Scholarship eligibility checker (§25F income & 300% AMI)
See whether your family is likely eligible for a §25F scholarship. The federal rule covers households at or below 300% of your area's median gross income, and Treasury's proposed rules add shortcuts for foster children and for families on SNAP, TANF, WIC, Section 8 housing, or SSI.
1. Categorical eligibility and other shortcuts. Check any that apply:
Medicaid and free or reduced-price school lunch are not on the proposed list; families in those programs use the income test below.
2. Income test. The ceiling is 300% of your area’s median gross income, adjusted for household size, measured on income for the calendar year before you apply:
The student plus everyone living with them.
Your county's HUD median family income (4-person). The IRS will publish official §25F figures by area and family size each year; until then, HUD's figure works as an estimate. We adjust it for household size.
Last calendar year, for everyone in the household. Include child support and alimony; leave out unrealized gains on a home or stocks.
Guidance only, based on Treasury’s proposed regulations (October 2026), which may be relied on for 2027 but are not final. The ceiling is 300% × area median × HUD’s family-size multiplier, the formula in Treasury’s own example; the IRS will publish the official area figures. The student must also be eligible to enroll in a public school. The SGO you apply through makes the official determination, may use a lower income limit, and gives priority to returning recipients and then their siblings.
How this works
- First, check the shortcuts in Treasury's proposed rules: a foster child qualifies with no income check, and a household member currently approved for SNAP, TANF, WIC, Section 8 housing, or SSI (shown by an award letter dated within the last 12 months) lets the SGO skip a full income review. Medicaid and free or reduced-price lunch are not on that list.
- Otherwise, the income test is 300% of your AREA's median gross income (AMGI), which depends on your county and household size, not a single national number. Income is measured for the calendar year before you apply.
- Enter your area's median income (we link to the HUD lookup), household size, and household income. We multiply 300% of the median by HUD's family-size multiplier, the method in Treasury's own example, and compare.
- The SGO makes the final call and may use a lower limit. Treasury's rules are proposed, not final, and the IRS will publish the official area figures each year, so treat this as guidance, not a guarantee.
Questions, answered
What income counts as eligible?
The statute sets the ceiling at 300% of area median gross income, a figure that varies by county and household size. Under Treasury's proposed regulations, household income is the prior calendar year's income for everyone living with the student, including child support and alimony but not unrealized gains on a home or stocks. Foster children qualify automatically, and a family with an award letter (dated within 12 months) for SNAP, TANF, WIC, Section 8 housing, or SSI can be verified that way. Medicaid and free or reduced-price lunch are not on the proposed list.
Why do I have to enter my area's median income?
Because there is no single national threshold: 300% of the median in a high-cost metro is far higher than in a rural county. The IRS will publish official figures by area and family size each year; until it does, we let you enter HUD's area median (we link to the lookup) so the result reflects where you actually live. Treasury's example: a household of three in an area with a $100,000 median qualifies up to $270,000.
Is this an official eligibility determination?
No. It's a planning estimate based on the statute and Treasury's proposed rules. The SGO you apply through makes the actual determination, may set a lower income limit, and gives priority to returning recipients and then their siblings (for tutoring and special-needs awards, Treasury's proposal lets priority follow need).
Learn more
- Scholarship eligibilityWhich K-12 students qualify for EFTC scholarships, the income limits, what schools and educational expenses are covered, and how families apply through a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO).
- EFTC for homeschool & microschoolWhether and how homeschool, microschool, learning-pod, and hybrid-school families can use EFTC scholarships under Treasury's October 2026 proposed rules: the state-law "school" test, which expenses qualify, how SGOs must pay, and how to find an SGO that supports your educational model.
- EFTC for special-needs familiesHow families of K-12 students with disabilities can use EFTC scholarships for special-needs services, tutoring, private-school tuition, and assistive technology under Treasury's October 2026 proposed regulations: the low-income-area safe harbor for school-selected services, need-based priority, how providers get paid, and what still awaits Treasury's §530 guidance.
- EFTC for private & faith-based schoolsHow private, religious, and independent K-12 schools can benefit from the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC / ECCA / §25F): how scholarship dollars reach your school through SGOs, what families need to qualify, and how to prepare for the January 2027 launch.
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