Do I need to report ending child support on FAFSA if child turns 18 during application year?

Yes, you need to report all child support received during the tax year the FAFSA is asking about. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will use your 2023 tax year information, so you'll report whatever child support you received in 2023, even if payments stopped later. The FAFSA is looking at historical financial data as a snapshot, not projecting future income.

You definitely need to report it initially, but this is exactly the kind of situation where you can request a professional judgment review (sometimes called a special circumstances review) from the financial aid office after you get your aid offer. Bring documentation showing when the child support ended and they can adjust your SAI calculation to reflect your current financial reality.

my kid turned 18 last yr and i just put down what i got that tax year they asked for. it is what it is, fafsa doesnt care if its stopping they just want whatevers on your taxes

The same thing happened to me last year - child support ended but I had to report it. When I called the financial aid office, they told me I needed to file a special circumstances form with them AFTER submitting the FAFSA. Each school handles these differently though. Make sure you have documentation showing when payments stopped!

I HATE how FAFSA doesn't account for these situations!!! My ex's payments for my son stopped 3 months before college started and we got ZERO consideration for that lost income. It made our SAI way higher than it should have been. The system is totally rigged against single parents.

I've been trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to ask this exact question but kept getting disconnected after waiting forever. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed you report based on the tax year they're asking about, but also said to contact each school about special circumstances reviews for the changed financial situation.

They wouldn't give me specific numbers, but said child support is counted as untaxed income on the FAFSA, so removing it from your calculation could potentially make a significant difference in your SAI, especially if it was a substantial amount.

To clarify something important: You should report all child support received during the tax year in question on the FAFSA - this is required and accurate reporting. Then separately, you can request consideration for the change in circumstances when that income ends. The key steps are: 1. File FAFSA with accurate past information 2. After receiving your aid offer(s), contact each school's financial aid office 3. Submit their special circumstances form with documentation (court order showing end date) 4. Be prepared to show how your overall financial picture changed Doing this properly can definitely improve your SAI calculation and potentially your aid package.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! My son turns 18 next month and I've been stressing about this. Reading through everyone's responses has been so helpful. I think the key takeaway is that we need to report what we actually received during the tax year, but then we can appeal later with documentation. I'm going to gather all my court documents now so I'm prepared when it's time to submit those special circumstances forms to each school. Has anyone had success with the professional judgment review process? I'm curious how long it typically takes to get a response from the financial aid offices.

I'm dealing with this exact situation too! My daughter's 18th birthday is coming up in a few weeks and the child support will end right before she starts college. It's so frustrating that the FAFSA doesn't automatically account for these timing issues. From what I've learned here, it sounds like the professional judgment review is really our best option after filing the initial FAFSA. I'm going to start collecting all my documentation now - court orders, payment records, everything - so I'm ready to submit those special circumstances forms as soon as I get the aid offers back. Does anyone know if there's a deadline for submitting these professional judgment requests? I don't want to miss any windows for getting our aid adjusted.

I'm dealing with a similar situation - my child support payments ended 6 months ago when my son turned 18, but I still had to report what I received during the tax year on his FAFSA. After reading all these responses, I want to emphasize that the professional judgment review process really does work! I submitted my special circumstances form with documentation showing when the payments ended, and three out of four schools adjusted my SAI downward, which improved his aid packages significantly. The key things that helped me: 1) I reported everything accurately on the initial FAFSA, 2) I contacted each school's financial aid office immediately after getting aid offers, 3) I provided comprehensive documentation (court order, final payment confirmation, letter explaining the situation), and 4) I followed up politely but persistently. Don't get discouraged by the initial FAFSA results - the appeals process exists for exactly these situations and financial aid officers understand that child support ending right when college starts is a real hardship for families.

I'm new to this community and going through the exact same situation with my son who just turned 18 last week! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and honestly a huge relief. I was panicking thinking that reporting the child support I received this year would completely mess up his financial aid eligibility, but now I understand the process much better. It sounds like the key is being thorough and proactive - report everything accurately on the FAFSA first, then immediately start the professional judgment process with each school once we get the aid offers back. I'm going to start gathering all my documentation now (court orders, payment records, etc.) so I'm ready to move quickly. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's so reassuring to know that other families have successfully navigated this situation and that the appeals process actually works when you follow the right steps!

I just went through this exact situation with my daughter last year! The child support ended right when she started her senior year of high school, but I still had to report what I received during the tax year on her FAFSA. Here's what I learned: definitely report everything accurately on the initial FAFSA (you have no choice there), but then be prepared to work with each school's financial aid office on a professional judgment review. I submitted my special circumstances forms within two weeks of getting our aid offers, and included court documentation showing exactly when payments ended, bank records of the last payment, and a detailed letter explaining our situation. Four out of five schools adjusted her SAI, and the improvements to her aid packages were substantial - we're talking thousands of dollars in additional grant aid at some schools. The process took about 3-4 weeks on average, but it was absolutely worth the effort. Don't let the initial FAFSA results discourage you - the system does have ways to account for these timing issues, you just have to advocate for yourself!