• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The College Investor

Student Loans, Investing, Building Wealth

  • About
  • Podcast
  • Research
  • Contact
  • Save For College
      • How To Start

      • How To Save For College
      • How To Pay For College
      • What Is the Average Cost of College?
      • What Is A 529 Plan and Where to Open One in Your State
      • How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
      • How To Use A 529 Plan For Private Elementary And High School
      • What Are Qualified Expenses For A 529 Plan (And What Doesn’t Count)?
      • The Best Brokers To Open A 529 Plan
      • Tools + Accounts

      • 529 Plans: The Ultimate College Savings Plan
      • 529 Plan Contribution Limits
      • Prepaid Tuition Plans | What To Know
      • Understanding And Using 529A ABLE Accounts
      • Using A Roth IRA To Save And Pay For College
      • FAFSA Deadlines for Financial Aid
      • CollegeBacker Review
      • Upromise Review
      • UNest Review
      • Other Options

      • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
      • The Guide To Military And VA Education Benefits
      • How To Fill Out The FAFSA
      • How To Find College Scholarships
      • The Best College Scholarship Search Websites
      • How To Find Grants To Pay For College
      • Pell Grants: What They Are And How To Qualify
      • Understanding Federal Work-Study
      • How To Use A 529 Plan If Your Child Doesn’t Go To College
  • Student Loans
      • Borrowing

        • How Student Loans Work
        • How To Apply For A Student Loan
        • Best Student Loans And Rates In January 2023
        • 10 Best Private Student Loans Of January 2023
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Graduate School
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Medical School
        • Parent Loans To Pay For College
        • No-Cosigner Student Loan Options
        • Guide To Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)
        • Best International Student Loans
      • Get Out Of Debt

        • Best Student Loan Refinance Companies In January 2023
        • Best Student Loan Repayment Plans
        • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers Of January 2023
        • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)
        • The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
        • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
        • Top Student Loan Scams
        • Average Student Loan Monthly Payment
        • Average Student Loan Debt By Year
      • Reviews

        • Credible Review
        • Splash Review
        • Ascent Review
        • Citizens Bank Review
        • Commonbond Review
        • Earnest Review
        • ELFI Review
        • Laurel Road Review
        • LendKey Review
        • SoFi Review
  • Investing
      • How To Start

        • How To Start Investing in High School
        • How To Start Investing In College
        • How To Start Investing In Your Twenties For 22 – 29 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing In Your 30s For 30 – 39 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing With $100 Or Less
        • How To Give Kids The Gift Of Stock
        • What Is Dividend Growth Investing
        • IRA Rollover Chart
      • Tools + Accounts

        • Best Online Stock Brokers
        • The Best Traditional And Roth IRA Accounts
        • The Best Robo-Advisors
        • The Best Investing Apps
        • The Best Places to Trade Options
        • The Best Places To Open A Health Savings Account
        • The Best Solo 401k Providers
        • The Best Self-Directed IRA Providers Of 2023
        • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
      • Reviews

        • Vanguard Review
        • Fidelity Review 2023
        • M1 Finance Review
        • TD Ameritrade Review 2023
        • Charles Schwab Review
        • Robinhood Review
        • Webull Review
        • Betterment Review 2023
        • Wealthfront Review
  • Earn More Money
      • Extra Income

        • 20 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2023
        • 53 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Money Fast
        • 100 Ways To Make Money In College
        • 80 Ways To Make Money From Home In 2023
        • 5 Quick Money Making Ideas (That Take Less Than 1 Hour)
        • 10 Interesting Ways You Can Make Money Driving
        • High-Paying Side Gigs That Earn $1,000 or More Per Month
        • The 10 Best Money-Making Apps
        • Paid Surveys: Earn Money For Giving Your Opinion Online
        • 10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of
      • Build Wealth

        • 40 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use To Build Wealth In 2023
        • 3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income
        • How To Become A Real Estate Investor With Just $500
        • 15 Best Online Business Ideas
        • Residual Income: 7 Super Smart Ways to Build It
        • The Most Common Multiple Income Streams
        • How To Become A Real Estate Mogul With Only $10,000
      • Reviews

        • Fundrise Review
        • RealtyMogul Review
        • FarmTogether Review
        • AcreTrader Review
        • Swagbucks Review
        • Survey Junkie Review
        • TopCashback Review
        • DoorDash Review
  • Personal Finance
      • Banking

