FAFSA asking for scholarship amount reported as income - which box do I fill out?

This question specifically refers to scholarship money that was reported as income on your taxes. If you didn't report the scholarships as income (which most people don't have to), then enter 0 in this field. Scholarships are generally tax-free when used for qualified education expenses like tuition and required fees. If any portion was used for non-qualified expenses like room and board, that portion technically should have been reported as income on your taxes. If you didn't report any scholarship money as income, then the answer is 0.

wait but don't you have to report scholarships that go over the cost of tuition?? my brother had to put his extra scholarship money on his taxes last year when it went over his tuition amount

I HATE this question every year!!!! It trips up so many people. The financial aid system is deliberately confusing to prevent people from getting aid they deserve. I spent THREE HOURS on hold with the Federal Student Aid office trying to get clarification on this exact question last year because my son had a partial athletic scholarship where some went to room and board. Nobody can give a straight answer!!

This question is specifically for situations where students had to include scholarship/grant money as taxable income on their tax returns. Here's when you need to enter an amount: 1. If scholarship/grant money was used for non-qualified expenses (room, board, travel) 2. If you received more scholarship/grant money than you had qualified expenses 3. If you included AmeriCorps benefits as taxable income If none of these apply and you didn't report any scholarship money on your taxes (look at your 1040 form), then just enter 0. For most undergraduate students whose scholarships just cover tuition, this will be 0.

i put the wrong amount here last year and had to do a correction after submitting because i thought they wanted the TOTAL scholarship amount but they only want what was reported on taxes!!! our SAI came back wayyyy higher until i fixed it!!

My situation was weird because my son got a $15,000 scholarship and $8,000 of it went to housing so we did have to report that part on taxes. I remember this question being confusing because at first I just put 0 not realizing the housing portion counted as income. Just double check your 2022 tax return to be sure.

Just to clarify for everyone, here's the full explanation: 1. This field is ONLY for scholarship/grant money reported as taxable income 2. Most undergraduate scholarships that only cover tuition and fees are not taxable 3. Check your 2022 tax return (specifically Line 1 on Form 1040) for any scholarship income 4. If scholarships were used for room, board, or other non-qualified expenses, that portion should have been reported as income 5. If you didn't report any scholarship money as income, enter 0 This is one of the most commonly misunderstood questions on the FAFSA, so don't feel bad about being confused!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a newcomer here and dealing with the same FAFSA question for my son's renewal application. Reading through all these explanations really cleared up my confusion - I was also thinking they wanted the total scholarship amount received, not just what was reported as taxable income. Since we used all scholarship funds for tuition and didn't report any as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll be entering 0. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and breaking this down so clearly!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to say thank you for this incredibly helpful discussion! I've been staring at this same FAFSA question for my daughter's application and was completely confused about whether to include her $4,500 merit scholarship. After reading through all these explanations, I now understand that since we used the entire amount for tuition and didn't report any of it as taxable income on our 2022 tax return, I should enter 0. It's frustrating how poorly worded this question is - they really should clarify that they only want the amount that was actually reported as income to the IRS, not the total scholarship received. This community is a lifesaver for navigating these confusing financial aid forms!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to echo everyone's gratitude for this thread! I've been struggling with this exact FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application and was getting so frustrated with the confusing wording. After reading through all these detailed explanations, I finally understand that this field is specifically asking for scholarship money that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns - not the total amount received. Since my daughter's $3,800 scholarship went entirely toward tuition and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll be entering 0. It's such a relief to have this cleared up! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge - this community is incredibly valuable for navigating these complex financial aid forms.

