The Applicant Financial Information page has several components. Guidance on how to answer the questions in each component is provided below.
Marital Status
Your marital status determines the information you are required to submit in this component. Answer “Yes” if you were married as of Dec. 31, 2023. If you were married, you are required to enter your spouse’s financial information. If you were not married, or were no longer married, as of Dec. 31, 2023, answer “No.” If you are uncertain about your marital and tax status, review the Marital Status Definitions table below, which also details the Household Income you are required to report. Note: You are the “Applicant.”
Marital Status Definitions
| Applicant’s Marital Status | Definition | One Household Income Required | Two Household Incomes Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Married, Filing Jointly | If the applicant was legally married as of Dec. 31, 2023, and filing taxes jointly, the applicant should select “Married, Filing Jointly” regardless of whether the applicant and their spouse were residing together or separately. |
X | |
| Married, Filing Separately |
If the applicant was legally married as of Dec. 31, 2023, and filing taxes separately, the applicant should select “Married, Filing Separately” regardless of whether the applicant and their spouse were residing together or separately. | X | |
| Widowed | If the applicant’s spouse had passed away as of Dec. 31, 2023, the applicant should select “Widowed.” | X | |
| Separated, Filing Jointly |
This is a legal status. Select “Separated” if the applicant has received a court order for legal separation from their spouse, and they are filing taxes jointly. Tip: If the applicant and their spouse were not legally separated as of Dec. 31, 2023, regardless of where they reside, the applicant should select “Married, Filing Jointly” or “Married, Filing Separately. | X | |
| Separated, Filing Separately |
This is a legal status. Select “Separated” if the applicant has received a court order for legal separation from their spouse and they are filing taxes separately. Tip: If the applicant and their spouse were not legally separated as of Dec. 31, 2023, regardless of where they reside, the applicant should select “Married, Filing Jointly” or “Married, Filing Separately.” | X | |
| Divorced | Applicants should select this status if they were issued a legal divorce from their spouse as of Dec. 31, 2023. Tip: If the applicant was never legally married, refer to the “Single” marital status. |
X | |
| Single | Select “Single” if the applicant has never been married. | X |
Family Size
To enter your family size, enter “1” for yourself, “1” for your spouse (if applicable), and “1” for each dependent listed on your 2023 IRS 1040 tax form.
Taxable Income
Have you filed your federal tax return for 2023?
If you have already filed your 2023 tax return, select “Yes” and enter your adjusted gross income as it appears on your tax return.
If you intend to file a tax return with the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but have not yet done so, select “Not Yet.” Before the April federal tax filing deadline (typically April 15), the AAMC will accept federal W-2 and 1099 income data and forms in lieu of a federal IRS 1040 tax form. However, the AAMC may require the federal IRS 1040 tax form before the tax filing deadline to verify the family size you listed on the application. After the federal tax filing deadline, you cannot select “Not Yet.” If you are required to file a tax return, even if you filed an extension, you must submit an IRS 1040 tax form to the Fee Assistance Program before your application can be processed.
If you are not required to file a tax return, select “Will Not Be Filing.” However, if you have earned income, you are still required to enter the income listed on your IRS W-2 or 1099 form.
Note: If you are married or separated and did not or will not file a joint tax return, you are required to enter the sum of your and your spouse’s individual incomes in the required fields. If you and your spouse filed separately, you must also provide your spouse’s IRS 1040 tax form. Be sure both of you sign and date your IRS 1040 tax forms before submitting them.
Have you received W-2 or 1099 forms from your employer(s) for 2023? Will you be receiving W-2 or 1099 forms from your employer(s) for 2023?
Employers typically provide either a W-2 or 1099 form to full- or part-time employees and contractors around Feb. 1 of each year. These forms summarize all your wages, tips, and other earnings. Contact your employer if you are unsure if you received or will receive such a form.
If you have selected “Not Yet” or “Will Not Be Filing” for your tax filing status, input the total income you received from work as shown on your W-2 or 1099 forms.
Be sure to document all earned income. Submitting false information or omitting required or pertinent information could result in an investigation, which may impact your eligibility for fee assistance.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is defined as any grant, scholarship, loan, or federal work-study program offered to help a student meet their college expenses. This is typically detailed on your postsecondary institution’s Financial Aid Award Letter.
The Fee Assistance Program does not consider financial aid awarded and used for tuition, books, or fees to be part of your income. Only the portion of financial aid awarded for living expenses is considered income.
To complete this section, you will need to reference your Financial Aid Award Letter and your school’s cost of attendance sheet or similar documentation that details the cost of tuition for the academic year and how much students typically pay for books and fees. This information is usually found on the financial aid or admissions sections of your school’s website; more details on this documentation appear below.
If you have received or will be receiving financial aid for the 2023-24 academic year, select “Yes” when prompted for this information and enter the financial aid amount awarded for living expenses.
If you answer “Yes,” indicating you have received or will receive financial aid, the Financial Aid Calculator will appear. Use this calculator to determine the amount of aid you were awarded for living expenses. The calculator will prompt you to enter the total financial aid awarded, total tuition amount, total amount spent on books, and total amount spent on fees (e.g., lab, studio, activities, or other fees) for the 2023-24 academic year, which it will subtract from the total amount of financial aid received for the 2023-24 academic year. This will calculate the financial aid awarded for living expenses to be entered into the application.