        • 10 Best High Yield Savings Accounts Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Money Market Accounts Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Free Checking Accounts In January 2023
        • Best Bank CD Rates Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Business Checking Accounts In January 2023
        • Best Online Banks Of January 2023
        • Best Credit Unions Nationwide Of January 2023
        • Best College Student Checking Accounts Of January 2023
      • Insurance

        • Best Life Insurance Companies
        • Renters Insurance
        • Car Insurance
        • Pet Insurance
        • Umbrella Insurance
        • Disability Insurance
        • Tuition Insurance
        • Travel Insurance
      • Credit Tools

        • Best Budgeting Apps
        • Cash Advance Apps
        • How To Get A Free Credit Score Report
        • Best Credit Monitoring Services For 2023
        • Debt Settlement: Inside The Secret World
        • Credit Repair Explained: Should You Pay For Help?
        • Best Personal Loan Companies And Lenders
        • Online Loan Companies To Borrow From Home
      • Tax

        • Best Tax Software
        • Free Tax Software
        • IRS Tax Refund Calendar
        • Common IRS Questions and Errors
        • Federal Tax Brackets
        • Capital Gains Tax Brackets
        • 401k Contribution Limits
        • IRA Contribution Limits
        • HSA Contribution Limits
  • Forum
  • Search
Home » Student Loans » FAFSA » FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance Plunges To Zero

FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance Plunges To Zero

Updated: August 18, 2022 By Mark Kantrowitz

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Email
Print

At The College Investor, we want to help you navigate your finances. To do this, many or all of the products featured here may be from our partners. This doesn’t influence our evaluations or reviews. Our opinions are our own. Any investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. The College Investor does not offer investment advisor or brokerage services, nor does it recommend buying or selling particular stocks, securities, or other investments. Learn more here.Advertiser Disclosure

There are thousands of financial products and services out there, and we believe in helping you understand which is best for you, how it works, and will it actually help you achieve your financial goals. We're proud of our content and guidance, and the information we provide is objective, independent, and free.

But we do have to make money to pay our team and keep this website running! Our partners compensate us. TheCollegeInvestor.com has an advertising relationship with some or all of the offers included on this page, which may impact how, where, and in what order products and services may appear. The College Investor does not include all companies or offers available in the marketplace. And our partners can never pay us to guarantee favorable reviews (or even pay for a review of their product to begin with).

For more information and a complete list of our advertising partners, please check out our full Advertising Disclosure. TheCollegeInvestor.com strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. The information in our reviews could be different from what you find when visiting a financial institution, service provider or a specific product's website. All products and services are presented without warranty.

FAFSA asset protection allowance

The asset protection allowance shelters a portion of parent assets on the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This helps more students qualify for needs-based financial aid.

Unfortunately, the FAFSA asset protection allowance has been steadily decreasing for over a decade. And on the 2023-2024 FAFSA (which families will start filing on October 1, 2022) it will drop to zero for all parents.

Why are these changes happening and how will students be impacted financially? We'll answer both of those questions below. We'll also make a few recommendations for how Congress can address the asset protection allowance problem.

Table of Contents
What Is The FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance?
How Is The Asset Protection Allowance Changing?
What Will Be The Financial Impact Of The Changes?
How To Fix The Asset Protection Allowance Problem

What Is The FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance?

The FAFSA collects information about the income and assets of student and parents, household size, and number of children in college, among other factors. This information is used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), a measure of a family’s financial strength. 

The FAFSA subtracts the asset protection allowance, which is based on the age of the older parent, from parent assets before assessing a portion of what’s left. The purpose of the asset protection allowance is to shelter enough savings to cover the difference between average Social Security retirement benefits and a moderate family income level. 

The asset protection allowance was also intended to shelter a portion of college savings. But this was never implemented by Congress, even though the Higher Education Act of 1965 refers to an “Education Savings and Asset Protection Allowance.”

How Is The Asset Protection Allowance Changing?

For more than a decade, the average Social Security retirement benefit has increased while the moderate family income level has remained more or less the same. This has caused the asset protection allowance to decrease significantly after reaching a peak in 2009-2010.

This Federal Register notice shows that the asset protection allowance will drop to zero for single parents of all ages for the 2022-23 FAFSA. That's down from $3,900 for age 65 and older last year and $32,800 in 2009-2010. For single parents age 48, the median age of parents of college-age children, the asset protection allowance is down from $2,500 last year and $21,400 in 2009-2010.

The asset protection allowance for married parents will drop to $5,900 for parents age 65 and older. That's down from $10,500 last year (a 44% drop) and $84,000 in 2009-2010 (a 93% drop). For married parents age 48, the asset protection allowance will drop to $3,700. It was $6,000 last year and $52,400 in 2009-2010.

