Just completed the FAFSA last night and the EFC is double what it was last year. AGI is $4000 more than the previous year and filing status changed from married to HoH but all else is relatively the same (savings, # dependents, etc). I tried to go back and look at #85-89 as my print-out has my AGI listed correctly on #85 but has my earned income from work under Parent #2 (question #89) . I am the only parent for FAFSA purposes. I can’t pull up the questions to correct,. Help?
Any chance you qualified for simplied needs last year?
Did you do an IRA or TSA rollover in 2016?
Same number of kids in college?
@thumper1 everything is the same except filing status and small increase in AGI , no rollover. When I do the fafsacaster, it estimates near to last years’ amount which included a Pell Grant. I’m thinking it somehow is doubling the income in #89? This years’ EFC is 24% of my AGI, last year it was about 16%.
Did you do the net price calculator on the college website? It won’t be perfect as HOH.
Was spousal support or child support paid to you in 2016?
Years ago when I got married, I remember my taxes went up considerably, as a %, when I filied as married vs HOH. If HOH pay less taxes, could that be it?
You do want to check for errors in filling out. And talk with the college, see how they want you to offer corrections (if nothing should be under parent 2.)
Thanks everyone for your input. I guess I’ll call the finaid office.
If you went from married to HOH, wouldn’t the number in the household change from 3 to 2?
Yes, it would and I hadn’t really thought how that would affect the EFC. Good catch, thanks.
Print out the EFC formulas, work through them on paper, and see where the numbers have changed from last year.
https://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/071017EFCFormulaGuide1819.pdf
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/2017-18-efc-formula.pdf
Also, a single parent has a much (much!) lower asset protection amount than a married couple so if you have some assets caught up in that range, they will now become part of the EFC (at 5.6%). Yes, in the insane reasoning of the FAFSA formula, a single parent with 2 kids (household size of 3) is expected to contribute much more than the married double income family with 1 in college (household size of 3). HOH status doesn’t get you more than single.
There is also some income protection for a 2-parent household that you won’t have with a 1-parent household.
@happymomof1 thank you, I’ll do that later tonight. Even if the number is correct (which it now seems might be the case) I’d be curious to find out why.
@twoinanddone that’s ridiculous, how is that explained?
@kelsmom, I can certainly understand that income and asset protection would be higher for a 2 parent household, only makes sense but I can’t imagine my income or assets (or lack thereof lol) would be affected.
Years ago the formula for asset protection for a married couple was about double that of a single, but the way the formula provided for inflation and other mysteries that can’t be explained started reducing the singles protection and increasing the married. A few years ago (2015?) there was a big reduction in all protections, but the singles went down to about $10k (it depends on your age) and for marrieds it was about 3 to 4 times that. I think it went up again the next year but singles is still a lot lower than the same age married person gets.
I’m sure the formula was designed by the same person who thinks a single parent’s AOTC cut off of $80k ($90k total phase out) is fair while a married couple’s is $160/180k and it doesn’t matter how many kids are in the home or how many are in college. I made the same as the married guy I sat next to at work, and we both had households of 3, he qualified for the AOTC with one in college and a wife at home while I didn’t with 2 in college.
Have you tried my spreadsheet?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20921525/#Comment_20921525
I have not but I will. Its going to be a few days before I can sit down and go over these formulas but once I do I’ll return and let everyone know what my calculations look like, just for reference sake.
@twoinanddone - I am running into that situation with the AOTC. No credit for me (single with 2 kids), but credits for my married coworkers. 
I’m confused…
It appears that the income didn’t change, but now the parent is single so smaller family. That would mean that the same income is now supporting fewer people and therefore EFC would be higher…because the money that was being spent on the former-spouse is now available to go towards college.
However, is the income still really the same? Did your exhusband not have any income?
@mom2collegekids, that is correct. He had very low income and when we separated (and almost immediately divorced) I picked up extra work/hours to make up that difference plus some in anticipation of a one adult household.
I’m just getting home after being away for a week but I’m going to look over these spreadsheets, etc. The more we hash it over, the more likely the numbers are right. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted.
When you filed the first FAFSA as married, were you parent #1 or parent #2?
Probably your soc sec number and FSA ID matches a particular parent, that the FAFSA remembers.