SAI Calculator 2027-28 (Student Aid Index)

This SAI calculator estimates your Student Aid Index for the 2027-28 award year with the Department of Education's official Formula A, B and C, then shows whether you would qualify for a Pell Grant. Because the 2027-28 maximum Pell Grant is not set yet, the Pell award is shown for two scenarios instead of a single number. If you searched for an EFC calculator, the SAI replaced the EFC in 2024-25.

Maintained by Archie Chang · Formulas checked against the ED 2027-28 SAI guide October 23, 2026 · Methodology & sources

Not financial advice. This calculator provides estimates for informational and educational purposes only. Results are not a loan offer or a guarantee of terms. Always confirm figures with a qualified lender or financial advisor before making decisions.

Estimate for planning only. The official SAI is the one on your FAFSA Submission Summary. The aid a school offers depends on its cost of attendance and on school and state rules.

About the student

Dependency status

How does the FAFSA decide if I am dependent?

You are independent if you were born before January 1, 2004, are married, will be a graduate or professional student in 2027-28, are a veteran or on active duty, have children or other people who live with you and get more than half their support from you, were in foster care or a ward of the court at any time since age 13, are an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship, or are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Otherwise you are dependent and your parents' information is required. Only the FAFSA (or a financial aid administrator) decides.

Family size (parents, student, other children supported by parents)

Under the SAI the number of family members in college does not matter. Minimum used here: 3 (the student and two parents).

State of residence of the parents

Only used for the Pell Grant poverty test (Alaska and Hawaii have higher poverty guidelines). The SAI formula has no state tax allowance.

Parents’ marital status

Did either parent file a 2025 federal tax return?

Tax filing status

Parents’ income and assets

Parents’ combined adjusted gross income (AGI)

First earner’s income earned from work (wages, net self-employment)

Second earner’s income earned from work

Parents’ federal income tax paid

Cash, savings and checking accounts

Net worth of investments (stocks, funds, 529 plans, rental and second homes)

Do not include the home you live in or retirement accounts.

Net worth of a business or farm

Does the FAFSA skip the asset questions? (assets are then counted as $0)

Income rule: assets are only skipped on income grounds when AGI is under $60,000.

The student or a parent received a means-tested federal benefit (such as SNAP, SSI, free or reduced-price lunch, TANF or WIC) in 2024 or 2025.

Assets are also skipped automatically when you qualify for the maximum Pell Grant through the poverty test.

Student’s income and assets

Student’s AGI

Student’s income earned from work

Student’s federal income tax paid

Student’s cash, savings and checking

Student’s net worth of investments

Student’s net worth of a business or farm

More income and asset details (optional)

Parents’ child support received (last calendar year)

Parents’ deductible IRA, KEOGH and other payments

Parents’ tax-exempt interest income

Parents’ untaxed IRA distributions

IRA rollover (subtracted from the line above)

Parents’ untaxed pension portions

Pension rollover (subtracted from the line above)

Foreign income exclusion (Form 2555)

Parents’ taxable college grant and scholarship aid (reported as income)

Parents’ education credits

Parents’ federal work-study

Student

Student deductible IRA, KEOGH and other payments

Student tax-exempt interest income

Student untaxed IRA distributions

Student IRA rollover (subtracted from the line above)

Student untaxed pension portions

Student pension rollover (subtracted from the line above)

Student foreign income exclusion (Form 2555)

Student taxable college grant and scholarship aid

Student education credits

Student federal work-study

Your estimated Student Aid Index

SAI 2027-28 (Formula A)

2,051

The SAI is an index, not a dollar bill. It can range from -1,500 to 999,999 and is not what your family must pay.

Pell Grant eligibility and award scenarios

No automatic maximum Pell Grant. Your award depends on the 2027-28 maximum, so see both scenarios below.

The 2027-28 maximum Pell Grant has not been announced. It depends on fiscal year 2027 appropriations. Amounts below are two scenarios, not a prediction: $7,395 (the 2026-27 level and the President's FY2027 budget request) and $7,445 (House FY2027 bill).

If the maximum is $7,395

$5,345 per year

Calculated award: $7,395 minus SAI, rounded to $5

Minimum $740 · Minimum Pell SAI limit 14,790

If the maximum is $7,445

$5,395 per year

Calculated award: $7,445 minus SAI, rounded to $5

Minimum $745 · Minimum Pell SAI limit 14,890

Poverty guideline used (2025, family of 4, 48 contiguous states, DC and territories): $32,150
AGI plus foreign income exclusion: $70,000
Minimum Pell income test: Met (indicator 2)

Annual award for a full-time student for a full award year. Actual Pell amounts also depend on cost of attendance, enrollment intensity, lifetime eligibility and the school. See the FSA Handbook, Volume 7.

