Money that is given to help with costs of education that is not excluded is counted as unearned income.
The following fees and expenses can be deducted from total income for SSI, TANF, and GA-related MA:
Tuition.
Mandatory fees.
Books and expenses related to a student’s studies.
School housing and meal costs.
Child care and transportation costs if the student is not living in college housing and needs these to attend school.
If money given to help pay for the costs of education covers more than one month, the amount that is left over after deductions are taken is spread out over the whole period covered by the educational assistance. That way, the same amount is counted each month.
If any educational assistance that is counted as income takes longer than expected in getting to the student, then the CAO should set an alert for the expected date of receipt.
For MAGI MA, the following tax deductions related to education can be given if the individual reports and verifies the deduction (See Chapter 312.61):
Tuition and fees
Student loan interest
Updated May 28, 2015 Replacing February 14, 2012