FAFSA asking for daughter's 1040 info but she only has W-2s - what to enter?

If your daughter earned $9,000 in 2023, she was likely under the filing threshold for a tax return. For single dependents under 65, you generally need to file if you earned more than $12,950 (for 2023). However, the FAFSA will still want to know if she filed or not. Your daughter should select "Will not file" in the tax filing status section if she didn't file. FAFSA will then ask about her W-2 income instead of requesting 1040 information. She'll need to enter the earnings from her W-2 forms. Make sure she has those handy when completing this section!

my kid had the same issue last year!!! he worked at target but didnt make enough to file taxes. we just put "will not file" and it was totally fine, just had to put in his w2 stuff. dont stress about it

OK but be careful!!! My son did this last year and selected "will not file" but then his SAI came back really high because they thought he was hiding income or something. When we called the financial aid office they told us he should have filed even though he was under the threshold just to prove his income. We ended up having to do income verification and it was a WHOLE THING that delayed his aid package by 2 months!!! So frustrating!!!!

Financial aid advisor here - I can clarify this situation. Your daughter is not required to file a federal tax return if she earned less than $12,950 in 2023 (assuming she's a dependent). On the FAFSA, she should select "Will not file" for her tax filing status. The FAFSA will then ask for her W-2 information and wages. Important: Even though she didn't file, the FAFSA will still want to know her earned income. She should enter the total from Box 1 on her W-2(s). The system will use this to calculate her Student Aid Index (SAI). Don't worry - this is an extremely common situation for students with part-time jobs. The FAFSA is designed to accommodate students who don't meet the tax filing threshold.

my daughter went through this exact thing!! she had to call the FSA helpline and wait for like 2 hours just to get someone to explain it was normal to select "will not file" with her income level. complete waste of time when they could just make the instructions clearer on the website!!!

Just want to add that if your daughter did have federal income tax withheld from her paychecks (check box 2 on the W-2), she might actually want to file a tax return anyway to get that money back as a refund. Even though she's not required to file, she could get a few hundred dollars back potentially. My son was in the same situation and got like $340 back.

also dont forget the FAFSA deadline is coming up soon so make sure u finish it!!!! my friend missed it last year and got wayyy less money

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! My daughter was able to complete the FAFSA by selecting "Will not file" and then entering her W-2 information. The application went through with no issues. We also checked her W-2 and she did have some federal tax withheld, so we're going to help her file a return to get that money back - thanks for that tip! It's such a relief to have this sorted out.

So glad you got it figured out! This is exactly why I love this community - everyone jumps in to help with these confusing FAFSA situations. Your daughter's experience is going to help so many other families who run into the same issue. And yes, definitely file that return to get her withholding back - that's basically free money sitting there waiting for her! Best of luck with the rest of the financial aid process.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year! My daughter worked at a local restaurant and made around $8,200, and I was so stressed thinking we had messed up by not filing taxes for her. But honestly, the "Will not file" option worked perfectly - no issues at all with her financial aid. One small tip that helped us: when you're entering the W-2 information, double-check that you're using the right box numbers. The FAFSA specifically asks for wages from Box 1, not the gross pay or other amounts that might be on the form. It's a small detail but it can make a difference in the calculations. Your daughter is going to do great with her first year of college! The FAFSA gets easier each year once you know what to expect.

As a newcomer to the FAFSA world, this thread has been incredibly reassuring! My daughter is also applying for the first time and we were in the exact same boat - she worked part-time at a retail store and made about $7,800 last year. I was so worried we had done something wrong by not filing taxes for her, but seeing all these responses from people who've been through this successfully really puts my mind at ease. It's amazing how something that seems so complicated at first (like what to do when your student doesn't have a 1040) actually has such a straightforward solution. The "Will not file" option makes perfect sense now that everyone has explained it. Thank you to all the parents and advisors who took the time to share their experiences - it's going to make our FAFSA journey much less stressful!

This whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now - my daughter worked at a local bookstore part-time and made around $8,900 last year. I've been stressing for weeks thinking we missed some important tax deadline or requirement, but reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. It's so reassuring to see that the "Will not file" option is completely normal and that so many families have navigated this successfully. I especially appreciate the tip about having the W-2 ready and making sure to use Box 1 for the wage information. As a first-time FAFSA parent, I can't tell you how much I appreciate communities like this where people share their real experiences. The official FAFSA website makes it sound so complicated, but hearing from actual families who've been through this process makes it feel much more manageable. Thank you all for taking the time to help newcomers like us!

