<p>I will be a soph. during the 07-08 school year and I am filling out my FAFSA right now. On the Fafsa Worksheet C - the last question asks for the "Students grant and scholarship aid reported to the IRS in your parents' adjusted gross income."</p>
<p>My parents filled their taxes already but we are not sure where to find this number. I recieved my 1098-T form from my school a few weeks ago for the 2006 school year. The "Amounts billed" in box #2 is $6636.75 and the "scholarships or grants" in box #5 is $5050. When I was filling out my FAFSA online, it said not to look on the 1098-T form but at box #7 on the parents' 1040 tax form. This #7 on the 1040 Form has a value of "$0".</p>
<p>It seems a little odd to put "$0" but thats what it seems like they are asking for on the FAFSA since they said its the value in box #7 of the 1040 form. I just wanted to know if anyone here had any experience with this question. I will be speaking with a financial aid advisor on campus this week if I can't get the answer here. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>The question on the FAFSA allows one to "back out" the taxable scholarship income one MIGHT have to report. In your case, there was no reportable income.</p>
<p>in other words the answer to the "Students grant and scholarship aid reported to the IRS in your parents' adjusted gross income" question would be "$0"???</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Grants or scholarships are tax free to the extent they go toward tuition, fees, or required books (where "required" is interpreted very strictly).</p></li>
<li><p>On your taxes (or your parents taxes), you only report grants or scholarships that are taxable income. If you receive more scholarship/grant money than tuition/fees/books, the difference is taxable, and goes on the tax return. If you received less scholarship/grant money than tuition/fees/books, your scholarship/grant money isn't taxable, and doesn't get reported on the tax return.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In your case, your grant/scholarship (box 5 on the 1098-T) was less than the amount billed for "qualified tuition and related expenses" (box 2 on the 1098-T), so all of your scholarship/grant money was tax free, and doesn't get reported at all on the 1040. (Although there's usually some other income listed in box 7 since that's for all wages-- but maybe your parents are self employed).</p>
<ol>
<li> Now-- on the FAFSA. You (or your parents) showed no grant/scholarship money as income on your taxes. So it's not included in your (or your parent's) AGI. On Worksheet C, they ask you to report "Report any student grant and scholarship aid reported to the IRS in your AGI." There's identical questions for student and parent. Since FAFSA doesn't count grant/scholarship proceeds against you in the formula- if you'd included any (taxable) grant/scholarship money in the AGI, this is where you'd report it so it would get deducted out for FAFSA purposes.</li>
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<p>So in your case, 0 is correct for this question on Worksheet C.</p>
<p>Complicated, ain't it? :)</p>
<p>As always, suggest you get real tax advice from a tax professional.</p>
<p>sblake7, thanks for the information.
I've done a lot of research today and it seems like the results match the information in your post. I just wanted to check if I wasnt missing anything.</p>
<p>It is much less complicated now. btw, you are correct that box 7 is 0 because my parents are self employed. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Since your folks are self employed, make sure that you include their income on Questions 82 and 82-- income from work, in addition to the total you show as their AGI. These two questions are used by the formula to calculate how much Social Security tax they paid, and deduct it from their income. So be sure to include all income from work here in order to get income down, and reduce EFC as much as possible.</p>