Confused about FAFSA College Grants field - do AmeriCorps benefits go here?
I'm stuck on the FAFSA 'Amount of College Grants, Scholarships, or AmeriCorps Benefits Reported as Income to the IRS' question. I participated in AmeriCorps last summer and received a $6,500 education award, but I'm not sure if I need to put this amount in that field? I didn't report it as income on my 2022 taxes since I haven't used it yet - it's still sitting in my MyAmeriCorps account. Should I enter $0 or the $6,500? The instructions say 'The student paid taxes on these grants, scholarships, or benefits' but I'm confused because I didn't actually use or receive the money as income yet. Help please!
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Diego Fisher
put 0 if u didnt pay taxes on it. thts what i did with my scholarship $$ that wasnt reported as income
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Evelyn Kim
•Thanks! So even though the money exists in my AmeriCorps account, since I didn't actually use it or report it on taxes yet, I can put 0? I'm just paranoid about getting flagged for verification if I answer something wrong.
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Henrietta Beasley
This is a common point of confusion. The field is specifically asking about education benefits that were ALREADY reported as taxable income on your 2022 tax return. If you received the AmeriCorps education award but haven't actually used it yet (meaning it wasn't disbursed to pay for education expenses), and you didn't report it as income on your 2022 taxes, then you should enter $0 in this field. This field primarily applies to students who had scholarships or grants that exceeded their qualified education expenses, making the excess amount taxable. The key phrase is "reported as income to the IRS" - if it wasn't on your tax return as income, it doesn't go in this field.
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Evelyn Kim
•That makes so much more sense! So I'll put $0 since I haven't used the award yet and it wasn't reported on my 2022 taxes. Thanks for the clear explanation!
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Lincoln Ramiro
I got tripped up on this same question last year! The way it's worded is so confusing. For AmeriCorps education awards, they only become taxable in the year you actually USE them, not when you earn them. So unless you used your award in 2022 AND reported that as income on your taxes, you should enter 0.
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Faith Kingston
•Actually, this isn't entirely accurate. AmeriCorps education awards are ALWAYS taxable in the year they're used, regardless of how you filed. The FAFSA question is specifically asking what was REPORTED to the IRS, not what should have been reported. If OP didn't report it (correctly or incorrectly), they should put $0 here and deal with the tax implications separately.
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Emma Johnson
Here's the thing about AmeriCorps awards - they're weird. I went through this exact situation. The education award is taxable IN THE YEAR YOU USE IT, not when you earn it. So if you haven't touched that money in your MyAmeriCorps account, it hasn't been taxed yet. Put $0 in that FAFSA field. Also, heads up that when you do use the award, you'll need to report it as income in that tax year. The AmeriCorps website has details about this but it's buried in their FAQ.
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Evelyn Kim
•Thank you! I didn't realize it would be taxed when I finally use it. So I'll put $0 for now since it wasn't reported on my 2022 taxes, and then I'll be prepared for the tax implications when I actually use the award this year.
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Liam Brown
I work in financial aid and can confirm: this field is ONLY for education benefits that were already reported as taxable income on your 2022 tax return. If your AmeriCorps award wasn't disbursed and reported as income in 2022, enter $0. The purpose of this question is to prevent "double-counting" of education funds as both income AND financial aid. Since you haven't used the award yet, it wasn't income in 2022, so $0 is correct.
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Olivia Garcia
•wait I think I messed this up on mine!! I put my Pell Grant amount in this field but I didn't pay taxes on it. Will this mess up my SAI calculation??? Should I go back and fix it??
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Liam Brown
•Yes, you should definitely correct that. Pell Grants are typically not taxable if used for qualified education expenses, so they usually shouldn't be included in this field. Correcting it could potentially lower your SAI, which could mean more aid eligibility.
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Noah Lee
THIS FIELD IS THE WORST!!! My daughter kept getting flagged for verification TWICE because of this stupid question. The FAFSA system is broken and deliberately confusing. We had to spend HOURS on hold with Federal Student Aid just to get someone to explain this properly. Such a waste of time.
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Faith Kingston
•If you need to reach a live person at Federal Student Aid quickly, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). I wasted days trying to get through until someone here recommended it. They help you skip the hold queue and actually get a human on the line. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Definitely worth it when you're dealing with verification issues or complicated questions like this one.
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Noah Lee
•where was this last year when we needed it?? bookmarking this for next time because i KNOW there will be some other confusing question next year 🙄
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Olivia Garcia
Does anyone know if this applies to the foreign income question too? My dad works overseas and I have no idea what to put for that field either...
