FAFSA Help?

Paying for College
1

For question 88 on the FAFSA concerning how much Parent 1 earned from work, if this parent receives Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), would I list the amount they receive here or would I list it in the next section that deals with untaxed income? Initially, I listed it under both, but when I tried to proceed to the next section I received an error saying something along the lines of “you reported the same amount for two areas, please check the information you have provided.”
Thank you for any help I may receive!

Additional information that might be relevant:
SSDI is the only income this parent receives. As for my other parent, they are unemployed and do not make anything. I have also been told not to list it anywhere, but then all my financial information would basically be 0 and I imagine that looks a little odd.

2

@kelsmom, do you have some advice for the OP?

3

SSDI definitely does not get reported as parent earned income (either question 88 or 89). It may not get reported at all, since “untaxed Social Security benefits” are not to be reported, as per the instructions for question 94.i. It doesn’t matter if $0 reported income looks “odd;” if that’s the reality, that’s how you need to complete the form. Hopefully kelsmom will check in with an answer.

4

As per kelsmom in this earlier thread:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1720008-fafsa-and-ssdi-disability.html

SSDI is not reported on the FAFSA.

5

I believe only W-2 or self-employment income is “from work.”

The easiest way to put everything in the right place is to use the IRS retrieval tool, if your parents filed an income tax return for 2015.

If your college has any questions about why any numbers look funny, they will ask.

There is a free line-by-line guide to the FAFSA available at the edvisors website, too.

6

@BelknapPoint @AroundHere @mommdc Thank you for your responses!

7

Income from work:
IRS Form Enter Amount From Lines
1040 7 + 12 + 18* + Box 14 [Code A] of IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1065)
1040A 7
1040EZ 1

Tax filers who are not self-employed should only use line 7.

*Lines 12 and 18 and Box 14 [Code A] of IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) are for tax filers who are self-employed.

Note: If values from lines 12 or 18 or Box 14 [Code A] of IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) are negative, treat them as zero when determining the income earned from work.

Note: The line numbers above are from the IRS tax form, not from the W-2 form.

If your parent did not file taxes, enter the total amount of earnings from work in 2015. Add up the earnings from the W-2 form and any other earning statements.

If your parent’s 2015 income earned from work is:
Parent’s Income from Work Enter
Ten million or more 9999999 (Kelsmom’s note: I can’t even comprehend this!)
Negative ten million or less -9999999 (Kelsmom’s note: Or this!)
Zero 0

Round to the nearest dollar and do not include commas or decimal points.