This entire discussion has been incredibly valuable for those of us navigating FAFSA for the first time! My son is in a similar situation - he worked at a local pizza place and earned about $6,200 last year, so we're definitely under that filing threshold. What I really appreciate about this thread is how it shows that this confusion is totally normal and not something to stress about. The "Will not file" option combined with entering W-2 information seems like such a logical solution now that everyone has explained it clearly. For other newcomers reading this, I think the key takeaways are: 1) Don't panic if your student didn't file taxes - it's probably not required anyway, 2) Have those W-2s ready when you sit down to complete the FAFSA, and 3) Remember to use Box 1 for the wage information. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's making this whole process much less overwhelming for families like mine!

As another first-time FAFSA parent, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! My daughter worked at a local tutoring center and made around $7,400 last year, so we're definitely in that same category of not needing to file taxes but feeling completely lost about what to enter on the FAFSA. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - especially seeing how many families have successfully used the "Will not file" option without any problems. I was honestly losing sleep over this, thinking we had somehow messed up by not filing a tax return for her. The practical tips here are gold - having the W-2 ready, using Box 1 for wages, and knowing that this is completely normal for part-time student workers. It's amazing how the official FAFSA resources make this seem so complicated when the solution is actually quite straightforward. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their stories and advice. This community is such a wonderful resource for parents navigating these financial aid waters for the first time. You've all made what felt like an impossible task feel totally manageable!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! My daughter is also applying for financial aid for the first time, and we were in the exact same boat - she worked part-time at a local ice cream shop last summer and made about $8,100, but we never filed a tax return for her. I was honestly panicking, thinking we had missed some crucial step or deadline. But reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief! It's amazing to see how common this situation actually is and how straightforward the solution is with the "Will not file" option. The practical advice shared here - like having the W-2 ready, using Box 1 for wage information, and understanding that this is totally normal for students under the filing threshold - is exactly what we needed to hear. The official FAFSA guidance can feel so overwhelming, but hearing from real families who've successfully navigated this exact scenario makes it feel much more manageable. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their stories and tips. This community is an incredible resource for first-time FAFSA parents like myself. You've all helped turn what felt like an impossible hurdle into something we can actually handle with confidence!

As someone new to both this community and the FAFSA process, I wanted to jump in and say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! My son is also a first-time college applicant, and we found ourselves in the exact same situation - he worked at a local movie theater last year and earned around $7,600, but we never filed a tax return for him since he was clearly under the threshold. Like so many others here, I was really stressed about what to enter on the FAFSA when it asked about his tax information. I kept thinking we must have missed something important or made some kind of mistake. But reading through all these experiences from other families has been such a relief! It's amazing to see how common this scenario actually is and how the "Will not file" option is specifically designed for situations like ours. The practical tips shared throughout this thread - especially about having W-2s ready and using Box 1 for wage information - are exactly what we needed. It's so much more helpful to hear from real parents who've successfully navigated this than trying to decipher the official FAFSA guidance on my own. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your stories and advice. This community is such a valuable resource for newcomers like me who are trying to figure out the financial aid process for the first time!

As a newcomer to this community and someone currently going through the FAFSA process for the first time, I just wanted to say how incredibly reassuring this entire thread has been! My daughter is also applying for financial aid for the first time, and we were in the exact same situation - she worked part-time at a local grocery store and made about $8,300 last year, but we never filed taxes for her. I was honestly feeling so overwhelmed and worried that we had somehow messed up or missed an important step. But reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief! It's amazing to see how common this situation is and how straightforward the solution actually is with the "Will not file" option. The practical advice shared throughout this discussion - having W-2s ready, using Box 1 for wage information, and understanding that this is completely normal for students under the filing threshold - is exactly what we needed to hear. The official FAFSA resources can feel so intimidating, but hearing from real families who've successfully navigated this exact scenario makes it feel much more manageable. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their stories and helpful tips. This community is such an invaluable resource for first-time FAFSA parents like myself. You've all helped transform what felt like an impossible challenge into something we can approach with confidence!