FAFSA Estimator

Enter your family's income, assets, and household details to estimate your Student Aid Index (SAI) — the number colleges use to determine federal financial aid eligibility. Fill in fields like parent income, student income, family size, and savings, and get back an estimated SAI score, financial need, and estimated aid amount based on 2025-2026 FAFSA guidelines. Also try the Student Loan Interest Calculator.

Student Dependency Status *

Dependent (supported by parents)Independent (self-supporting)

Enrollment Status *

Year in School *

Family Size (including student) *

Total number of people in your household

Number in College *

Number of family members attending college at least half-time

Parent(s) Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) *

From your most recent federal tax return (2023 for 2025-2026 FAFSA)

Spouse / Second Parent Income

Leave at 0 if single parent or already included in parent AGI

Parent(s) Untaxed Income

Includes Social Security benefits, child support received, housing allowances, etc.

Parent(s) Total Assets *

Savings, checking, investments (exclude retirement accounts and primary home)

Parent(s) Retirement Savings

401(k), IRA, pension — not counted in FAFSA asset calculation

Student Annual Income *

Student's earned income from jobs or self-employment

Student Total Assets *

Student's savings, checking accounts, and investments

Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) *

Total annual cost: tuition, room, board, books, transportation, and misc. Check your school's website.

Results

Estimated Student Aid Index (SAI)

Estimated Financial Need

Estimated Pell Grant

Estimated Federal Loans

Estimated Remaining Gap

What is the Student Aid Index (SAI)?

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number calculated from your FAFSA that colleges use to determine how much federal financial aid you may receive. It replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting with the 2024-2025 award year. A lower SAI generally means more aid eligibility. The SAI can even be negative (as low as -1500), indicating the highest need. See also our College Savings Calculator (529 Plan).

How is financial need calculated?

Financial need is calculated by subtracting your Student Aid Index (SAI) from the school's Cost of Attendance (COA). For example, if a school's COA is $30,000 and your SAI is $5,000, your financial need is $25,000. This is the maximum amount of need-based aid you could receive, though actual awards depend on each school's available funds.

What determines my Student Aid Index?

Your SAI is determined by several factors including parent and student income, parent and student assets, family size, number of family members in college, and dependency status. Income generally has the largest impact. Parent assets are assessed at up to 5.64%, while student assets are assessed at a flat 20% rate.

What counts as untaxed income on the FAFSA?

Untaxed income includes items like Social Security benefits (taxable and untaxable portions), child support received, housing allowances, veterans' non-education benefits, and certain other tax-exempt income. These amounts are added to your adjusted gross income when calculating your SAI, so they do affect your aid eligibility. You might also find our calculate Avg. Hours You Can Work Per Week, Total Hours Available to Work & Estimated Total Earnings — Work-Study Earnings useful.

What counts as student assets on the FAFSA?

Student assets include money in savings and checking accounts, trust funds accessible to the student, taxable investments like stocks and bonds, and non-retirement investment accounts. Student assets are weighted more heavily than parent assets — assessed at 20% versus up to 5.64% for parents — so they have a larger per-dollar impact on your SAI.

Do retirement accounts affect my FAFSA?

No — qualified retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs, SEP-IRAs, and pension funds are not counted as assets on the FAFSA. However, withdrawals from retirement accounts that show up as income on your tax return will affect your SAI. It's generally better to keep savings in retirement accounts than in regular savings when possible.

How does having multiple children in college affect my aid?

Under the 2024-2025 FAFSA simplification changes, having multiple children in college no longer automatically reduces each student's SAI as it once did. However, each student in college files their own FAFSA and each school's financial aid office may still consider your overall family situation when packaging awards.

Is this FAFSA estimator accurate?

This estimator uses a simplified model of the federal SAI formula to give you a reasonable ballpark figure. Actual SAI calculations involve additional factors and data points from your full FAFSA submission. For a precise estimate, use the official Federal Student Aid Estimator at studentaid.gov, or the net price calculator on your target school's website.