United States · planning estimate

FAFSA SAI and Pell Grant Planning Calculator

Estimate a 2026–27 Student Aid Index from household income, taxes, family size and reportable assets, or enter an official SAI. The calculator applies the dependent and independent student worksheets, then estimates Pell Grant funding using income pathways, enrollment intensity, cost of attendance and lifetime eligibility. Your school confirms the actual aid offer.

Household mode uses the published 2026–27 formulas. Confirm dependency status, family size and asset exemptions using the official guide; school-specific adjustments and IRS data retrieval are not included.

Your scenario

Enter your own numbers or load the worked example. Values are calculated in this browser and are not saved.

Award year

SAI source

Dependency category

Official / independently estimated SAI

Student income contribution from official worksheet ($)

Student assets after worksheet exemptions ($)

Formula A parent contribution ($)

Formula C final adjusted-available-income contribution ($)

FAFSA family size

2024 poverty-guideline region

Relevant 2024 AGI ($) Parents for dependent students; student and spouse for independent students.

2024 foreign earned income exclusion ($)

Relevant parent/student meets FSA single-parent definition?

All relevant adults were not required to file?

Other federal Pell eligibility requirements met?

School confirmed special rule for deceased service/public-safety parent?

Full-time full-year Pell cost of attendance ($)

Enrollment intensity (%)

Lifetime Pell eligibility already used (%)

Other annual grants/resources ($)

Student is married?

Relevant primary 2024 tax return status

Relevant primary tax-return income earned from work ($) Parent(s) for dependent students; student/spouse for independent students. For a joint return enter combined earnings once.

Additional relevant spouse tax return

Additional spouse return income earned from work ($)

Other relevant household income additions ($) Deductible IRA/KEOGH payments, tax-exempt interest and untaxed IRA/pension distributions excluding rollovers. Foreign exclusion is entered separately above.

Relevant household income offsets ($) Taxable college grant/scholarship income, education credits and Federal Work-Study, as defined in the official guide.

Relevant household 2024 income tax paid ($)

FAFSA rules exempt this household from asset reporting?

Relevant household reportable cash and investments ($) Exclude retirement accounts and the primary home; use FAFSA reportable amounts.

Reportable business/farm net worth before table adjustment ($) Exclude assets that current FAFSA rules exempt; the formula adjusts the remaining reportable net worth.

Child support received in the last complete calendar year ($)

Dependent student 2024 AGI ($)

Dependent student income additions, including foreign exclusion ($)

Dependent student income offsets ($)

Dependent student 2024 earned income ($)

Dependent student 2024 income tax paid ($)

Dependent student reportable cash/investments ($)

Dependent student reportable business/farm net worth ($)

Your estimate

Complete the scenario to see a result, its breakdown and limitations.

Next steps

Check the assumptions with your records before making a decision. Related calculators can help compare the next part of your plan.

How the estimate works

Household mode applies FSA Formula A, B or C: income additions minus offsets, income/payroll/employment allowances, reportable-asset assessment and the applicable contribution table. Intermediate steps use FSA rounding. Pell then applies 2024 poverty pathways, the 2026–27 award limits, SAI cutoff, attendance cost, enrollment intensity and lifetime eligibility.

Worked example

With SAI 1,000, no income-based maximum override, full-time enrollment and adequate cost of attendance, the SAI-based scheduled Pell estimate is $6,395 before lifetime eligibility limits.

Sources and review scope

Source comparison: 2026-09-23. Methodology owner: Toolistify. Implementation reviewed through automated source checks and regression tests; this is not professional tax, legal, benefits or financial certification.

Calculation inputs stay in this page; CSV downloads are created locally. The optional sales-tax lookup has separate disclosure above. Privacy · Corrections

Questions and answers

Can this estimate SAI from household inputs?

Yes. Household mode applies the published dependent and independent worksheets to the income, taxes, family and assets entered. You must identify the correct dependency status, reportable assets and exemptions. Official FAFSA processing and school adjustments can differ.

Is the result a guaranteed grant?

No. The school must confirm eligibility, academic-calendar treatment, lifetime use and the final financial-aid offer.