FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) Calculator — 2027-28

No. The SAI is an index the federal government and most colleges use to gauge financial need; it is not a bill and not a promise of what you will pay. A school subtracts it from its cost of attendance to find need, then decides what aid to offer, and offers vary widely. It replaced the Expected Family Contribution, and unlike the EFC it can be negative, down to -1,500, which signals the greatest need. The Department's guide says an SAI below -1,500 is set to -1,500 and one above 999,999 to 999,999.

The 2025 tax year, the "prior-prior" year, so the numbers are already known. That is why this calculator asks for your 2025 adjusted gross income, 2025 income earned from work and 2025 income tax paid. For the Pell poverty-guideline test the guide says to use the poverty guidelines for the prior-prior year too, which for 2027–28 are the 2025 HHS guidelines.

Parents' income is their adjusted gross income plus certain untaxed income, less education credits, taxable grants and work-study. From that the formula subtracts income tax paid, a Medicare and Social Security tax allowance, an income protection allowance that depends on family size ($46,590 for a family of four), and an employment expense allowance of 35% of earnings up to $5,200. What is left, called available income, is combined with 12% of the parents' net worth, and the total is assessed on a sliding scale: 22% up to $22,600 and rising in steps to 47% above $45,600.

The guide defines net worth as cash, savings and checking plus investments (including 529 plans, other real estate, stocks and funds) and an adjusted share of business and farm value; the primary residence is not included, and retirement accounts are not among the items listed. In 2027–28 the asset protection allowance in the guide's tables is $0 at every age.

A dependent student's income above a $12,220 protection allowance (plus taxes) is assessed at 50%, and the student's own assets at 20%, much higher than parents' 12%, which is why the calculator shows what $10,000 more in the student's name would add. If the parents' available income is negative, that amount is added to the student's allowances. The formulas have no adjustment for the number of children in college.

A family that did not file a return, or with income (adjusted gross income plus any foreign income exclusion) above zero and at most 175% of the poverty guideline for its family size and state (225% for a single parent), qualifies for the maximum Pell Grant, and the SAI is set to the calculated figure or zero, whichever is lower. Otherwise the award is the maximum less the SAI, rounded to $5, unless that is under the minimum award (10% of the maximum); a family with income up to 275% of the guideline (325% for a single parent) can still receive the minimum award. Since the 2025 law (Pub. L. 119-21) a student whose SAI is twice the maximum award or more cannot receive a Pell Grant. The maximum for 2026–27 is $7,395 (minimum $740); the amount for 2027–28 is announced in early 2027, so the calculator lets you change it.

Independent students use the thresholds for their own situation: 175% or 225% for the maximum, and for the minimum award 275% if they have no children, 350% if they are parents and 400% if they are single parents.

This is the federal formula. Many private colleges and some public ones also ask for the CSS Profile and use their own methodology for their own money, which can count home equity, treat divorced parents differently and weigh assets more heavily. The federal SAI determines federal aid (Pell Grants and the subsidized loan limits, among other things); the rest is up to each school. Use each college's net price calculator alongside this estimate.

Some families are not asked for assets at all (for example, those receiving certain federal means-tested benefits, or with lower income and simple returns); the calculator cannot tell, so enter zero if you are one. It does not model married parents filing separately, Puerto Rico and territory returns, the special Pell rules for children of some deceased service members and public safety officers, how many semesters of Pell you have used, or dependency status. The official SAI comes only from the FAFSA. If you also need to borrow, see the Student Loan Limits Calculator.