<p>I was rep payee for my childrens' SS survivor benefits, then my son turned 18 and the benefits continued in his name (about 6 months) until he graduated from high school last year. He also worked two part time jobs, one of them a federal work study, in his first freshman term at college. He earned $1771 at these jobs. Here's the questions:</p>
<p>Does he need to report any of the survivor benefits on the FAFSA?</p>
<p>Does he have to file a tax return for 2011 for the $1771 earnings? And if he doesn't, is that income still reported on FAFSA?</p>
<p>Afaik, non-taxable SS benefits of any kind aren’t reported on FAFSA. The w/s income is…and I think there’s still another question that will ask you if any of the income is from work-study or student work programs (sorry, can’t remember the exact wording!). One doesn’t have to file a tax return (select “will not file” on FAFSA) if the IRS doesn’t require it. Your son’s income sounds too low to trigger filing, but he can file for free if he had any tax witheld and wants a refund. Check the IRS website.</p>