Child support ended when daughter turned 18 - Can I appeal my FAFSA SAI calculation?

Child support absolutely affects SAI calculations! It counts as untaxed income for the parent who receives it. When it stops, that's definitely grounds for a special circumstances appeal. My son's situation was similar last year, and I was able to get his financial aid adjusted at 2 of his 3 schools. Make sure you document when the payments stopped - I had to provide court records and bank statements showing the change in income.

Thank you! Did you have to file separate appeals at each school or was there a way to update the FAFSA itself? Also, roughly how much did it change your son's aid package?

yeaaa child support is totally part of the SAI! my mom got less when my brother turned 18 and we had to do this whole appeal thing with my financial aid office. honestly it was super annoying, like they kept asking for more documention but we eventually got more money. you should def appeal!!

Thanks for sharing your experience! What kind of documentation did they ask for? I'm trying to gather everything I might need before I start the process.

I work in a financial aid office, and yes, child support is included in the SAI calculation as untaxed income for the parent who receives it. When it stops, that's absolutely a valid reason for a professional judgment review (what most people call an appeal).\n\nHere's what you need to know:\n1. You cannot change the FAFSA itself - the prior year information stays as is\n2. Each school handles appeals separately - you'll need to contact each financial aid office\n3. Typically you'll need documentation showing when payments stopped (court documents, statement from the agency handling payments, etc.)\n4. Schools will recalculate your need based on projected income for the current year\n5. This can significantly impact your aid eligibility, especially for need-based grants\n\nStart by contacting each school's financial aid office to ask about their \

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I have the court order showing the termination date. Should I also provide bank statements showing the payments stopping? And roughly how long does this process usually take once I submit everything?

wait, I thought only CURRENT child support counts on FAFSA? My ex pays for our younger kid but not the one in college, and I didn't think that counted at all toward my older kid's FAFSA. Now I'm confused!!

You're partially right - child support for the student's siblings DOES count in the FAFSA calculation, but it's handled differently than you might expect. ALL child support received for ANY children in the household is reported as untaxed income for the parent. It doesn't matter which child the support is designated for - it all counts toward the household income calculation.

I've been dealing with the FAFSA for years with my three kids, and child support changes definitely warrant an appeal. I've successfully appealed at two different schools when my support changed.\n\nEvery school has a different process though. Some call it \

Thank you for the detailed advice! Did you find that certain types of schools (private vs public) were more responsive to these appeals? My daughter applied to a mix of both.

Has anyone here tried using Claimyr to get through to the Federal Student Aid people? I was having similar issues with my FAFSA and needed to speak to someone directly. I kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. Then someone told me about claimyr.com and I watched their demo (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ). They actually got me connected to an FSA agent in about 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. The agent was able to explain exactly how my changed financial circumstances could be addressed. Saved me so much frustration.

never heard of this but omg i need it!! spent literally 3 hours on hold yesterday and then got disconnected 😩😩😩

Two really important points that I haven't seen mentioned yet:\n\n1. The SAI formula weights child support differently than earned income. It's counted as untaxed income, but it doesn't receive the same income protection allowances that earned income does. So $8,760 in child support can impact your SAI more than $8,760 in wages would.\n\n2. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you reported 2024 income. If your child support ended in January 2025, you'll be reporting most of that child support on the FAFSA anyway, and then would only need to appeal for the difference of what you didn't receive in 2025 (depending on when your child support actually ended).\n\nBut absolutely appeal - just be very specific about the dates and amounts when explaining your situation.

Wait, this is really confusing me now. My child support ended January 2025, and I'm filling out the 2025-2026 FAFSA which asks about 2024 income. So I reported the full year of child support for 2024. But now in 2025 I'm receiving $0, which affects my ability to pay for the 2025-2026 school year. That's why I was asking about appealing - is that correct?

Yes, you're exactly right. Sorry if I confused you. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you correctly reported your 2024 income (including all child support received in 2024). \n\nSince your financial situation changed in January 2025 when the child support ended, that's precisely why you should appeal. You're appealing because your current financial reality (no child support in 2025) is different from what's represented on the FAFSA (full child support in 2024).\n\nThis is a textbook case for a special circumstances appeal at each school. The schools can adjust your SAI based on your projected 2025 income without the child support.

Thank you for clarifying! That makes much more sense. I'll start contacting the financial aid offices this week.

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I went through this exact situation two years ago when my daughter's child support ended. The appeal process was definitely worth it, but I learned a few things that might help you: 1. Start the appeals ASAP - some schools have deadlines for professional judgment reviews 2. Be prepared to provide a written statement explaining your situation in detail, not just the documentation 3. Consider mentioning any other changes to your financial situation (job loss, medical expenses, etc.) in the same appeal 4. Don't be discouraged if one school denies your appeal - each school has different policies and you might get approved elsewhere In my case, the loss of $900/month child support resulted in about $3,200 more in need-based aid at my daughter's school. The process took about 3-4 weeks once I submitted everything. Good luck with your appeals!

As someone who's been through multiple FAFSA cycles with changing child support situations, I can definitely confirm this is worth appealing! A few practical tips from my experience: 1. When you contact each school's financial aid office, ask specifically about their "professional judgment" or "special circumstances" process - different schools use different terminology 2. Create a simple timeline document showing when payments stopped with exact dates and amounts 3. Include a brief letter explaining how this impacts your current ability to contribute to college costs 4. Keep copies of everything you submit - you might need to reference it later The appeals are processed individually by each school, so don't get discouraged if responses vary. Some schools are more generous than others, but the loss of nearly $9K in annual income should definitely result in increased aid eligibility. Start with your daughter's top choice school first to get familiar with the process, then use that experience for the other applications. The sooner you start, the better!

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation right now! My son's child support from his dad ended in December when he turned 18, and I'm trying to figure out the FAFSA appeal process too. Reading through everyone's responses here has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that child support had such a significant impact on the SAI calculation or that it's weighted differently than regular income. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about contacting each school's financial aid office separately and asking specifically about their "professional judgment" process. It's reassuring to hear from @Luis Johnson that the appeal was worth about $3,200 in additional aid - that would make such a difference for us. I'm also going to start gathering all my documentation now, including the court order showing when payments ended and bank statements. Has anyone had experience appealing at community colleges versus four-year universities? My son applied to both types of schools and I'm wondering if the process differs significantly between them.