estimate Post-9/11, MGIB, DEA, and VR&E benefits by tier and enrollment status. Compare chapters, track entitlement, and view out-of-pocket costs.

Open Education

Net Price Calculator

Estimate college net price from SAI or detailed financials. Breaks down Pell Grant, state aid, merit awards, and Post-9/11 GI Bill with step-by-step math.

Open