Tips and recommendations 

Do I need to file taxes for financial aid?

Leia Doyle

Do I need to file taxes for financial aid?

Financial aid may take the form of grants and scholarships, work-study positions, or student loans. A student is only required to pay taxes on the portion of a grant or scholarship that is used to pay for non-qualifying expenses.

What happens if you don’t submit financial aid documents?

If your student misses these FAFSA deadlines, they could be missing out on aid and access to government student loans. Missing the federal FAFSA deadlines, means your student will have to wait till the following academic year to get access to aid and loans.

Is it a good idea to file for financial aid every year?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form applies to a single academic year. That means you need to submit a FAFSA form each year—and make sure you meet the FAFSA deadlines for state and college aid to maximize the aid you could receive.

Does fafsa check with IRS?

Students and parents who are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) can access it from within the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the student or parent finances pages: Click Link To IRS.

What happens if your financial aid is late?

Delays in the approval of federal loans, or delays in the approval of other sources of aid may result in restrictions placed on student accounts if the billing becomes past due. If funds that are anticipated have not been released, the student should contact the sponsor of the award.

Do you get more money if you file your FAFSA early?

In order to avoid any confusion, students should file as soon as they are able. More generally, studies have shown that students who apply sooner receive more money. A study from Edvisors.com found that students who file the FAFSA in the first three months received more than double the grant money.

What is an example of need based financial aid?

Common examples of need-based financial aid: Federal Pell Grants. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) Federal Work-Study Programs. Federal Loans, such as the Perkins Loan and Subsidized Stafford Loan.