FAFSA based on 2023 taxes but husband's income dropped by half in 2024 - can we get aid adjusted?

Yes! This is called a "special circumstances appeal" or "professional judgment review." After you submit the FAFSA with your 2023 tax info, contact each college's financial aid office directly to explain your situation. They have the authority to make adjustments based on changes in income. You'll need to provide documentation showing your husband's job loss and current income (termination letter, recent pay stubs, etc.). Each school handles these differently, but most have a specific form for income adjustments. Don't wait though - submit the FAFSA now with the required 2023 info, then immediately start the appeal process at each school.

we had the same situation last yr when my husband switched careers. the fafsa doesnt care tbh but you can do whats called a professional judgement at each school. we got denied at 2 schools but the other 3 approved it and gave us way better packages. good luck!!

You should definitely file what's called a Professional Judgment (PJ) request with each school's financial aid office. I work in college counseling, and honestly, schools handle these very differently. Some are much more generous than others with adjustments. A few tips from experience: 1. Always complete the standard FAFSA first with your 2023 info 2. Contact each financial aid office EARLY - like right after applying 3. Ask specifically what documentation they need (every school is different) 4. Be persistent but professional in follow-ups 5. Focus on the permanence of the income change The financial aid officers have discretion to adjust your SAI, but they need solid documentation. Sudden job loss with significant income reduction is exactly the type of circumstance these appeals are designed for.

OMG I've been thrugh EXACTLY this! My husband was making $95k in 2023 and then got laid off and his new job only pays $48k. We thought we were completely screwed for financial aid because the FAFSA made it look like we were rich LOL. Definitly file the FAFSA with your 2023 taxes like your supposed to. Then you need to contact EACH school separately for what they call a "professional judgement" request. Every school handled it differently. Some gave us a special form, others wanted a letter. Most asked for termination papers, current pay stubs, and a statement explaining the change. We ended up getting great aid at 2 schools, ok aid at 1, and the other 2 basically told us tough luck. So apply to lots of schools!

Call each financial aid office to ask about their professional judgment process. I called TWELVE times trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to ask questions about our situation and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) - their service connected me to an actual FSA agent in under 15 minutes! They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. After talking with the FSA agent, I understood exactly what documentation we needed for our income adjustment appeals at each school. Absolute game changer when you need to actually speak with someone about complicated situations like yours.

Submitting a professional judgment request is definitely your best option, but I want to add that you should temper your expectations. Financial aid offices are EXTREMELY cautious with these appeals, especially for first-year students. They're most concerned with permanent changes to income, not temporary ones. Make sure your documentation clearly shows this is a permanent reduction in income, not just a temporary dip. The more evidence you can provide that this is your "new normal" financially, the better your chances. Also, even if they approve your appeal, they won't necessarily adjust your SAI to what it would be if your 2024 income was your base year. They often make partial adjustments.

my brother went thru this exact situation last year with my nephew!!! they made us fill out so many extra forms and the financial aid office kept asking for more and more proof. so frustrating!!! in the end they did get more aid but it took MONTHS and sooooo much paperwork. start the process early!!!!!

One important tip: make sure you understand the difference between your FAFSA-calculated Student Aid Index (SAI) and your actual financial aid packages. The SAI from your FAFSA is just a starting point. Each school uses that plus their own criteria. When you submit professional judgment requests to each school, they may adjust your SAI for their purposes only. Federal Student Aid doesn't adjust your official SAI - the schools make their own adjustments that only apply to their aid packages. So don't get discouraged if your official SAI seems high. Focus on working with each individual financial aid office as each will handle your situation differently.

Oh, also!!! Make sure your daughter fills out the CSS Profile too if any of her schools require it! Some private schools use that IN ADDITION TO the FAFSA and it sometimes gives you more opportunity to explain special circumstances. We actually found the CSS Profile schools were more flexible with our income change than the FAFSA-only schools.

I'm going through something very similar right now! My spouse lost their job in early 2024 and we're terrified about how our 2023 income will affect our daughter's aid eligibility. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about professional judgment requests. It sounds like the key is to be proactive and contact each school's financial aid office immediately after submitting the FAFSA rather than waiting. One question for those who've been through this process: did any of you find that certain types of schools (public vs private, large vs small) were more receptive to these appeals? I'm wondering if we should adjust our application strategy based on which schools might be more flexible with special circumstances. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's giving me hope that we have options!