Applicants	Exempt	From	Asset	Reporting
A	dependent	student	is	exempt	from	asset	reporting	if	they	meet	one	of	the	following	criteria.
1.	The	applicant	qualifies	for	a	Maximum	Pell	Grant
2.	The	applicant9s	parents9	2023	combined	AGI	is	less	than	$60,000	and	they	do	not	file	a	Schedule	A,	B,	D,	E,	F,	or	H,
AND
a.	They	do	not	file	a	Schedule	C,	OR
b.	They	file	a	Schedule	C	with	net	business	income	of	not	more	than	a	$10,000	loss	or	gain.
3.	The	applicant	or	applicant9s	parent	received	a	benefit	under	a	means-tested	Federal	benefit	program	during	the	2023
or	2024	calendar	year.
Exception:	A	dependent	student	is	not	exempt	from	asset	reporting	if	their	parents	(1)	live	outside	the	U.S.	or	(2)	do	not
file	taxes	in	the	U.S.	or	a	U.S.	territory,	unless	their	nonfiling	is	due	to	having	income	below	the	filing	threshold.
An	independent	student	is	exempt	from	asset	reporting	if	they	meet	one	of	the	following	criteria.
1.	The	applicant	qualifies	for	a	Maximum	Pell	Grant
2.	The	applicant9s	(and	applicant9s	spouse,	if	applicable)	2023	combined	AGI	is	less	than	$60,000	and	they	do	not	file	a
Schedule	A,	B,	D,	E,	F,	or	H,	AND
a.	They	do	not	file	a	Schedule	C,	OR
b.	They	file	a	Schedule	C	with	net	business	income	of	not	more	than	a	$10,000	loss	or	gain.
3.	The	applicant	or	applicant9s	spouse	received	a	benefit	under	a	means-tested	federal	benefit	program	during	the	2023
or	2024	calendar	year.
Means-Tested	Federal	Benefits	Programs
The	means-tested	federal	benefit	programs	are	listed	in	Chapter	2.	A	person	need	not	have	received	the	benefit	for	an
entire	year;	receiving	it	at	any	time	in	the	base	or	following	year	qualifies.	Also,	an	FAA	may	use	professional	judgment
(PJ)	to	count	a	benefit	if	a	person	did	not	receive	it	during	those	24	months	but	is	receiving	it	now.
No	Prorated	SAIs
The	FAFSA	Simplification	Act	does	not	allow	schools	to	use	alternate	or	prorated	SAIs	when	packaging	students	for	periods
other	than	9	months.	Therefore,	you	should	use	the	calculated	SAI	to	package	a	student,	regardless	of	the	length	of	time
of	the	student9s	enrollment.
The	SAI	Worksheets
The	2025-26	Student	Aid	Index	(SAI)	and	Pell	Grant	Eligibility	Guide	contains	SAI	worksheets	and	tables	for	each	formula
(A,	B	and	C),	which	can	be	used	to	manually	calculate	an	SAI	or	to	see	how	the	SAI	is	determined	for	each	of	the	formulas.
The	following	information	provides	additional	insight	into	the	SAI	calculation	process	and	may	prove	helpful	when
reviewing	the	SAI	worksheets	in	the	2025-26	Student	Aid	Index	(SAI)	and	Pell	Grant	Eligibility	Guide.
Formula	A	3	Dependent	Students
The	SAI	for	a	dependent	student	is	calculated	using	the	FAFSA	data	for	the	student	and	their	parents.	The	FPS	calculates
the	parents9	contribution	from	income	and	assets,	the	student9s	contribution	from	income,	and	the	student9s	contribution
from	assets;	the	SAI	is	the	sum	of	these	three	values.
Parents9	Contribution	From	Available	Income	and	Ass ets
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