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Henrietta Beasley
•The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is different. That refers to income that was excluded from U.S. taxation under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion provision (Form 2555). If your parent claimed this exclusion, you'd enter the amount from Form 2555. This is separate from the question about grants and scholarships.
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Evelyn Kim
Thanks everyone for the helpful answers! I'm going to enter $0 since I didn't use or report my AmeriCorps award on my 2022 taxes. It's frustrating how unclear these questions can be - I spent hours stressing over this one field.
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Emma Johnson
•Good call. And don't feel bad - the FAFSA is deliberately confusing. I swear they want us to make mistakes so they can flag us for verification 🙄
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Jacinda Yu
Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation! I had an AmeriCorps education award sitting unused and was so confused by this question. The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA is asking specifically about what was REPORTED AS INCOME on your 2022 tax return. Since AmeriCorps awards are only taxable when you actually use them (not when you earn them), and you haven't used yours yet, $0 is definitely the right answer. I made the mistake of overthinking it initially and almost put the full award amount, which would have been completely wrong and could have messed up my aid calculation. Trust the process - if it wasn't on your tax return as income, it doesn't belong in this field!
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Jade Lopez
•This is really helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my AmeriCorps award and was getting so stressed about this question. It's good to know I'm not the only one who found it confusing. Your explanation about it only being taxable when you actually use it makes total sense - I was overthinking it too. Thanks for sharing your experience, it really helps to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing!
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Ellie Simpson
I went through this same confusion with my AmeriCorps award! The wording on that FAFSA question is so misleading. I called the Federal Student Aid helpline and they confirmed that if you haven't actually USED your education award yet (meaning it hasn't been disbursed to pay for school expenses), then it wasn't taxable income in 2022 and you should put $0. The award only becomes taxable in the year you actually use it to pay for education costs. So you're definitely right to put $0 since it's just sitting in your MyAmeriCorps account unused. Just remember that when you do use it this year or next, you'll need to report it as income on that year's taxes. The whole system is needlessly confusing but you've got the right answer!
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Brianna Schmidt
•Thank you so much for calling the Federal Student Aid helpline to confirm this! It's really reassuring to hear that they gave you the same answer everyone else has been saying. I was starting to second-guess myself even though multiple people said $0 was correct. The fact that you actually spoke to an official source makes me feel much more confident about putting $0. And thanks for the reminder about it being taxable when I do use it - I'll make sure to keep that in mind for next year's taxes. This whole process is so stressful but having everyone share their experiences really helps!
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Angelina Farar
I'm so glad you asked this question because I was literally stuck on the exact same field yesterday! I also have an unused AmeriCorps education award from last year and the wording of that question had me completely stumped. After reading through all these responses, it's clear that $0 is the right answer since the award wasn't reported as income on your 2022 taxes. What really helped me understand it was realizing that this field is specifically about preventing double-counting - they don't want you to report the same money as both income AND financial aid. Since your award is still sitting unused in MyAmeriCorps, it hasn't been counted as either yet. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one who found this confusing!
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Emily Sanjay
•I'm so relieved to find this thread! I've been sitting here for the past hour trying to figure out this exact same question with my AmeriCorps award. Reading everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful - it's amazing how many of us got tripped up by the same confusing wording. I feel much more confident now about putting $0 since my award is also just sitting unused in my account and wasn't reported on my 2022 taxes. It's frustrating that the FAFSA makes something that should be straightforward so complicated, but at least we can help each other figure it out. Thanks for asking the question that so many of us needed answered!
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Mia Rodriguez
I just went through this same exact situation with my AmeriCorps education award! The FAFSA wording is so confusing but everyone here is giving you the right advice. Since your $6,500 education award is still sitting unused in your MyAmeriCorps account and wasn't reported as income on your 2022 taxes, you should definitely put $0 in that field. I was overthinking it too and almost put the full award amount, which would have been completely wrong. The key thing to remember is this field is ONLY asking about education benefits that were already reported as taxable income to the IRS - if it wasn't on your tax return, it doesn't belong here. Just keep in mind that when you do use the award later, that's when it becomes taxable income. Hope this helps ease your stress about the question!
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Julia Hall
•Thanks for sharing your experience! It's so reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing. I was definitely overthinking it and getting myself all worked up over what turned out to be a straightforward answer. The way you explained it - that the field is ONLY for benefits already reported as taxable income - really drives the point home. I feel much better about putting $0 now. It's crazy how one poorly worded question can cause so much stress, but I'm grateful for communities like this where we can help each other navigate these confusing processes!