Worksheet breakdown

Line 3: Total parent income: $70,000
Line 8: Parent allowances against income: $63,145
Line 9: Parents’ available income: $6,855
Line 17: Parents’ contribution from assets: $1,560
Line 19: Parents’ contribution: $1,851
Line 30: Student’s contribution from income: $0
Line 36: Student’s contribution from assets: $200

Show every worksheet line (Formula A)

a. Parents’ AGI$70,000
b. Parents’ deductible payments to IRA/KEOGH/other$0
c. Parents’ tax-exempt interest income$0
d. Parents’ untaxed IRA distributions (less rollover)$0
e. Parents’ untaxed pensions (less rollover)$0
f. Parents’ foreign income exclusion$0
1. Total Parents’ income additions$70,000
g. Parents’ taxable college grant and scholarship aid$0
h. Parents’ education credits$0
i. Parents’ federal work-study$0
2. Total Parents’ income offsets$0
3. Total Parents’ income$70,000
4. Parents’ income tax paid$6,000
5a. Payroll tax allowance: Medicare (HI)$1,015
5b. Payroll tax allowance: Social Security (OASDI)$4,340
6. Income protection allowance (Table A2)$46,590
7a. 35% of parents’ combined earned income$24,500
7. Employment expense allowance (lesser of 35% or $5,200)$5,200
8. Total parent allowances against income$63,145
9. Parents’ available income$6,855
10. Child support received$0
11. Cash, savings and checking$8,000
12. Net worth of current investments$5,000
13. Adjusted net worth of businesses and farms (Table A3)$0
14. Net worth$13,000
15. Asset protection allowance (Table A4)$0
17. Parents’ contribution from assets (12%)$1,560
18. Parents’ adjusted available income$8,415
19. Parents’ contribution (Table A5)$1,851
Student a. Student AGI$2,500
Student b. Student deductible payments to IRA/KEOGH/other$0
Student c. Student tax-exempt interest income$0
Student d. Student untaxed IRA distributions (less rollover)$0
Student e. Student untaxed pensions (less rollover)$0
Student f. Student foreign income exclusion$0
20. Total Student income additions$2,500
Student g. Student taxable college grant and scholarship aid$0
Student h. Student education credits$0
Student i. Student federal work-study$0
21. Total Student income offsets$0
22. Total Student income$2,500
23. Student income tax paid$0
24a. Student payroll tax allowance: Medicare (HI)$36
24b. Student payroll tax allowance: Social Security (OASDI)$155
25. Student income protection allowance$12,220
26. Allowance for parents’ negative adjusted available income$0
27. Total student allowances against income$12,411
28. Student available income-$9,911
30. Student’s contribution from income (50%)$0
31. Student cash, savings and checking$1,000
32. Student net worth of current investments$0
33. Student adjusted net worth of businesses and farms (Table A3)$0
34. Student net worth$1,000
36. Student’s contribution from assets (20%)$200
37. Student Aid Index$2,051

Every line is rounded the way the guide requires: to three decimals, then to a whole number, away from zero at .5. Line 7a is the uncapped 35% figure.

How the Student Aid Index is calculated

Every student has one of three formulas. The FAFSA picks it from your dependency status and whether you have dependents other than a spouse.

Formula A (dependent students): SAI = parents' contribution + student's contribution from income + student's contribution from assets. Parents' available income plus 12% of their net worth is run through a bracket table that tops out at 47% of income above $45,600.
Formula B (independent, no dependents other than a spouse): SAI = 50% of available income plus 20% of net worth. The income protection allowance is $19,000 if unmarried and $30,470 if married. An unmarried independent student is in Formula B only with a family size of 1, and a married one with a family size of 2.
Formula C (independent with dependents): available income plus 7% of net worth goes through the same bracket table as the parents' contribution. The income protection allowance depends on family size and marital status. You are in Formula C when you are unmarried with a family size of 2 or more, or married with a family size of 3 or more.

In all three, income is AGI plus untaxed income, less grants, education credits and work-study. Then the formula subtracts income tax paid, a payroll tax allowance (1.45% Medicare plus 2.35% above the threshold, and 6.2% Social Security up to $176,100, or $352,200 on a joint return), an income protection allowance, and, for parents, a married student, or an unmarried student with dependents (Formula C), an employment expense allowance of 35% of earnings up to $5,200. The guide's asset protection allowance is $0 at every age, and there is no state tax allowance and no adjustment for the number of family members in college.

Each step is rounded to three decimals and then to a whole number, away from zero at .5, exactly as the guide specifies. The calculator's worksheet breakdown shows every line. It reproduces the guide's own worked example (a dependent student with seven in the family, parents with $166,332 of AGI) line by line and arrives at an SAI of 12,198.

Pell Grant calculator rules: who qualifies

The Pell Grant is decided in three steps after the SAI is known.

Maximum Pell by indicator. Indicator 1: neither parent (or neither you nor your spouse) filed a federal tax return, so the SAI is -1,500. Indicator 2: a single parent with AGI plus foreign income exclusion above $0 and at most 225% of the poverty guideline. Indicator 3: everyone else with AGI plus foreign income exclusion above $0 and at most 175%. In these cases the SAI is the formula result or 0, whichever is lower, and the FAFSA does not ask for assets, so they count as $0.
Calculated award. An SAI of 0 or below earns the maximum. Above 0 the award is the maximum minus the SAI, up to the point where it would drop below the minimum award.
Minimum Pell. If your AGI plus foreign income exclusion is within 275% (dependent with parents who are not a single parent, or independent without children), 325% (dependent with a single parent), 350% (independent parent) or 400% (independent single parent) of the poverty guideline, and your SAI is below twice the maximum Pell Grant, you get the minimum award.

