Certain students are eligible for an EFC of 0, depending in part on which tax form they and their parents used during the previous year. To qualify for an EFC of 0, the student, parents, and/or spouse must all have been eligible to file their taxes with IRS Form 1040A or 1040EZ. For dependent students, their parents' combined income must be less than $16,000 per year.
For independent students, their own income and that of their spouse must be less than $16,000 per year, and they must have non-spouse dependents, such as children.