Terms & estimate disclaimers
Plain-language terms for a screening tool. The one-sentence version: BenefitMap shows you what you probably qualify for — the agency or school always has the final say.
Every figure is an estimate
Amounts on BenefitMap are estimates built from the answers you entered and the published rules of each program. They are labeled as estimates — on every card that shows one — because they are. A figure can change when a missing fact is added, when your school or agency applies its own rules, or when funding runs short. One exception, labeled as such: a Pell Grant figure computed from the Student Aid Index (SAI) from your own filed FAFSA follows the federal formula exactly — and even that is confirmed by your school, not by us.
An estimated Student Aid Index is never allowed to give you a final "no" on BenefitMap. Where a verdict rests on an estimated figure, the result says so and softens to "worth checking" rather than ruling against you on a guess.
The agency or school decides — not us
BenefitMap is an independent screening tool. It is not a government agency, it is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, any state agency, or any scholarship sponsor, and it does not file anything on your behalf — no FAFSA, no application, no appeal. Final eligibility is always decided by the agency or school that runs the program, from your official filings. Every result links to that official source; treat it as the authority whenever anything here differs.
No guaranteed money — and a warning
BenefitMap never promises that you will receive any grant, scholarship, or benefit, and no honest tool can. Programs have limited funds, rules change, and some awards in these results are competitive. Be careful in the other direction, too: any service that guarantees you grant money, or charges a fee to "release" a grant, is running the classic grant scam. Real applications are free, and BenefitMap's results are never paywalled.
How current the data is
Every program record carries its official source and a "last verified" date. Federal figures are re-verified each award year; state programs each award year and deadline season; scholarships against the sponsor's own page every cycle — and a scholarship whose sponsor has paused or ended it is removed, not left to mislead you. Rules for the award year you select are the rules applied; a program that is not offered in that year says so.
If a figure here disagrees with the official source linked from its result, the official source is right and this record is stale: the "last verified" date on the result tells you how old our check is.
Loans are debt
Where loans appear, they are listed separately, labeled as debt, and shown last on purpose. A loan is money you repay with interest — it is never counted in the "money on the table" total, and it is never presented as a benefit.
Not professional advice
BenefitMap is general information, not tax, legal, or financial advice for your specific situation. Tax credits in particular (like the EITC) are screened, not computed, in this version. For decisions that turn on exact figures, use the official source or a qualified professional.