Does 2025-2026 FAFSA require parents' 2024 tax return?
I'm getting ready for my daughter's college applications next year and I'm trying to understand the FAFSA timeline. Will the 2025-2026 FAFSA require my 2024 tax return information? I've heard so many different things about which tax year is used. I know they changed the formula recently, and I want to make sure I'm planning correctly since my income varies year to year. Do I need to be extra careful with my 2024 taxes knowing they'll be used for her financial aid? Thanks for any clarification!
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Amina Toure
Yes, the 2025-2026 FAFSA will use your 2024 tax return information. The FAFSA always uses the "prior-prior year" tax information, which means for the 2025-2026 academic year, they'll look at 2024 taxes. This gives families time to have their taxes completed before filling out the FAFSA. Make sure you keep good records for 2024 since your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation will be based on that year's income and assets.
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Paolo Esposito
•Thank you! That's really helpful. Does this mean we should file our 2024 taxes as early as possible in 2025? And what if our 2025 income ends up being significantly different from 2024?
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Oliver Weber
Jumping in to add that while the 2025-2026 FAFSA will use 2024 tax info, if your income changes significantly between 2024 and 2025, you can request a professional judgment review from the financial aid offices. You'll need to complete the FAFSA with your 2024 information first though. It's a case-by-case basis, but worth pursuing if your circumstances change.
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Paolo Esposito
•That's good to know about the professional judgment review. Is that something we request directly from each college's financial aid office?
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Oliver Weber
Yes, you would need to contact each school's financial aid office separately for professional judgment reviews. Each school handles these differently, but generally you'll need to provide documentation of the change in circumstances (job loss, medical expenses, etc). It's entirely at the school's discretion whether to adjust your SAI.
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FireflyDreams
fafsa is such a NIGHTMARE!!! i filled out 2023-24 fafsa with 2021 taxes and still got selected for verification and had to send like 50 documents. theyll probably make u send ur w-2s and everything anyway so keep EVERYTHING!!
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Paolo Esposito
•Oh no, that sounds stressful! I'll definitely keep copies of everything. Did you eventually get through the verification process?
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FireflyDreams
yeah but it took FOREVER and they kept asking for more stuff. i had to send bank statements and weird forms my parents didnt even understand. just be super organized from the beginning!!
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Natasha Kuznetsova
Since we're discussing FAFSA timelines, I want to mention something that helped me when I was dealing with verification issues. After waiting on hold for hours trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a live agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. It was a lifesaver when I needed clarification about which tax documents were required for my verification process.
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Javier Morales
•Does that actually work? I've been on hold with FSA so many times I've lost count. Might try it if I run into problems again.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
It did work for me! I was skeptical at first too but after spending literally hours trying to get through on my own, it was worth it to finally speak with someone who could help with my verification issues.
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Emma Anderson
Actually, I think there's some confusion here about tax years. The FAFSA used to use the prior-prior year, but with the FAFSA Simplification Act, they changed some things. Are we sure it's still 2024 taxes for the 2025-2026 form? I thought they might have adjusted the timeline.
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Amina Toure
•No, that's incorrect. The FAFSA Simplification Act changed many things (including replacing EFC with SAI, reducing questions, etc.), but it did NOT change the prior-prior year tax information requirement. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will definitely use 2024 tax information. This is to ensure families have completed tax returns available when filling out the FAFSA, which typically opens October 1st the year before the academic year starts.
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Malik Thompson
When we did my son's FAFSA last year, we had an issue where my ex-husband's tax info was needed even though I have primary custody. Make sure you know which parent(s) need to provide info based on your custody situation. That caused us a huge delay.
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Paolo Esposito
•Thanks for mentioning that! We're fortunately not dealing with a split household situation, but that's really important information for families who are.
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Javier Morales
Just wanted to say i'm in the same boat as you!! My daughter is also applying for 2025-2026 and I'm trying to understand all this FAFSA stuff early. So many acronyms and rules to learn!
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Paolo Esposito
•It's definitely overwhelming! I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to figure this all out in advance. Good luck with your daughter's applications!
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Amina Toure
To add one more important detail - when the FAFSA for 2025-2026 opens (likely October 1, 2024), you'll need your 2024 tax information, but you don't need to wait until you file your 2024 taxes in 2025 to complete the FAFSA. You can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically import your tax information once you've filed, or you can update the FAFSA later if you submit it with estimated figures. But submitting early is always better for maximizing aid opportunities.
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