Yes. Unemployment benefits count as income on the FAFSA because the IRS treats them as taxable income, and the FAFSA starts with your adjusted gross income (AGI). Benefits received in 2025 are part of the 2025 AGI that the 2027-28 FAFSA imports directly from the IRS, so they raise the Student Aid Index the same way wages do.
The bigger issue for most families is timing. The 2027-28 FAFSA is open now and looks back to 2025 income, so a layoff in 2026 or 2027 doesn't show up on the form at all. Families in that spot can ask each college to adjust their aid through a process called professional judgment. Here's how unemployment benefits are treated on the form, and how to get the aid office to account for a job loss.