FAFSA for 2025-2026 requires 2023 tax info, not 2024 - confused about timeline

This is actually correct and there's a good reason for it. FAFSA uses what's called "prior-prior year" tax information. For the 2025-2026 school year, they will indeed use your 2023 tax information (not 2024). The reason is simple: when FAFSA opens in December 2024, most people won't have completed their 2024 taxes yet (those aren't due until April 2025). By using the prior-prior year (2023), they're using tax information that's already finalized, filed, and can be directly imported from the IRS using the Data Retrieval Tool. This system ensures everyone has their tax information ready when applying and creates a standardized timeframe for all applicants.

ya they always use older tax stuff, been that way forever. my older kid went thru this last yr

As others have confirmed, the 2025-2026 FAFSA will use 2023 tax information. However, I want to address your concern about your financial situation changing. If you've experienced significant changes like job loss, major medical expenses, or other financial hardships since 2023, you can request a "Professional Judgment" review (sometimes called a "Special Circumstances" review). This process allows the financial aid office at each school to review your updated information and potentially adjust your aid. You'll need to: 1. Complete the regular FAFSA using 2023 tax info 2. Contact each school's financial aid office directly 3. Ask about their process for special circumstances reviews 4. Provide documentation of the changes (layoff notice, unemployment benefits, etc.) Each school handles these differently, so you'll need to work with them individually.

omg this system is so broken!! when my son applied last year they used our 2022 taxes which showed a huge bonus i got that was ONE TIME. we tried explaining this to the financial aid office and they basically told us too bad, thats the system. now were paying wayyy more than we should be. the whole thing is designed to give us less aid.

A little tip from when my kids went through this - start gathering your documents now. You'll need 2023 tax returns, W-2s, records of untaxed income, current bank statements, investment records, etc. The FAFSA seems to get more complicated every year, and being prepared really helps reduce the stress. Also keep records of any major financial changes since 2023, as you might need those for special circumstances reviews.

I spent HOURS trying to call the Federal Student Aid helpline last year when we had issues with our FAFSA. Was getting disconnected or waiting forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ If you run into any trouble with the application or have questions about special circumstances, it might be worth using instead of waiting on hold forever. The agent I spoke with was really helpful in explaining how the prior-prior year system works and what documentation we needed for our financial changes.

Just to give you some timeline guidance: - FAFSA for 2025-2026 should open in December 2024 - You'll use 2023 tax information - The Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation (which replaced EFC) will determine aid eligibility - Financial aid award letters typically arrive March-April 2025 - That's when you can request Professional Judgment reviews if needed Also, make sure your student lists all potential colleges on the FAFSA - they can list up to 20 schools. The data automatically goes to those schools when you submit.

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO SCREW OVER THE MIDDLE CLASS!!!!! My family makes just enough to not qualify for need-based aid but not enough to actually afford college without going into MASSIVE DEBT. And using tax info from TWO YEARS AGO just makes it worse. The whole system needs to be completely overhauled.

Just went thru this whole process with my twins. Here's what nobody tells you: after you submit the FAFSA using 2023 taxes, start immediately preparing for professional judgment reviews. Take screenshots of EVERYTHING. Document every call, every email. The financial aid offices are overworked and things fall through cracks. Be polite but persistent. Also, the new FAFSA is supposedly "simplified" but still had tons of technical glitches last year. Submit as early as possible in case you run into problems.