Will my son's part-time job at $15/hr affect his $7800 Pell Grant eligibility for FAFSA next year?
Just got FAFSA results with a full Pell Grant of $7800 for my son's first year of college (starting after summer). But now I'm worried because he just started a part-time job at Belk working 15 hours weekly at $15/hour. Will this income mess up his financial aid package for next year's FAFSA? His earnings will be around $11,700 annually before taxes. I don't want him to turn down work experience, but also don't want to lose thousands in grant money if his income pushes us over some threshold. Anyone know how student income impacts Pell eligibility or if there's a safe amount he can earn without affecting aid?
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Aisha Jackson
Good news - your son's part-time job likely won't have a major impact on his Pell Grant for next year's FAFSA! The FAFSA formula has a student income protection allowance that shields a certain amount of student earnings. For 2025-2026, dependent students can earn approximately $7,600 before it starts affecting their SAI calculation. Even above that amount, only 50% of the excess earnings count against aid eligibility. So with $11,700 in annual income, only about $2,050 would count against his aid (50% of the amount over $7,600). This might have a small impact on his Pell, but definitely won't eliminate it completely if you qualified for the full amount this year. The benefit of work experience and extra spending money probably outweighs any minor reduction.
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Adrian Connor
•Thank you so much for explaining! That makes me feel a lot better. I was worried we'd lose the entire grant. One more question - does it matter when he starts the job? He'll be working all summer before college starts and then during the school year too. Does summer income count differently than income during the actual school year?
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Ryder Everingham
my daughter lost half her pell grant last yr cuz of a summer job!!! the financial aid office NEVER warned us about this its so unfair. she made like 6k at a warehouse and they cut her aid by almost 3k. now shes doing work study instead but its way less $ overall. the system is rigged to keep kids poor i swear
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Lilly Curtis
•I think a lot depends on your family's overall financial situation. If you were right on the edge of the Pell Grant eligibility to begin with, then yes, additional student income could push you over. But if the family had a lower EFC (now called SAI), then the impact would be smaller. The FAFSA formula is actually pretty complex and considers total family situation, not just the student income in isolation.
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Leo Simmons
Anyone try calling the financial aid helpline lately?? I spent 3 HOURS on hold trying to ask about this exact same thing for my daughter and never got through. Then tried again the next day and got disconnected after waiting 45 minutes. Total waste of time!!!
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Lindsey Fry
•Try using Claimyr - it saved me so much frustration when dealing with FAFSA questions! It holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. I used it last month to sort out my son's verification issue and it worked perfectly. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or just go to claimyr.com. Seriously, no more wasting hours on hold or getting randomly disconnected!
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Saleem Vaziri
To give you the most accurate information: the 2024-2025 FAFSA implemented significant changes that actually made student income LESS impactful on aid eligibility than before. The base student income protection allowance increased, and overall student income is assessed at a more favorable rate. For your specific situation, remember that next year's FAFSA will look at 2023 tax year information. So if your son just started working recently (in 2024), that income won't impact next year's FAFSA at all - it would potentially affect the following year (2026-2027). Also, the part-time nature of your son's job during school will help. Financial aid officers can make professional judgment adjustments if work hours during the academic year are reasonable and supporting educational costs. Make sure your son doesn't exceed 20 hours weekly during school terms, as this is generally considered the threshold for reasonable part-time work that won't interfere with studies.
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Adrian Connor
•Ohhhh, I didn't realize they use previous year tax info! That makes so much sense. So his job now won't affect anything until 2026-2027 FAFSA. That gives us time to plan. Really appreciate the detailed explanation!
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Kayla Morgan
my kid got a job at target last yr making about the same and we still got full pell this yr. dont stress to much bout it.
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Adrian Connor
Does anyone know if we need to update the current FAFSA since he just started this job? Or does this only matter for next year's application?
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Aisha Jackson
•You don't need to update your current FAFSA for a new job your son started after submitting. The FAFSA uses prior-prior year tax information, so his 2024 earnings will be reported on the 2026-2027 FAFSA. The current award is based on previously reported information and doesn't need updating for new employment. Just make sure when you file the 2026-2027 FAFSA (which becomes available October 2025), you accurately report his 2024 income information from his W-2 and tax return.
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Lilly Curtis
One important aspect that hasn't been mentioned: student income from work-study positions is treated differently than regular employment. If your son qualifies for work-study as part of his financial aid package, that income is excluded from future FAFSA calculations. So if maintaining maximum aid is a priority, he might want to check if there are work-study positions at his college that pay similar rates to his Belk job. This would allow him to earn money without any negative impact on future aid eligibility.
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Adrian Connor
•That's really good to know! I'll definitely have him check about work-study jobs once he starts. Though I imagine those might be more competitive to get?
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Lilly Curtis
•Work-study positions vary by campus, but yes, they can be competitive, especially the better-paying ones. Have him check with the financial aid office as soon as possible after accepting his aid package if work-study is included. The earlier he applies for specific positions, the better his chances. Some departments hold positions specifically for work-study students since it costs them less (the federal program subsidizes part of the wages).
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Ryder Everingham
Just be careful with summer jobs!!! Sometimes they want ALL that income reported even tho its before school starts and thats what killed us. The system makes NO SENSE
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Saleem Vaziri
•To clarify: summer income isn't reported differently than income earned during the academic year. ALL income earned in a tax year is reported on your taxes, and that tax information is what's used for the FAFSA. The timing within the year doesn't matter - just the total annual amount. The difference is that working during summer typically allows students to work more hours without affecting academics, so they tend to earn more during that period. But for FAFSA purposes, a dollar earned in June counts exactly the same as a dollar earned in October.
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Leo Simmons
Anyone remember how much the student income protection allowance is supposed to increase for 2025-2026? I thought I read something about it going up significantly with all these FAFSA changes.
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Aisha Jackson
•The student income protection allowance for dependent students was approximately $7,130 for the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and it usually increases slightly each year with inflation. While exact 2025-2026 figures haven't been officially announced, it's expected to be around $7,600-$7,800. The amounts are typically published in the Federal Register and Department of Education guidelines in early spring for the upcoming academic year.
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Natasha Volkova
Based on all the great info shared here, it sounds like your son should be fine to keep his job! The key points that put my mind at ease: his 2024 income won't affect next year's FAFSA since they use prior-prior year tax info, and even when it does count (for 2026-2027), the student income protection allowance should cover most of his earnings. Plus work experience is valuable for his future. Just make sure he keeps good records of his earnings and W-2s for when you file the 2026-2027 FAFSA. And definitely look into work-study options once he starts college - that could be the best of both worlds if he can find something that pays similarly but doesn't count against aid at all.
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