For the 2023-2024 FAFSA (which students will begin filing in October 2022), the asset protection allowance for parents will be $0.

FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance

This means that the assets of parents will not be sheltered when calculating the expected family contribution (EFC). And that reduces eligibility for need-based financial aid. 

What Will Be The Financial Impact Of The Changes?

The decrease in the asset protection allowance from $84,000 to $5,900 is the equivalent of a $4,400 change in the EFC. This means that families are getting as much as $4,400 less in need-based financial aid than they otherwise would have received.

Many families are not aware that the asset protection allowance is causing a big drop in eligibility for grants, scholarships, and subsidized student loans. The financial aid formulas function like a black box. And the impact of the changes is also partially masked by inflationary adjustments to other aspects of the financial aid formula. 

The net result is that the EFC has remained flat or increased even as ability to pay for college has decreased. This especially true among middle-income families who aren't eligible for the simplified needs test. The simplified needs test causes assets to be ignored for families that earn less than $50,000 per year or who are eligible for certain means-tested federal benefits.

How To Fix The Asset Protection Allowance Problem

Only Congress can fix the asset protection allowance problem. Unfortunately, this problem was not address by the FAFSA simplification legislation that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. 

One possible solution is to exclude college savings plans (such as 529 plans, prepaid tuition plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) from reportable assets and qualified distributions from income on the FAFSA. Non-qualified distributions should continue to be included in adjusted gross income on the FAFSA. 

This solution would not only address the problem but also eliminate any actual or perceived penalty for saving for college. Alternately, one could exclude all assets from the FAFSA (not just college savings plans). This would further simplify the FAFSA.

A third solution would be to shelter a fixed dollar amount (such as $50,000 per child) and adjust the amount annually for inflation. That would be enough to shelter college savings for almost two years of college costs at an in-state 4-year public college and one year of college costs at a 4-year private college.

Mark Kantrowitz
Mark Kantrowitz

Mark Kantrowitz is an expert on student financial aid, scholarships, 529 plans, and student loans. He has been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles about college admissions and financial aid. Mark has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, U.S. News & World Report, MarketWatch, Money Magazine, Forbes, Newsweek, and Time. You can find his work on Student Aid Policy here.

Mark is the author of five bestselling books about scholarships and financial aid and holds seven patents. Mark serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid, the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association. Mark has two Bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master’s degree in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

FAFSA Asset Protection Allowance Plunges To Zero

Editor: Robert Farrington

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Subscribe
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Student Loan Resources

Featured Lender Reviews

>  Credible (recommended)
>  Splash (recommended)
>  ELFI
>  LendKey
>  Earnest
>  Laurel Road

Paying For College

  • Best Student Loans And Rates
  • Best Private Student Loans
  • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
  • Student Loans For Community College
  • Best International Student Loans
  • Best Student Loans For Graduate School
  • Best Student Loans For Your MBA
  • Best Student Loans For Medical School
  • How To Get A Private Student Loan With No Cosigner
  • How To Get A Student Loan With Bad Credit

Navigating Repayment

  • How To Select The Best Student Loan Repayment Plan
  • 5 Legal Ways To Lower Your Student Loan Payment
  • How To Use A 529 Plan For Student Loan Repayment
  • These Companies Offer Student Loan Repayment Assistance

Student Loan Forgiveness

  • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)
  • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
  • President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  • Borrower Defense To Repayment
  • For-Profit College Student Loan Forgiveness List
  • Private Student Loan Forgiveness
  • Trade School Loan Forgiveness Programs

Student Loan Refinance

  • Best Student Loan Refinance Companies
  • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers
  • Lenders That Offer Student Loan Refinancing Without A Degree
  • How To Refinance An International Student Loan
  • Best Medical School Student Loan Refinancing

More On Student Loans

  • Top Student Loan Scams
  • Does The Government Profit Off Of Student Loans?
  • Statue Of Limitations Laws For Student Loans
  • What Should You Do With Your Old FFELP Loans?
  • How To Get A Refund Of Your Federal Student Loan Payments

Footer

Who We Are

The College Investor is an independent, advertising-supported financial media publisher, focusing on news, product reviews, and comparisons.

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Press & Media

About

  • About
  • Our Team
  • Podcast
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • How We Make Money
  • Archives

Social

Copyright © 2023 · The College Investor · Privacy Policy ·Terms of Service · DO NOT Sell My Personal Information

wpDiscuz