Will my son's part-time job at $15/hr affect his $7800 Pell Grant eligibility for FAFSA next year?

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.

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

This is such a common worry for parents! I went through the same anxiety when my daughter got her first job during high school. The good news is that the FAFSA system is designed to encourage students to work - they don't want to penalize families for students gaining work experience and contributing to their education costs. One thing that really helped me was keeping a simple spreadsheet to track her earnings throughout the year. That way when FAFSA time rolled around, I had everything organized and could see exactly where we stood relative to the income protection allowance. Also, don't forget that your son will be paying taxes on his earnings, so his take-home will be less than the gross $11,700. And honestly, having that work experience on his resume when he graduates will be incredibly valuable - probably worth way more than any small reduction in aid down the line. Sounds like you're being a great parent by thinking this through carefully while still supporting his independence and work ethic!

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who works in financial aid - the fear about student income affecting aid is really overblown in most cases. The FAFSA formula is actually quite generous to students when it comes to earned income. Beyond what others have mentioned about the income protection allowance, remember that your son will also have standard tax deductions that reduce his taxable income. So even if he earns $11,700 gross, his actual taxable income reported on his tax return (which is what FAFSA uses) will be lower. Also, many families don't realize that having a student work can actually help with college costs in ways that go beyond just the earnings. It teaches financial responsibility, helps with time management, and can lead to networking opportunities. I've seen students who work part-time during college actually perform better academically because they're more focused and organized with their time. The bottom line: let your son work and gain that experience. The financial aid system is designed to support students who are making an effort to contribute to their education costs, not penalize them for it.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful to see such detailed and helpful responses! I'm actually facing a very similar situation with my daughter who just got accepted to college with a good financial aid package, and she's been wanting to get a summer job. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - especially learning about the prior-prior year tax information timing and the student income protection allowance. The point about work-study being excluded from future FAFSA calculations is something I had no idea about. That seems like such a valuable option to explore once she starts college. And I really appreciate the perspective from the financial aid professional about how the system is actually designed to encourage students to work rather than penalize them. One quick question - for those of you who have been through this process, do you have any recommendations for how to best communicate with the college's financial aid office about these concerns? I want to make sure I'm asking the right questions when I call them.

As someone new to navigating FAFSA and financial aid, this entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea about the prior-prior year tax information timing - that completely changes how I'm thinking about my daughter's summer job plans. The explanation about the student income protection allowance is also really helpful. It sounds like the system is much more reasonable than I initially thought. I was worried that any student income would immediately disqualify us from aid, but learning that there's actually a protected amount and that only 50% of income above that threshold counts against aid makes me feel so much better. The work-study tip is golden too - I'm definitely going to have my daughter look into those positions once she starts college. It seems like the perfect solution to earn money without affecting future aid eligibility. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge. This community is such a valuable resource for parents trying to figure out this complex process!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful information! I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter who just finished her junior year of high school and is looking at part-time work options. Reading through all these responses has really eased my anxiety about how student income might affect her future financial aid eligibility. The explanation about the prior-prior year tax information timing is especially reassuring - knowing that income earned now won't impact next year's FAFSA gives us breathing room to make decisions without panicking about immediate consequences. And learning about the student income protection allowance and how only 50% of excess earnings count against aid makes the whole system seem much more reasonable than I initially feared. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and share it with other parents in my area who have been asking similar questions. The work-study information is particularly valuable - I had no idea that type of income is treated differently for FAFSA purposes. It sounds like that could be the perfect solution once she starts college. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences. This kind of peer-to-peer guidance is invaluable for navigating such a complex process!

As someone new to this community and navigating FAFSA for the first time, this entire discussion has been incredibly informative! I'm in a similar boat with my teenager who's been wanting to get a part-time job, and I've been worried about how it might impact his future college financial aid. The explanation about prior-prior year tax information is such a relief - knowing that 2024 earnings won't affect the 2025-2026 FAFSA takes so much pressure off these immediate job decisions. And learning about the student income protection allowance (around $7,600) makes the whole system seem much more reasonable than I initially thought. The work-study tip is especially valuable - I had no idea that income from those positions doesn't count against future FAFSA calculations. That seems like such a win-win option once kids start college. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise, especially those working in financial aid who provided professional insights. This kind of detailed, real-world guidance is exactly what parents need when trying to make informed decisions about our kids' education and work opportunities. I feel much more confident now about encouraging my son to pursue work experience while maintaining his financial aid eligibility.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly helpful! I'm currently going through the same concerns with my daughter who just started a part-time job at a local grocery store. Reading through everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. The explanation about the prior-prior year tax information timing is such a relief - I had no idea that current year earnings wouldn't impact next year's FAFSA. And learning about the student income protection allowance makes the whole system seem much more fair and reasonable than I initially thought. I'm particularly grateful for the insights from the financial aid professional who emphasized that the system is designed to encourage students to work rather than penalize them. That perspective really helps shift my thinking from worrying about aid reduction to focusing on the valuable work experience and life skills my daughter is gaining. The work-study information is also incredibly valuable - I'll definitely have her look into those opportunities once she starts college since that income doesn't count against future aid eligibility. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your knowledge and experiences. This kind of peer support makes navigating the financial aid process so much less overwhelming!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation - my son just got his FAFSA results with a substantial Pell Grant, and he's been eager to start working part-time. I've been losing sleep over whether his earnings might jeopardize his financial aid. Reading through all these responses has been such an education. The prior-prior year tax information timing is absolutely crucial to understand - knowing that his 2024 earnings won't affect the 2025-2026 FAFSA completely changes how I'm approaching this decision. And the explanation of the student income protection allowance ($7,600+) makes the system seem so much more reasonable than I initially feared. I'm particularly appreciative of the financial aid professional who emphasized that the system encourages rather than penalizes student work. That perspective really helps me focus on the bigger picture - the work experience, responsibility, and networking opportunities are probably worth far more than any minor future aid adjustments. The work-study tip is golden! I had no idea that income from those positions doesn't count against future FAFSA calculations. That sounds like the perfect solution once he starts college. Thank you all for sharing your expertise and real-world experiences. This community is such a valuable resource for parents navigating these complex decisions!