Which exact line on 1040 tax form shows 'tax paid' for FAFSA application?

For the FAFSA, you need to report the 'total tax' amount from line 24 on the 1040 form (or line 37 on 1040-NR). This is the total federal income tax liability, not just what was paid or refunded during the year. Don't use the amount withheld from paychecks (line 25) or refunded (line 34) as those aren't the correct figures for FAFSA purposes.

Same boat last week lol. My dad kept saying to use line 25 (withholding) and my mom thought it was line 33 (total payments). Turns out both wrong 🤦‍♀️

I HATE THIS STUPID FORM!!! I used the 'amount paid' line last year and got denied for aid because they said my income was too high. Now I realize I probably used the wrong tax number and screwed myself out of thousands. The whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose!!

not a dumb question AT ALL!! i work in a finacial aid office and even our staff gets confused about this sometimes. Its line 24 for sure on the regular 1040. But watch out if ur parents filed a different form like 1040-SR or NR the lines might be different!

Just to add some additional context: The FAFSA uses line 24 because they want your total tax obligation, not what you physically paid during the year. This is important because: 1. Your withholding (line 25) might be higher than your actual tax liability 2. Or you might have made estimated payments that were more than needed 3. Or you might have qualified for refundable credits that reduced your final tax burden Using line 24 gives the most accurate picture of your actual tax obligation based on your income, which is what the FAFSA uses in their Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation.

When I filed FAFSA last fall, I had a similar question and i ended up using the wrong line too. My college financial aid office had to help me correct it later. Always double check with the financial aid office if you're unsure!

Thanks everyone for all the help! I've got the right line now (24) and I'm going to make sure my parents know for next year too. I was really stressing about this!

Speaking of confusing tax stuff - does anyone know if my mom's retirement contribution affects the FAFSA? She has a 403b that takes money from her paycheck before taxes. Do i need to add that back in somewhere??

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year! I actually called the FAFSA helpline when I couldn't figure it out, and they confirmed it's definitely line 24 (total tax). The representative explained that they need your actual tax liability, not what was withheld or paid throughout the year. It took me forever to get through to someone though - the wait times are brutal during FAFSA season. But once I got the right number, my aid package made so much more sense. Don't feel bad about being confused - this trips up literally everyone!

Just went through this exact same nightmare last month! The FAFSA instructions are so confusing - they could really make it clearer that they want line 24 specifically. I kept second-guessing myself and almost used the wrong line too. It's crazy how one wrong number can mess up your entire aid calculation. Thanks to everyone who confirmed line 24 - this thread probably saved a lot of people from making costly mistakes!

Hey! Just wanted to add my experience since I literally just went through this same confusion yesterday. I was bouncing between line 16 (tax withheld from forms), line 24 (total tax), and line 33 (total payments) like a ping pong ball! Finally called my college's financial aid office and they walked me through it - definitely line 24. They said it's one of the most common mistakes they see, so don't feel bad about being confused. The key thing they told me is that FAFSA wants to see your actual tax burden based on your income, not how much was taken out of paychecks or how much you ended up owing/getting refunded. Once you understand that logic, line 24 makes total sense!

As someone who just went through this exact same frustration a few weeks ago, I can totally relate to the confusion! I ended up making the mistake of using line 25 (federal income tax withheld) initially because I thought "tax paid" meant what was actually taken from paychecks throughout the year. Big mistake! Had to go back and correct my FAFSA after realizing my error. Line 24 is definitely the right answer - it represents your actual federal tax liability regardless of how much was withheld or when payments were made. Pro tip: if you're still unsure, most tax software will label line 24 as "total tax" which makes it easier to identify. The FAFSA really should be clearer about this since it's such a critical number for aid calculations!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who literally went through this exact same confusion two weeks ago! I was staring at my parents' 1040 for what felt like forever, trying to figure out which of the dozen different tax numbers was the "right" one for FAFSA. Like everyone else said, it's definitely line 24 (total tax). What helped me finally understand it was thinking about it this way: FAFSA wants to know your actual tax burden based on your income level, not the mechanics of how that tax was collected or paid. So whether your parents had too much withheld (and got a refund) or too little withheld (and owed money), line 24 shows the actual tax they were responsible for based on their income. That's what FAFSA uses to determine your family's financial situation. The whole process is way more confusing than it needs to be, but at least we're all figuring it out together!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same situation right now - been staring at my parents' tax return trying to figure out which line to use for FAFSA. The terminology is so confusing when they say "tax paid" - it really does sound like it should be the amount that was actually paid or withheld! Reading everyone's explanations about line 24 being the actual tax liability (not the payment mechanics) finally makes it click for me. It's honestly ridiculous that something so crucial for financial aid has such unclear instructions. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community is seriously saving me from making a costly mistake on my application!

Just wanted to add my voice to everyone saying THANK YOU for this thread! I'm literally filling out my FAFSA right now and was about to panic-call my parents asking which tax number to use. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - not only do I now know it's definitely line 24, but I also feel so much better knowing that literally EVERYONE gets confused by this! The way you all explained that FAFSA wants the actual tax liability (line 24) rather than what was withheld or paid throughout the year makes perfect sense once you think about it that way. It's honestly criminal how unclear the FAFSA instructions are about something so critical for our financial aid. This community is amazing - you probably just saved dozens of students from making expensive mistakes on their applications!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who literally made this exact mistake on my FAFSA last year! I used the wrong line and it completely messed up my aid calculation. Reading through this thread brings back all the stress I felt trying to figure this out. It's absolutely line 24 (total tax) like everyone has confirmed. What really helped me understand it was realizing that FAFSA doesn't care about the timing of when taxes were paid or how much was withheld - they just want to know what your actual tax burden was based on your family's income. That's line 24. I ended up having to do a correction later which was a huge hassle, so I'm really glad threads like this exist to help people get it right the first time. The FAFSA instructions are honestly terrible for something so important to our financial futures!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who literally just went through this same panic yesterday! I was sitting there with my parents' tax return completely overwhelmed by all the different tax numbers - line 16, line 24, line 25, line 33 - and the FAFSA instructions just saying "federal income tax paid" without specifying which one! Reading through everyone's explanations here about line 24 being the actual tax liability (not the withholding or payment amounts) finally made it click for me. It's honestly crazy that something so important for our financial aid has such vague instructions. This thread is seriously a lifesaver - I was about to make the same mistakes so many of you made by using the wrong line. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping newcomers like me figure this out! The FAFSA process is stressful enough without having to guess which tax number they actually want.