FAFSA 2025-2026: Can I adjust income if COVID hazard pay no longer applies?

Yes, this is exactly what income appeals are designed for! Since the 2025-2026 FAFSA will use your 2023 tax information, you'll want to file what's called a "Professional Judgment Request" or "Special Circumstances Appeal" after you submit your FAFSA. This process allows families to explain significant changes in financial circumstances. Here's what you should do: 1. Complete the FAFSA using your 2023 tax information as required 2. After you receive your SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC), contact each college's financial aid office directly 3. Ask about their specific process for income appeals or professional judgment requests 4. Be prepared to document both the COVID hazard pay from 2023 and evidence that it's no longer received Each school handles these appeals differently, but most will have you complete a form and provide documentation (pay stubs showing the difference, employer letter confirming the change, etc.). This is quite common, especially since COVID created many unusual financial situations.

my brother had the same thing happen last yr with overtime pay that stopped. youll need to do a special appeal with each skool he applies to. keep all his pay stubs from 2023 and current ones too!

@helpful_guidance - One more question: do all colleges handle these special circumstances the same way? I'm worried some might reject our appeal even though it's a legitimate change in income.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Even if your income is significantly lower now, the financial aid system FORCES you to use your 2023 tax info for the 2025-26 FAFSA. This is one of the BIGGEST problems with the entire system!!! The people who design these rules have NO IDEA what real families go through with income changes. I went through this nightmare when my overtime disappeared and my daughter almost couldn't attend college because of it. The appeals process is EXHAUSTING and feels like you're BEGGING for help that should be automatic!!!!

I work in college financial aid, and I can confirm that what others are saying about Professional Judgment (PJ) requests is accurate. A few important points to note: 1. You will need to submit the standard FAFSA first using 2023 tax data 2. Special circumstance appeals are handled at the school level, not at the federal level 3. Documentation is critical - get a letter from your husband's employer explicitly stating when the hazard pay ended and the exact amount 4. Appeal to each school individually as soon as your son is accepted The new FAFSA simplification has actually made these appeals easier to process in many cases, but timing is important. Start gathering documentation now (pay stubs showing the decrease, employer letters, etc.) so you're prepared. Also, when completing the FAFSA, make sure you accurately answer all the questions about assets and number of family members in college, as these factors can significantly impact your SAI calculation.

@anxious_parent You should definitely wait for the appeals process rather than trying to explain in the FAFSA comments section. Those comments aren't typically reviewed during initial processing and won't affect your SAI calculation. The proper channel is through each school's financial aid office after submission.

I had a similar situation last year trying to get my daughter's financial aid adjusted. Spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to explain our situation. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at the FSA helpline in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Though honestly, the FSA person just told me I needed to contact each school directly because they handle the appeals. But it was still helpful to confirm the process directly instead of relying on internet advice. Just wanted to share in case you run into trouble reaching someone.

@skeptical Yes, there is a fee, but for me it was worth not spending hours on hold over multiple days. Especially when I kept getting disconnected after waiting. The schools are definitely the ones who handle the appeals though, FSA just confirmed the process for me.

my cousin works finacial aid office and she says make sure to ask each skool for their "special circumstancs form" they all have diffrent ones. also bug them alot about it bc sometimes they ignore you if ur not pushy lol

One more tip - when you're communicating with financial aid offices, be very specific about the dollar amount difference. For example, "Our 2023 income was $85,000, but $14,000 was temporary COVID hazard pay. Our projected 2024 income is $71,000." This specificity helps financial aid officers process your appeal more efficiently. Also, start this process early! Many schools have deadlines for special circumstance appeals, and they can run out of institutional funds if you wait until late in the cycle.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this process recently. When my daughter applied for the 2024-25 school year, we had a similar situation with my spouse's temporary pandemic-related income boost in 2022. A few things that really helped us: 1. Create a simple one-page summary document showing the income comparison (2023 vs projected 2024) that you can attach to each school's appeal 2. Keep copies of EVERYTHING - pay stubs, employer letters, tax forms. Some schools asked for additional documentation weeks later 3. Don't be discouraged if one school denies your appeal - each has different policies and available funds We ended up getting adjustments from 3 out of 5 schools she applied to, which made a huge difference in her final aid packages. The key is being organized and persistent. Good luck!