As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child, I can confirm what others have said - FAFSA definitely uses your AGI, not taxable income. What caught me off guard was how much the "add-backs" impacted our final calculation. Even though our 401k contributions lowered our AGI by about $24,000, most of that got added back as untaxed income on the FAFSA. One thing that really helped me understand the process was downloading the actual FAFSA formula guide from fsaid.ed.gov - it's like 30 pages of technical details, but if you're a numbers person like me, seeing exactly how they calculate everything step-by-step was really illuminating. It shows you precisely how they start with AGI and then all the adjustments they make from there. The key takeaway for planning purposes: focus on strategies that actually reduce your AGI AND don't get added back. Things like HSA contributions and certain business deductions can help, while traditional retirement contributions are mostly neutral for FAFSA purposes since they get added back anyway.

As someone who just completed the FAFSA process for my younger son, I want to emphasize how important it is to understand this AGI vs taxable income distinction early in your planning. I made the same mistake initially and was shocked when my Expected Family Contribution (now SAI) was much higher than I calculated using taxable income. One practical tip I learned: if you're still in the planning phase for future years, consider front-loading certain expenses that legitimately reduce your AGI. For example, if you're self-employed, timing business expenses or equipment purchases can impact your AGI for FAFSA purposes. Also, if you have flexible timing for things like Roth IRA conversions (which increase AGI) or traditional IRA contributions (which decrease it), the FAFSA timeline might factor into those decisions. The most valuable lesson I learned was to run the actual Federal Student Aid Estimator multiple times with different scenarios rather than trying to calculate everything myself. It takes into account all those add-backs and adjustments that are easy to miss when you're doing rough estimates.

As a newcomer to this community, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I was completely stuck on this same FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application and was about to enter her full $4,200 scholarship amount, not realizing they only want the portion that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns. After reading through all these thorough explanations, I finally understand the crucial distinction between "total scholarships received" versus "scholarships reported as income to the IRS." Since my daughter's scholarship went entirely toward tuition and required fees, and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll confidently enter 0. It's both reassuring and frustrating to see how many families struggle with this poorly worded question - FAFSA really should emphasize the "reported as income" aspect more prominently in their wording! This community has been such a lifesaver for navigating these confusing financial aid forms. Thank you to everyone who generously shared their knowledge and experiences to help fellow parents understand this tricky question!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my gratitude for this incredibly thorough and enlightening discussion! I was facing the exact same confusion with this FAFSA question for my son's renewal application and was about to make the common mistake of entering his full $5,600 scholarship amount. After carefully reading through all these detailed explanations from everyone, I now clearly understand that this field is specifically asking for scholarship money that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns - NOT the total scholarship amount received. Since my son's scholarship went entirely toward tuition and required textbooks, and we didn't report any portion of it as taxable income on our 2022 tax return, I'll confidently enter 0. It's both comforting and frustrating to see how many families get confused by this poorly worded question - FAFSA really should emphasize "reported as income to the IRS" more prominently in their wording! This community has been such a valuable resource for navigating these complex financial aid forms. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences to help fellow parents understand this tricky question!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to log into my Nelnet account for the past 4 days to make my payment and absolutely no verification codes are coming through - I've checked everything from spam folders to trying different devices. It's such a relief to find this thread and realize it's not just me going crazy! Just tried that automated payment line at 888-486-4722 that everyone's been recommending and it worked perfectly! Got my payment processed in about 6 minutes with a confirmation number. No website login needed at all - just had my account number ready from my last statement. It's really frustrating that Nelnet hasn't been transparent about this being a system-wide authentication problem. Without this community sharing solutions, I would have been completely stressed about missing my payment deadline. This is exactly why these forums are so valuable when dealing with servicer technical issues. Thanks to everyone who shared their workarounds and experiences - you've all been lifesavers! Definitely keeping that phone number saved for future reference in case this happens again.

