FAFSA asking for 2022 tax info for 2024-25 application after divorce - major income change

This is actually how the new FAFSA works for everyone now. The 2024-2025 FAFSA uses what they call a 'prior-prior year' approach, which means they look at tax information from 2022. The good news is that your divorce qualifies as a 'special circumstance' that schools can consider. After completing your FAFSA with the 2022 information, you'll need to contact each school's financial aid office directly to request a 'professional judgment' review (sometimes called an income appeal). You'll need documentation of your divorce and current income situation. Each school handles these differently, but most have a specific form for this purpose.

omg same boat!! got divorced in 2023 and my income dropped by like 60%!! the whole system is messed up IMO

The FAFSA system is DELIBERATELY designed to make it harder for people going through major life changes!!! My son couldn't get proper aid because they used income from when my husband was still alive. I fought with THREE different schools and only ONE actually adjusted his aid package. The other two basically told us to take out more loans. The entire system is broken and favors families with stable incomes.

Professional judgment reviews (for special circumstances like divorce) are handled at the school level, not by Federal Student Aid directly. After you submit your FAFSA, you should: 1. Download and save your SAI confirmation page 2. Contact each school's financial aid office immediately 3. Ask specifically about their "professional judgment" or "special circumstances" process for significant income changes due to divorce 4. Prepare documentation: divorce decree, recent pay stubs, current year tax return if filed, and a written explanation of your situation Each school will recalculate your aid eligibility based on your current financial reality. Don't wait for them to contact you - be proactive!

I went through this exact situation last year! Try calling the Federal Student Aid number directly to explain your situation. I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone who could help with my special circumstances after my divorce. FINALLY found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a FAFSA agent in less than 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. Their video demo shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ FYI though - the FAFSA people will tell you to contact each school individually. But at least they can note your account and explain exactly what to do next.

im filling out for my daughter and dealing with same issue but opposite problem...2022 i was broke af working part time, now i got a good job making 3x as much! don't complain, this system is working great for us lol

Just want to add some important information here. When you submit documentation for a professional judgment review, be extremely detailed and specific. I work in a university financial aid office, and the requests that get approved fastest have: 1. A detailed timeline showing when the divorce happened and when income changed 2. Very specific documentation (not just pay stubs, but also account statements showing current living expenses) 3. A projection of annual income for the current year with explanation Also, each school can make their own decision - getting approved at one school doesn't mean automatic approval at others. And some schools have limited professional judgment funds, so apply early.

Just to clarify something important - the professional judgment process doesn't actually change your FAFSA or your official SAI number. What happens is: 1. Your FAFSA submission with 2022 data creates your official SAI 2. Schools receive this SAI as your official one 3. When you request professional judgment, schools individually recalculate what your SAI would be with updated information 4. They then adjust your financial aid package at THEIR institution based on this recalculated SAI Your official SAI on studentaid.gov will never change, which confuses many people. Each school effectively creates their own internal modified SAI for you.

One more thing - start the professional judgment process as soon as possible after submitting your FAFSA. Many schools allocate their institutional funds (grants, scholarships) early in the cycle. If you wait until close to enrollment time, they may have already committed most of their discretionary aid funds, leaving mainly loans as options for you. Timing really matters!