Just wondering but what reason did you use for the appeal? Job loss or something else? I'm considering filing one too

I'm in a similar situation with my appeal taking forever! Filed mine about 4 weeks ago due to my spouse's job loss and still showing "Being Reviewed" status. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone but also more anxious about the timeline. Has anyone had luck with contacting their school's financial aid office for any kind of interim guidance while waiting? I'm worried about missing enrollment deadlines while we wait for the appeal to process. The whole system really does seem overwhelmed this year compared to when my older daughter went through this process 3 years ago.

As someone who's currently going through this process with my son, I wanted to add a few practical tips that have helped us navigate the TAP application. First, when your daughter creates her HESC account, make sure she uses a strong password and enables two-factor authentication if available - we had a friend whose account got compromised and it was a nightmare to resolve. Also, I'd recommend having a dedicated folder (physical or digital) for all financial aid documents. We keep copies of our FAFSA, tax returns, TAP application, and any correspondence in one place. This has been incredibly helpful when colleges ask for additional documentation. One thing that surprised us was that some SUNY schools have their own supplemental aid applications beyond FAFSA and TAP. Check each of your daughter's target schools' financial aid websites to see if they require any additional forms. We almost missed out on a need-based grant at one school because we didn't know about their separate application. Finally, don't forget to update your FAFSA if your tax situation changes after filing (like if you file an amended return). TAP will automatically update based on FAFSA changes, which is convenient. The whole process really does get easier once you understand the system - hang in there!

Just wanted to add my experience as another parent who went through this exact situation last year! The TAP application really is much simpler than it initially seems, especially once you have the FAFSA completed. One thing that helped reduce my stress was realizing that the HESC website actually has a pretty good "help" section with screenshots of each step of the TAP application process. Also, since you mentioned feeling overwhelmed by acronyms, here's a quick cheat sheet I wish I had when we started: FAFSA (federal aid), TAP (NY state grant), ETA (Enhanced Tuition Award for private colleges), CSS Profile (some private colleges require this), and HESC (the NY agency that handles TAP). Having these definitions handy made conversations with financial aid offices much easier! Your daughter is lucky to have such a dedicated parent advocating for her. The fact that you're asking these questions now puts you way ahead of where many families are at this point in the process. You've got this!

As someone completely new to both this community and the college financial aid process, I want to thank everyone for creating such an incredibly informative discussion! I found this thread while researching FAFSA requirements for my oldest child's upcoming college applications, and I'm amazed at how much I've learned just from reading through all your experiences and advice. Like many others here, I was initially confused about using 2023 tax information for the 2025-2026 FAFSA - it seemed counterintuitive until I read the explanations about the prior-prior year system. The logic makes perfect sense once you understand the timing of when applications open versus when current-year taxes are available. What's been most eye-opening for me is learning about Professional Judgment reviews. This seems like such a crucial option for families whose circumstances have changed, yet it's not something I'd heard about through any of the "official" college planning resources I'd been consulting. The detailed advice about documentation, timing, and school-specific differences has been invaluable. Our family has also experienced significant changes since 2023 (career transition with temporary income reduction), so reading about everyone's strategies for building strong cases for these reviews gives me confidence that we have options even if our initial FAFSA doesn't reflect our current reality. I'm already implementing many of the organizational tips shared here - the dedicated email folder, early document gathering, and detailed record-keeping of financial changes. The collective wisdom in this thread has transformed what felt like an overwhelming process into something much more manageable. Thank you all for being so generous with your knowledge and experiences!

As another newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this discussion! I've been researching college financial aid for my daughter's upcoming applications and was completely puzzled by the 2023 tax requirement for 2025-2026 FAFSA - like so many others here, my first thought was "why such outdated information?" The explanations about the prior-prior year system have been tremendously helpful in understanding the logic behind this timing. It really does make sense when you consider that most families haven't filed their 2024 taxes by December when FAFSA opens. What's been most valuable for me is learning about Professional Judgment reviews - I had no idea this option existed! Our family's income dropped significantly in late 2023 when I switched to part-time work due to health issues, and while this will show up somewhat in our 2023 taxes, the full ongoing impact won't be captured. Reading about everyone's experiences with documentation and school-specific processes gives me hope that we can address this through the appeals process. I'm already starting to implement the organizational strategies shared here - creating dedicated folders for documents and correspondence, gathering all our 2023 tax materials, and documenting the ongoing health-related work changes. The advice about contacting schools directly to understand their specific Professional Judgment processes is something I definitely plan to do once my daughter finalizes her college list. Thank you all for sharing such detailed, practical advice. This thread has transformed what felt like an intimidating process into something much more manageable!

Just wanted to add another perspective - I'm a parent who's been through this process multiple times. Manual entry really isn't as scary as it seems! The key is being super organized beforehand. I always create a little "cheat sheet" with all the important numbers from our tax forms before I even log into the FAFSA site. One thing that helped me was printing out the FAFSA paper worksheet first (yes, they still have one!) and filling it out by hand before doing the online version. That way I could double-check everything and wasn't rushed by the system timing out. The paper version shows you exactly which tax form lines correspond to each question. Also, don't stress too much about minor mistakes - you can always submit corrections later once your amended return is processed. The important thing is getting it submitted before those priority deadlines!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm that manual entry is totally doable! I was in a similar boat - had to amend our 2024 return due to some 1099 corrections, and didn't want to wait for the IRS to process everything. Here's what worked for me: I set aside about 90 minutes on a weekend morning when I was fresh and focused. Had all our tax documents, W-2s, and the amended return draft spread out on the dining table. The FAFSA questions are actually pretty clear about which specific tax form lines they need. The only hiccup I ran into was with some of the business expense questions (we have a small side business), but the help text guided me through it. I also bookmarked the IRS instructions for Schedule C just in case. One thing I'd recommend - if you're unsure about any specific line items from your amended return, you could call your accountant for a quick clarification. Mine was super helpful and it only took 5 minutes to confirm I was interpreting the changes correctly. You've got this! Better to submit manually by the deadline than miss out on aid because you waited too long.

As a newcomer to this whole process, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! I was also stressing about having to redo the FAFSA every semester - the whole financial aid system seems so complicated when you're first starting out. It's such a relief to know it's just once per academic year. I'm especially grateful for all the practical tips everyone shared, like keeping copies of documents for potential verification and setting calendar reminders for the next year's FAFSA. One quick question - I see people mentioning both community college and four-year schools. Does the "once per year" rule apply the same way regardless of what type of school you're attending? Thanks again everyone for making this so much clearer!

This thread is SO helpful! I'm starting community college in January and was completely panicking about whether I'd need to submit a whole new FAFSA for spring semester. The idea of gathering all those tax documents again was giving me anxiety! It's such a relief to know it's just once per academic year. I'm definitely going to take everyone's advice about keeping all my documents organized in case I get selected for verification, and I love the tip about signing up for alerts from the financial aid office. One thing I'm still wondering about - if I'm starting in January (spring semester), do I need to fill out the current year's FAFSA or wait for the next academic year's form? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!