Does FAFSA Check Bank Accounts? What You Need to Report
Demystify FAFSA's financial reporting. Learn how your assets, including bank accounts, are considered when determining student aid eligibility.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) serves as the gateway to various forms of financial assistance for higher education, including federal grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and student loans. Its primary purpose is to assess a student’s financial capacity and determine their eligibility for need-based aid. By collecting financial details from applicants and, if applicable, their families, the FAFSA helps educational institutions and the federal government understand a family’s ability to contribute to college costs.
What Financial Information FAFSA Asks For
The FAFSA process relies on self-reported financial information from the student and their parents, if the student is dependent. It is important to understand that FAFSA does not directly access or “check” bank accounts or other financial accounts. Instead, applicants provide specific figures from their financial records as of the date they complete the application. The types of financial assets that must be reported on the FAFSA include the current balances of cash, checking, and savings accounts. Additionally, the net worth of investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certificates of deposit (CDs), and money market accounts must be disclosed. For those who own a business or farm, their net worth is also considered, provided it meets specific criteria such as having more than 100 employees, though this specific employee threshold has been removed in recent FAFSA simplifications.
How Assets Affect Financial Aid Eligibility
The financial information, including reported assets, directly influences a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid through the calculation of the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI, which replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), is a numerical index used by colleges to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to receive. A lower SAI generally indicates a greater financial need and can lead to higher eligibility for need-based aid, such as Pell Grants.
Financial assets are incorporated into the SAI calculation, alongside income, to assess a family’s overall financial strength. A portion of the reported assets is considered available to help cover educational expenses. For instance, student assets are assessed at a higher rate, typically up to 20%, compared to parent assets, which are assessed at a maximum of 5.64%.
Historically, the FAFSA included an “asset protection allowance” that shielded a portion of parent assets from being counted in the aid calculation. However, for recent FAFSA cycles, this allowance has been reduced to zero, meaning a greater portion of reportable assets may now influence the SAI. Consequently, higher reported assets typically result in a higher SAI, which can, in turn, reduce the amount of need-based financial aid a student might qualify for.
Key Considerations for Reporting Assets
Accuracy is paramount when reporting assets on the FAFSA. Providing false or misleading information can lead to severe consequences, including delays in aid processing, loss of eligibility for federal and institutional aid, and potential federal penalties. If selected for verification, applicants may be required to provide documentation like bank statements or tax returns to confirm the reported amounts.
Several types of assets are explicitly not counted on the FAFSA. These exclusions include the value of the family’s primary residence, funds held in qualified retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs, and pension plans, and the cash value of life insurance policies. Personal possessions like automobiles are also generally not considered reportable assets.
529 college savings plans are treated specifically on the FAFSA. If a 529 plan is owned by a dependent student or their parent, it is reported as a parental asset, which is assessed at the lower rate of up to 5.64%. However, 529 plans owned by grandparents or other third parties are generally not reported as assets, although qualified distributions from these accounts may be considered untaxed income to the student in the following aid year.