In the past, a household income of $26,000 was required to qualify for an EFC of zero dollars. That is to say, if a family had an annual income that was less than $26,000, they were exempt from making any kind of payment out of their own pocket and were eligible for a greater amount of financial help. The eligibility requirement for federal student aid has been raised to $27,000 for the academic year 2021–2022.