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Chloe Taylor
I'm a first-time FAFSA filer and this AmeriCorps education award question had me completely confused too! I earned a $5,000 education award through AmeriCorps Vista last year but haven't used any of it yet - it's just sitting in my account. After reading through everyone's explanations here, I finally understand that since I didn't report it as income on my 2022 taxes (because I haven't actually used it), I should put $0 in that field. It's such a relief to know I'm not alone in finding this question confusing! The way it's worded makes it sound like you should include the award amount regardless, but now I get that it's specifically asking about what was ALREADY reported to the IRS as taxable income. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is so helpful for navigating these tricky FAFSA questions!
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StarStrider
•Welcome to the FAFSA confusion club! 😅 As someone who just went through this exact same situation, I totally understand the stress. The wording of that question is so misleading - it really does sound like you should include any AmeriCorps award amount, period. But you've got it right now! Since your Vista award hasn't been used and wasn't reported as income in 2022, $0 is definitely correct. I made the same mistake of initially thinking I needed to put my full award amount until I read through all these helpful responses. It's such a relief when everything finally clicks! Good luck with the rest of your FAFSA - you've got this!
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QuantumQuester
I'm new to filing FAFSA and just ran into this same AmeriCorps question! I have a $4,200 education award from my AmeriCorps service last year that I haven't touched yet - it's still in my MyAmeriCorps account. Reading through everyone's explanations here has been SO helpful! I was initially going to put the full $4,200 because the question mentions "AmeriCorps Benefits" specifically, but now I understand it's only asking about benefits that were ALREADY reported as taxable income on your 2022 tax return. Since I haven't used my award yet and didn't report it as income, I'll put $0. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know this question trips up so many people and I'm not just being dense! The FAFSA really needs clearer wording on these questions.
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Nia Johnson
•You're definitely not being dense - this question catches so many people off guard! I'm glad you found all the explanations helpful. You're absolutely right that the mention of "AmeriCorps Benefits" in the question makes it seem like you should automatically include your award amount, but the key phrase everyone's been pointing out is "reported as income to the IRS." Since your $4,200 is still sitting unused in your account and wasn't on your 2022 tax return, $0 is the correct answer. It's frustrating how the FAFSA can make something relatively straightforward so confusing with unclear wording. At least we have communities like this to help each other figure it out! Welcome to the FAFSA filing journey - you're doing great!
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Giovanni Rossi
I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion! I had an AmeriCorps education award from 2021 that I hadn't used yet when I filed my FAFSA last year. I spent way too much time stressing over this question because the wording is so unclear. But everyone here is giving you the right answer - put $0 since you haven't used the award yet and it wasn't reported as income on your 2022 taxes. The field is specifically asking about education benefits that were ALREADY taxed and reported to the IRS, not awards that are just sitting in your account. I wish the FAFSA would just say "Enter the amount of education grants or scholarships that appear as taxable income on line X of your tax return" - that would make it so much clearer! Don't overthink it like I did - you've got the right answer with $0.
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Naila Gordon
•Thank you for sharing your experience! It's so validating to hear from someone who went through this same confusion last year. Your suggestion about how the FAFSA should word the question is spot on - "Enter the amount that appears as taxable income on line X of your tax return" would be SO much clearer than the current confusing language. I definitely overthought this question way too much, but reading everyone's experiences here has given me the confidence to go with $0. It's amazing how one poorly worded question can cause so much unnecessary stress, but I'm grateful for communities like this where we can learn from each other's experiences!
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
I'm also dealing with an unused AmeriCorps education award and this question had me completely stumped! Mine is from NCCC service last year - $6,095 just sitting in my MyAmeriCorps account. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful because I was about to put the full amount thinking that's what they wanted since it specifically mentions AmeriCorps benefits. But now I totally understand that it's ONLY asking about what was actually reported as taxable income on your 2022 tax return. Since I haven't used my award yet and it wasn't on my taxes, I'll definitely put $0. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know so many of us got confused by the same poorly worded question! The FAFSA really needs to make this clearer.
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Omar Zaki
•I'm so glad you asked about this because I was in the exact same boat with my AmeriCorps NCCC award! It's crazy how the specific mention of "AmeriCorps Benefits" in the question makes it seem like you should automatically include your award amount, but you're absolutely right that the key is whether it was "reported as income to the IRS." Since your $6,095 is still unused and wasn't on your 2022 taxes, $0 is definitely correct. I almost made the same mistake of putting my full award amount until I read through all these helpful explanations. It's such a relief to know this question trips up so many AmeriCorps alumni - you're definitely not alone in finding it confusing! The FAFSA wording really could be so much clearer on this.
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