FAFA HELP: Unemployment Compensation Question

<p>I am filling out my fafsa, and i noticed that there is no question asking about how much unemployment my family received. My situation is that every year my mom works during the colder months and during the warmer months, shes laid off, and she receives unemployment for those months. She is working right now, so she isnt considered a displaced worker. I called fafsa and they said i should report her unemployment under other untaxed income, and i know thats not right because isnt unemployment compensation taxed? so can someone please answer this question. Thank you</p>

<p>It is already included in her AGI on her tax return, so you are already reporting it on FAFSA. There is no need to report it else where.</p>

<p>In 2009 there was a special tax break where $2400 of unemployment was tax free. As that was untaxed it was not included in the AGI, so had to be reported as untaxed income. However that tax break does not exist in 2010 and all unemployment is taxable, so is already included (and reported) along with other income in the AGI.</p>

<p>

sigh…</p>

<p>Thank you and to make sure, your saying that I should not report my mom’s unemployment under other untaxed income or anywhere else for that matter.</p>

<p>Does she do a tax return? If so it should be reported on her taxes and will already be included in her AGI from her tax return. So you are reporting it on FAFSA. You don’t need to report it twice.</p>

<p>My mom and dad do a joint tax return. i do notice that it is included in her AGI. But my question is that how would the fafsa know how much she would receive from unemployment. I was doing the CSS and they had a part where you had to indicate how much unemployment your paretns receive. its just odd that the fafsa doesnt.</p>

<p>FAFSA does ask about it. There are a lot of things CSS requires that FAFSA does not.</p>

<p>so just to be clear the only place i should report my mom’s unemployment is in the AGI and nowhere else</p>

<p>Flash, read the questions carefully as you go along and have the full instructions open in another tab to refer to if you’re unsure:
[Completing</a> the FAFSA: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html]Completing”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html)</p>

<p>FAFSA asks several questions that are related to unemployment, such as dislocated worker status and income from work (that excludes the unemployment number). But the actual unemployment income figure in your case would only be included in AGI.</p>

<p>That is absolutely correct. The only time unemployment would be reported as untaxed income would be if the parent’s total income is less than the amount required to file a tax return - if the parent does not have to file a return, the unemployment income would be reported as other untaxed income.</p>

<p>Flash, your mom’s unemployment income IS being reported on your FAFSA. It is part of the AGI, and your parents have paid taxes on it.</p>

<p>Ok and Thanks everyone for your help.i really appreciate it.</p>