The program staff recommends you use the following formula to ensure you are entering your financial aid information appropriately: Total financial aid awarded for the 2023-24 academic year — Total tuition amount for the 2023-24 academic year — Total amount spent on books for the 2023-24 academic year — Total amount spent on fees for the 2023-24 academic year = Financial aid awarded for living expenses.
If you received any financial aid, you will be required to submit a copy of the cost of attendance sheet and your Financial Aid Award Letter. Your Financial Aid Award Letter must include your school’s name and website address, the full amount of financial aid received, and the breakdown of the cost of attendance as provided by your school. (If the cost of attendance is not included in the Financial Aid Award Letter, it can usually be located and printed from the school’s website.) The Fee Assistance Program will not accept IRS Form 1098-T Tuition Statements, semester bills, account summaries, loan statements, or FAFSA documentation in lieu of your award letter and cost of attendance sheet.
If you did not receive financial aid for the 2023-24 academic year, answer “No” in this section. If you answer “No” and have submitted your Fee Assistance Program application, you will be required to provide a letter from your school stating that you have not received financial aid for the 2023-24 academic year. This letter must appear on the school’s letterhead and be signed by a representative of the school’s financial aid office.
Housing and Food Assistance
Some students receive housing assistance and live with relatives or are provided housing by a relative or friend. If any of these scenarios applies to you, select “Yes” for this question. If you did not receive assistance from a relative or friend, or your housing assistance was provided as part of your financial aid award or through a federal, state, or local welfare program, select “No.”
The Housing/Food Assistance Calculator will appear if you select “Yes” for the question. Use this calculator to determine the value of your housing and food assistance. Estimate what you would have paid monthly for rent based on market rates for similar housing in your area. Use the same method to estimate the food assistance you received as a dollar amount.
If you received housing and/or food assistance from a relative, friend, or other entity, you must submit a signed Housing and Food Assistance Letter that documents the assistance you received in 2023. The letter must be signed with either a handwritten or a digital signature that includes an audit trail, such as a DocuSign or Adobe signature.
Income Earned While Living in Another Country
If you lived and worked outside of the United States in 2023 and received income that is not reflected on your IRS W-2 or 1099 forms, select “Yes” when prompted for this information, and enter the amount of money you earned. Convert this income to U.S. dollars.
If you received income while residing in a country other than the United States, you must submit a signed Foreign Income Letter that documents the income you earned abroad. The letter must be signed with either a handwritten or a digital signature that includes an audit trail, such as a DocuSign or Adobe signature.
Social Security Benefits
Enter the full amount of benefits you received from the Social Security Administration in 2023. In addition to retirement benefits, be sure to include survivor benefits, disability benefits, or other, less common benefits you received. Enter “0” if you did not receive any benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Federal, State, and Local Welfare Programs
Enter the total value of food stamps (SNAP), housing vouchers, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or other welfare program benefits you or your spouse (if applicable) received last year.
If you received such benefits, you must submit a formal statement of the benefits you received from the government agency that administers the benefit program(s). Enter “0” if you did not receive benefits from any other federal, state, or local welfare programs.
Financial Gifts
Enter the combined value of gifts of cash that you received last year if the total value is greater than $200. This amount includes one-time gifts of cash as well as cash provided throughout the year for general living expenses. For example, if a relative gave you $100 per month for general living expenses for 12 months, enter $1,200 in this section. Similarly, record one-time gifts of cash.
Enter “0” if you did not receive cash gifts or their combined total was less than $200; you do not need to report such gifts.
If you received cash totaling more than $200 last year, you must submit a signed Financial Gift Letter that documents the amount you received. The letter must be signed with either a handwritten or a digital signature that includes an audit trail, such as DocuSign or Adobe signature.
Child Support
Enter the sum of all child support payments you received. Do not include information about any child support payments you made.
If you received child support payments, you must submit an official document that details the amount you received last year. Enter “0” if you did not receive child support payments.
Alimony or Spousal Support
Enter the total alimony or spousal support you received. Do not include information about any spousal support payments you made.
Note: If you indicated that you have already filed your federal tax return, you will not see this question because this income is included in your taxes.
If you received spousal support payments, you must submit a signed, formal document that details the amount you received last year. Enter “0” if you did not receive alimony or spousal support.
Income or Financial Support Received From Other Sources
Enter the total amount of other income or financial support you received last year that you have not reported in the previous sections, (e.g., stimulus checks, veterans benefits, or an inheritance).
If you received income or financial support from other sources, you must submit a formal document that details the amount you received in the previous year. Enter “0” if you did not receive income or financial support from other sources.
Note: If you have indicated you are “married, filing separately,” proof of income for both you and your spouse is required. If only one spouse has income documentation, and you will not be able to provide a proof of income for the other spouse, you must provide a letter from the spouse without proof of income stating the source of their income (e.g., they are supported by their spouse). The spouse without proof of income must sign and date this letter, and you must upload the letter to “Other Documentation.”