BFG In the News: Does Gifting Money Affect Financial Aid Possibilities?
A 45-second read by Victor Cannillo: If you want to help a relative pay for college, you can pay the money to the college directly without incurring any gift taxes. However, you need to ask the school if this would affect the need-based aid eligibility of the student because each school handles this differently. For example, if the school views the money as a payment of the student’s account, then most likely it would not affect financial aid. But if the money is treated as a resource, then it will reduce the student’s aid “dollar-for dollar.”