Hello,

I might be in the process of stirring up a dust storm and want to check with all of you to get your feedback before going further.

When students complete the FAFSA, many of our low-income students are eligible for "Auto-Zero" formula (parent income less than $25,000 and meet one of three other criteria).  When doing a FAFSA with a student, you will find that after the parent income information is entered, the screen updates and there is a question that appears that says, "Do you want to skip the remaining questions about your and your parents income and assets?"  So long as the parents' income isn't bumping up against the $25,000 cut off, I let students know that it is okay to skip those questions.  The reality is, even if the information is provided it is excluded from the formula.  My thought has always been why have them provide information that isn't need - keep it simple and get the FAFSA submitted (that is why the form has skip logic and is designed that way).

Federal regulations do not require that income information be verified for a dependent auto-zero students, even if he or she is selected for verification.  However, I'm learning that most colleges in Maine do require that students in that scenario verify income information, either by going back in, changing the answer to the question, and using IRS DRT or by obtaining and submitting a  tax transcript.

A couple of questions for you:

What percentage of your 0 EFC students seems to be selected for verification?  A small portion, about half, or most?  Just trying to get a general idea of how many students this is impacting.

Do you think this causes confusion for students who are selected for verification?  To me, it seems like an unnecessary extra step, but if it isn't a big deal to students, I don't want to stir up a storm around the issue.  On the other hand, if this additional step is causing confusion - or worse, preventing students from finishing the process, I want to be sure it is being discussed.  Verification of parent income information is still required for auto-zero students.

I'd love your feedback on this topic.

Thank you very much!

Mila Tappan



Mila  Tappan
College Access and Outreach Manager
FINANCE AUTHORITYOF MAINE
P.O. Box 949, 5 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04332-0949
207-620-3504 or 1-800-228-3734
Fax: 207-213-2604 – TTY: 207-626-2717
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Helping Maine people achieve their business and education goals since 1983
Best Places to Work in Maine - 2015


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