FAFSA Student Tax Filing Status - Is this about my child or me as parent?

This question is specifically asking about your DAUGHTER'S tax filing status, not yours as parents. Parents' tax information is collected in a separate section of the FAFSA. If your daughter earned less than $12,950 (2023 standard deduction for single filers), she might not be required to file taxes, but this depends on whether she had any taxes withheld that she might want to recover through filing. For FAFSA purposes, you would select "Will not file" if she isn't required to file and doesn't plan to file.

when my son applied we had the same question!! its definitely asking about the STUDENT not parents. just make sure u put her income from W-2 in the student income section even if she didnt file taxes

This is specifically about your daughter (the student). The question is asking whether SHE filed or will file a 2023 tax return. Since she earned less than the filing threshold of $12,950, she probably isn't required to file. When you select "Will not file" for her tax filing status, the FAFSA will still ask for her income information separately, so you can report her $3,500 from summer work. The parent tax information will be requested in the parent section of the FAFSA. If you're unsure if she should file taxes (even if not required), check if she had any federal income tax withheld on her W-2. If she did, filing might get her a refund.

I think its asking about UR KID not u!! My daughter didn't file taxes cuz she only made like $2k from babysitting but we still had to put that income somewhere else on the form.

Wait im confused why would they ask the student and not the parents?! Isnt it the parents income that determines financial aid??? When i called the FSA I was on hold for 3 HOURS and then got disconnected!!! So frustrating.

To summarize for anyone else with this question: 1. The "student tax filing status" question refers ONLY to the student (your daughter), not the parents 2. If your student earned less than $12,950 in 2023, they likely weren't required to file taxes 3. Even if you select "Will not file" for the student, the FAFSA will still ask for the student's income information elsewhere 4. Parent tax information is collected in the parent section of the FAFSA 5. Both student and parent financial information is used in the SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation, though parent income typically has a much larger impact for dependent students

FAFSA creates unnecessary confusion by switching between "student" and "parent" sections without clear labeling. This happened to us too. Section 3 is student financials, Section 4 is parent financials. When it asks about "student" it ALWAYS means the actual student (your daughter), never you. For a student who earned $3,500, choose "Will not file" but be sure to enter the W-2 income on the student income page. The system calculates the Student Aid Index (SAI) using both student and parent information, but they collect this data separately.

btw dont worry too much if ur daughter didnt file. my son had a part time job making like $4k and we just put "will not file" and put his income from W-2. his SAI came back fine and he got his pell grant!

Just went through this exact same situation with my daughter's FAFSA last month! The wording is definitely confusing. Like everyone else has confirmed, "student tax filing status" means YOUR DAUGHTER specifically, not you as parents. Since she made $3,500 (well under the $12,950 threshold), select "Will not file" for her tax status. The FAFSA will ask for her income separately later in the student section - just enter that $3,500 from her W-2. Your parent tax info gets entered in a completely different section. One tip: print out or screenshot each section as you complete it. The new FAFSA sometimes kicks you out and it's helpful to have a record of what you've already entered. Good luck with the rest of the application!

I just finished my daughter's FAFSA last week and had this exact same confusion! The "student tax filing status" question definitely refers to YOUR DAUGHTER only, not you as the parent. Since your daughter made less than the $12,950 filing threshold, you should select "Will not file" for her tax status. Don't worry - the FAFSA will still ask you to report her $3,500 summer job income in the student income section later on. They separate student and parent financial information into different sections of the application. One thing that helped me was to think of it this way: anywhere it says "student" it means your child, anywhere it says "parent" it means you. The application keeps these completely separate. Your parent tax information and income will be requested in the parent section (Section 4 I believe). Hope this helps clear up the confusion - the wording really could be better!