As a newcomer to this community, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly detailed discussion! I was completely lost on this FAFSA question for my son's application and was about to put his full $7,000 scholarship amount, thinking that's what they wanted. After reading through all these explanations, I now clearly understand that this field is ONLY for scholarship money that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns - not the total received. Since his entire scholarship went 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 amazing how many families face this same confusion! The FAFSA really should reword this question to be clearer. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these tricky financial aid forms - I'm so grateful to have found you all!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I was completely stumped by this same FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application and was honestly considering calling the Federal Student Aid office (though after reading about the long wait times, I'm glad I found this discussion first!). Like so many others here, I was initially thinking they wanted the total scholarship amount my daughter received ($4,200), but now I understand they're only asking for the portion that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns. Since her scholarship covered tuition and books only, and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll be entering 0. It's frustrating how confusingly this question is worded - they really should emphasize "reported as income to the IRS" more prominently. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and break this down so clearly. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex financial aid forms!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my voice to thank everyone for this incredibly thorough and helpful discussion! I was facing the exact same confusion with this FAFSA question for my son's renewal application and was honestly about to enter his full $5,800 scholarship amount, not realizing they only want the portion that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns. Reading through all these explanations has been such an eye-opener - the distinction between "total scholarships received" versus "scholarships reported as income to the IRS" is crucial but so poorly communicated in the FAFSA wording. Since our scholarship covered tuition and mandatory fees only, and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll confidently enter 0. It's both frustrating and reassuring to see how many families struggle with this same poorly worded question. This community is an absolute lifesaver for navigating these confusing financial aid forms - I'm so grateful to have found such knowledgeable and supportive people here!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I was completely stuck on this exact FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application and was about to make the same mistake so many others mentioned - entering her full $6,500 scholarship amount instead of understanding they only want the portion reported as taxable income. After reading through all these thorough explanations, I now clearly understand the crucial distinction between "total scholarships received" and "scholarships reported as income to the IRS." Since my daughter's scholarship went entirely toward tuition and required textbooks, and we didn't report any of it as taxable income on our 2022 tax return, I'll confidently enter 0. It's both frustrating and comforting to see how widespread this confusion is - the FAFSA really needs to reword this question more clearly! This community has been an absolute godsend for navigating these complex financial aid forms. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge to help fellow parents understand this tricky question!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I was facing the exact same confusion with this FAFSA question for my son's renewal application and was initially planning to enter his full $4,800 scholarship amount. After 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 amount received. Since my son's scholarship went entirely toward tuition and 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 same poorly worded question - FAFSA really needs to make this clearer by emphasizing "reported as income to the IRS" more prominently. This community has been such a lifesaver for understanding these complex financial aid requirements. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this amazingly thorough discussion! I was completely lost on this same FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application and was about to enter her full $5,300 scholarship amount before finding this thread. Reading through all these detailed explanations has been such a relief - I finally understand that this field only asks for scholarship money that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns, not the total amount received. Since my daughter's scholarship covered tuition and required fees exclusively, and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll confidently enter 0. It's amazing to see how many families face this exact same confusion with this poorly worded question! The FAFSA really should emphasize "reported as income to the IRS" more clearly in their wording. This community has been such a valuable resource for navigating these complex financial aid forms - I'm so grateful to have found such knowledgeable and helpful people here!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for this incredibly comprehensive discussion! I was struggling with this exact FAFSA question for my son's renewal application and was about to make the same mistake many others mentioned - entering his full $6,900 scholarship amount instead of understanding they only want scholarships that were actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns. After carefully reading through all these detailed explanations, I now clearly grasp the important distinction between "total scholarships received" and "scholarships reported as income to the IRS." Since my son's scholarship went entirely toward tuition and mandatory fees, 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 reassuring and frustrating to see how many families get confused by this poorly worded question - FAFSA really needs to emphasize the "reported as income" aspect more prominently! This community has been an absolute lifeline for understanding these complex financial aid forms. Thank you to everyone who generously shared their knowledge and experiences to help fellow parents navigate this tricky question!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my thanks for this incredibly helpful thread! I was facing the exact same confusion with this FAFSA question for my daughter's renewal application. Like so many others here, I was initially thinking they wanted the total scholarship amount she received ($5,100), but after reading through all these detailed explanations, I now understand they're only asking for scholarship money that was actually reported as taxable income on our tax returns. Since her scholarship went entirely toward tuition and books, and we didn't report any of it as income on our 2022 taxes, I'll be entering 0. It's amazing how many families get tripped up by this poorly worded question - FAFSA really should make it clearer that they only want the "reported as income to the IRS" portion! This community has been such a valuable resource for navigating these confusing financial aid forms. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences!

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!