I'm experiencing this exact same verification code nightmare with Nelnet! I've been locked out for 5 days now trying to make my payment - no codes coming through text or email despite my contact info being correct. It's such a relief to find this thread and know it's not just me! Just called that automated payment line at 888-486-4722 that everyone's been recommending and it worked perfectly! Got my payment through in about 7 minutes with a confirmation number. No website login required - just needed my account number from an old statement. It's really disappointing that Nelnet hasn't sent any official communication about this system-wide authentication issue. Without this community sharing solutions, I would have been completely panicked about missing my payment deadline. This is exactly why these forums are so valuable when servicers fail to communicate properly with borrowers. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and workarounds - you've all been lifesavers! Definitely saving that phone number for future reference.

As someone just starting to research the FAFSA process for my daughter's college applications, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! I had no idea that Social Security Disability benefits could create such confusion in the application process. Reading through Noah's complete journey from initial panic to successful completion gives me hope that I can navigate this too. The consistent guidance about trusting the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when SSDI benefits are part of your AGI makes so much sense, and I'm really grateful for all the practical tips shared here - especially Javier's advice about checking Form 1040 line 6b and Chloe's suggestion about keeping documentation for verification. It's amazing how this community has created such a comprehensive resource for families dealing with this specific situation. Even though I don't have SSDI benefits in my family, understanding how the IRS DRT works and the principle of not double-reporting income will definitely help me when I tackle our FAFSA. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this kind of community support makes the whole financial aid process feel much less intimidating for newcomers like me!

This thread has been such a fantastic resource! I'm preparing to help my niece with her FAFSA application, and while we don't have SSDI in our family situation, reading through Noah's experience and all the expert guidance here has really helped me understand the fundamental principles of income reporting. The key insight about trusting the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to capture what's already on your tax return, and only reporting income separately if it's truly untaxed, seems like it applies to so many different income scenarios beyond just Social Security benefits. I'm especially grateful for Javier's professional tips about checking specific tax form lines and Chloe's practical advice about documentation - these are the kinds of real-world insights that can save families so much stress during the application process. It's incredible how this community has created such a thorough guide for navigating these complex reporting questions. Thank you to everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences - even as someone dealing with a different income situation, I feel so much more confident about approaching the FAFSA after reading this discussion!

I've been struggling with this exact same error for almost two weeks now! My son sent me the contributor invitation and every time I try to complete the parent signature, I get that "cannot process request" message. It's been incredibly stressful watching the deadline approach while feeling completely stuck. Reading through all these solutions has been so helpful though - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. I'm going to try the combination approach that worked for Ava: reset my FSA ID password, wait a few hours, then attempt the signature around 5-6 AM using Edge browser while manually typing everything instead of using autofill. The duplicate FSA ID issue that Malik mentioned is also really interesting - I think I might have created multiple accounts over the years when helping different kids with their applications, so I'll definitely call to check on that too. Has anyone had success getting through to the FSA helpline recently? The wait times seem absolutely brutal right now. I'm also planning to contact my son's financial aid office tomorrow to document these technical issues just in case we need deadline flexibility. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - it's such a relief to know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

I'm dealing with this same frustrating issue right now! Been trying to sign my daughter's FAFSA for the past 4 days and getting that exact "cannot process request" error every single time. It's so stressful because her deadline is approaching fast and I feel like I'm failing her by not being able to complete something that should be straightforward. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful though - I had no idea this was affecting so many families! I'm definitely going to try the combination approach that worked for Ava: reset my FSA ID password, wait a couple hours, then attempt the signature early morning (around 5-6 AM) using Edge browser while manually typing all information instead of using autofill. The insight about duplicate FSA IDs from Malik is really eye-opening too. I think I might have created multiple accounts over the years when I forgot login info, so I'm going to call the FSA Information Center to check if that could be causing conflicts. I'm also planning to contact my daughter's financial aid office today to document these technical issues just in case we need deadline flexibility. It's reassuring to hear that many schools are being understanding about these system problems this year. Thanks to everyone for sharing your solutions and experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this technical nightmare definitely helps with the stress level!