Back to FAFSA® Guide 2025-26

How to answer FAFSA® student income tax questions

Here’s a guide for how to correctly fill in your tax filing status and tax return info on the 2025-26 FAFSA®.

  FAFSA® student high school information questions

FAFSA® student assets information questions  

Providing consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS

Why do they need this info?

  • To be eligible for federal aid, you have to consent to allow the FAFSA® to import your tax return information directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for your application. Providing consent also lets you skip the remaining income tax questions on the FAFSA®, making it faster to complete.

Can I skip these questions?

  • Not if you want to get federal FAFSA® money! You must answer AND provide consent, or you’ll be ineligible for federal financial aid.
  • Even if you type in your tax return information yourself (which you can do if you decline to provide consent), you still won’t qualify for federal aid.

How to answer these questions

  • For the online application, select “Approve” to consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS. 
  • For the paper version, on question 24 check the circle next to “Approval to transfer federal tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)”.
  • Provide your signature and the date.

Fafsa guide screenshot consent for fafsa 

 

24 Student Consent and Signature

Refer to the consent terms on page 4. By filling in the answer circle below and signing this form, the student agrees to the terms set forth on page 4. If the student does not provide consent by filling in the circle and providing their signature, we cannot process this FAFSA form.

Consent to transfer federal tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Student signature
Date signed
MM/DD/YYYY

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Student tax filing status

Why do they need this info?

  • The FAFSA® looks at your (and your spouse’s, if you’re married) tax returns and other financial info when figuring out your financial aid eligibility.

Can I skip these questions?

  • Yes, as long as you provide consent to import federal tax information from the IRS in the previous section.
  • Your FAFSA® won’t be processed and you won’t qualify for federal financial aid unless you provide this consent.
  • On the paper form, you can skip all of question 20 as long as you provide electronic transfer consent in question 24.
  • The FAFSA® will import your tax return information into your application once you’ve provided consent.

How to answer these questions

  • Select yes if you filed a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR or plan to. Also select yes if you filed or will file a tax return with Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory.
  • Select yes if you earned income in a foreign country or were employed by an international organization like the United Nations, World Bank, or International Monetary Fund.
  • Select no if these situations don’t apply to you.

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19 Student Tax Filing Status

  • Did or will the student file a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR?
    Yes
    No
  • Did the student earn income in a foreign country in 2023, or were they employed by an international organization that did not require them to file a tax return?
    If the student filed or will file a tax return with Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory, select “Yes.”
    International organizations include, for example, the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund.
    If the answer is “No” and the student is not married, questions 20–22 can be skipped; however, if the student is also required to provide parent information on the form, question 22 must be answered.
  • Did or will the student file a 2023 joint tax return with their current spouse?
    Yes
    No

Student 2023 tax return info

Why do they need this info?

  • The FAFSA® looks at your tax return and other financial info (and your spouse’s, if you’re married) to determine what types of aid may get and the amount you’ll qualify for

Can I skip these questions?

  • Yes, as long as you provide consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS. 
  • Your FAFSA® will not be processed unless you provide this consent.
  • On the paper form, you can skip all of question 20 as long as you provide electronic transfer consent in question 24.
  • The FAFSA® will import your tax return info into your application once you’ve provided consent. 

How to answer these questions

  • Check “Consent to transfer federal tax information from the Internal Revenue Service” (question 24, Student Consent and Signature on the paper version).
  • Enter your signature and the date you signed.

FAFSA guide screenshot student tax return information 

20 Student 2023 Tax Return Information

Convert all currency to U.S. dollars. If the answer is zero or the question does not apply, enter 0.
If the answer is negative, completely fill the circle ( – ) after the answer box.

Filing status
Single 
Head of household 
Married filing jointly 
Married filing separately 
Qualifying surviving spouse

  • Income earned from work

IRS Form 1040—line 1 (or IRS Form 1040-NR—line 1a) +
Schedule 1—lines 3 + 6

  • Tax exempt interest income

IRS Form 1040: line 2a

  • Untaxed portions of IRA distributions

IRS Form 1040: line 4a minus 4b

  • IRA rollover into a qualified plan

IRS Form 5498

  • Untaxed portions of pensions

IRS Form 1040: line 5a minus 5b

  • Pension rollover into a qualified plan

IRS Form 5498

  • Adjusted gross income

IRS Form 1040: line 11

  • Income tax paid

IRS Form 1040: line 25d

  • Did the student receive the earned income tax credit (EITC)?

IRS Form 1040: line 27a
Yes
No
Don’t know

  • IRA deductions and payments to self-employed

SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified plans
IRS Form 1040 Schedule 1: total of lines 16 + 20

  • Education credits

(American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning credits)
IRS Form 1040 Schedule 3: line 3

  • Did the student file a Schedule A, B, D, E, F, or H

with their 2023 IRS Form 1040?
Yes
No
Don’t know

  • Net profit or loss from IRS Form 1040

Schedule C

IRS Form 1040 Schedule C: line 31

  • Amount of college grants, scholarships, or AmeriCorps benefits reported as income to the IRS (Optional)

The student paid taxes on these grants, scholarships, or benefits. These usually apply to those renewing their FAFSA form, not to first-time applicants.

  • Foreign earned income exclusion

IRS Form 1040 Schedule 1: line 8d

2025-26 FAFSA® questions 

Choose the FAFSA® questions you would like help with.

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