Question about the FAFSA

[Chagilsma]

<p>When it asks you your parents salaries, wages, and tips; does that mean the net income salaries or the gross income salaries?</p>

[hudsonvalley51]

<p>That refers to gross income, which is reported on your parents’ W-2 forms or 1099s.</p>

[AskMe02]

<p>There are more than one questions in FAFSA related to income. If you could give exact Que# I can provide more comments. At least two of the questions I know (79, 83) are to be answered differently, though both are about income!</p>

[Chagilsma]

<p>Thanks.
Also: Where should I put my mother’s social security income in the FAFSA? In the adjusted gross income? What question number?</p>

[AskMe02]

<p>Chagilsma: Every question is serially numbered. For example:</p>

<p>Your last name(Q1)
..
..
Your Driving Licenses number (Q8)
…
Are you a US Citizen (Q41)?
…</p>

<p>The Q number in the bracket is the Question number. You can find brief description to each question in the FAFSA worksheet. You can find the FAFSA worksheet here:
<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before012.htm[/url]”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before012.htm&lt;/a&gt;
(choose the one relevant to you).</p>

<p>Here is an exhaustive document explaining the FAFSA form, should be helpful.</p>

<p><a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/CompletingtheFAFSA08-09.pdf[/url]”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/CompletingtheFAFSA08-09.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[thumper1]

<p>I would suggest that the OP print out the FAFSA worksheet and complete it first. The format is very easy and the questions are very clear. Once the information is on the worksheet, it is very easy to transfer the info to the FAFSA (the worksheet even tells you which number on the FAFSA you use).</p>

[AskMe02]

<p>100% agree with thumper. I attached the links of the worksheet and explanation sites, those should be helpful.</p>

[Chagilsma]

<p>I know about the questions numbers. I was just referring to my social security question when I asked its number.</p>

[swimcatsmom]

<p>AGI is a number from the tax return. If the SS is taxed it will be in the AGI. If it is untaxed it goes on worksheet A (untaxed benefits) and is then added to the AGI by FAFSA to get total income.</p>

<p>Make sure you do not add it twice - if it is in the AGI and you put it on worksheet A as well it will be counted twice.</p>

[AskMe02]

<p>swimcatsmom beat me to it. But, it’s sure better to hear from her; I am still a newbie!</p>

[Chagilsma]

<p>Thanks so much, you guys are life savers. One last question: the taxes paid and the adjusted gross income have to be the same? Q# 79 and 80?</p>

[swimcatsmom]

<p>No. Question 79 is asking for the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Question 80 is asking for the tax paid on that income.</p>

<p>

79. Adjusted Gross Income. Your parents must provide their adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2007. AGI is found on IRS 1040—line 37; 1040A—line 21; or 1040EZ—line 4. If your parents have not completed a 2007 tax form, they should calculate their AGI using the instructions for the applicable IRS form. They can get the instructions and the form at a public library or download them in Portable Document Format (PDF) from <a href=“http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html[/url]”>www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html</a>.</p>

<p>Note that AGI includes more than just wages earned; it also includes, for example, interest, dividends, alimony, taxable portions of Social Security and business income.

</p>

<p>

80. Income tax. Your parents should enter the amount of their 2007 income tax paid from IRS 1040—line 57; 1040A—line 35; or 1040EZ—line 10. They should not copy the amount of federal income tax withheld from a W-2 Form. If they did not pay any income tax for 2007, they should enter zero (0).

</p>

[Chagilsma]

<p>Thank you all. You’ve been a great help! I finished filling the FAFSA at last. :)</p>