The poverty guideline depends on family size and, for Alaska and Hawaii, state of residence. The 2027-28 award year uses the 2025 HHS guidelines.

Family size	48 states, DC	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$15,650	$19,550	$17,990
2	$21,150	$26,430	$24,320
3	$26,650	$33,310	$30,650
4	$32,150	$40,190	$36,980
5	$37,650	$47,070	$43,310
6	$43,150	$53,950	$49,640
7	$48,650	$60,830	$55,970
8	$54,150	$67,710	$62,300
Each additional person	$5,500	$6,880	$6,330

Why the Pell award is shown for two maximums

The SAI formula for 2027-28 is published, so the SAI above is exact for the inputs you enter. The maximum Pell Grant is not. Congress sets it each year in the appropriations bill, and as of October 23, 2026 the 2027-28 figure has not been announced. We show the two reference points that exist: $7,395, the 2026-27 maximum that the President's FY2027 budget also requests, and $7,445 in the House FY2027 bill.

Everything that depends on the maximum is recomputed for each scenario: the award (maximum minus SAI, rounded to the nearest $5), the minimum award (10% of the maximum, rounded to the nearest $5, so $740 or $745), the end of the calculated range, and the cutoff of twice the maximum. We will update the page when the final number is published.

After the SAI: loans and the cost of college

A school subtracts your SAI from its cost of attendance to find your financial need, then builds a package from grants, work-study and loans. Whatever is left after aid may be covered with student loans. Estimate payments with the student loan calculator.

SAI calculator and Pell Grant questions

What is the Student Aid Index (SAI)?

The Student Aid Index is a number a school uses to decide how much federal student aid you can receive. The FAFSA calculates it from your family’s (or your own) income, assets, family size and tax filing information with one of three official formulas: Formula A for dependent students, Formula B for independent students without dependents other than a spouse, and Formula C for independent students with dependents. It is an index used for eligibility, not a bill and not the amount your family has to pay.

What SAI qualifies for a Pell Grant?

An SAI of 0 or below qualifies for the maximum Pell Grant. Above 0, the award is the maximum Pell Grant minus your SAI, rounded to the nearest $5, until it would fall below the minimum award. If the maximum were $7,395, that cutoff is an SAI of 6,655 (minimum award $740); if it were $7,445, it is 6,700 (minimum $745). Students from lower-income households who meet the minimum Pell income tests can still get the minimum award with an SAI below twice the maximum Pell Grant. An SAI at or above twice the maximum means no Pell Grant. You can also get the maximum with a positive formula result when your AGI plus any foreign income exclusion is above $0 and within 175% (or 225% for a single parent) of the poverty guideline, or when neither parent (or neither you nor your spouse) filed taxes.

Can the SAI be negative?

Yes. The SAI can be as low as -1,500. If the formula gives a lower number, it is set to -1,500. Non-filers are assigned -1,500 directly. A negative SAI does not raise your Pell Grant above the maximum, but it tells schools you have the highest financial need.

What replaced the EFC (Expected Family Contribution)?

The SAI replaced the Expected Family Contribution beginning with the 2024-25 award year, under the FAFSA Simplification Act. An EFC calculator is now an SAI calculator. The main differences are that the SAI can be negative, it no longer reduces your aid index for having several family members in college, and it uses new income protection allowances and a different assessment of income.

When does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?

It is already open. The Department of Education announced on September 23, 2026 that the 2027-28 FAFSA is available, ahead of the October 1 date set in law. It covers aid for classes from July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028. File at StudentAid.gov.

Does the number of family members in college still count?

No. Under the SAI formulas in the 2027-28 guide there is no adjustment for the number of family members in college. Family size still matters: it sets the income protection allowance and the poverty guideline used for the Pell Grant tests, but it only counts people who are supported by the household, not who is in college.

What is the maximum Pell Grant for 2027-28?

It has not been announced. The maximum depends on fiscal year 2027 appropriations. The 2026-27 maximum is $7,395, which is also the President’s FY2027 budget request, and the House FY2027 bill would set $7,445. This calculator shows both as scenarios and does not treat either as the 2027-28 award.

Is this a FAFSA calculator or Pell Grant calculator I can rely on?

It is a planning estimate. It follows the Department of Education’s published formulas line by line and reproduces the guide’s own worked example exactly, but the official SAI is the number on your FAFSA Submission Summary, which uses your IRS data and your exact answers. What a school actually offers also depends on its cost of attendance, its own and state aid rules, and your enrollment.

Sources (checked October 23, 2026): ED: 2027-28 SAI and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide (June 2026) · Federal Register: 2025 HHS poverty guidelines (90 FR 5917) · ED GEN-26-01: 2026-27 Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts · FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7, Ch. 2: Calculating Pell Grants · ED: earliest FAFSA launch in program history (2027-28) · StudentAid.gov: FAFSA