FAFSA timing question: What tax year to use for 2025-2026 college application?
My son is graduating high school in 2025 (he's a junior now) and I'm trying to figure out when exactly I need to submit the FAFSA for his freshman year of college. Do I need to file the FAFSA in December 2024 for the 2025-2026 academic year? And I'm confused about which tax return they'll want - my 2023 return or my 2022? This whole process is making my head spin! Any advice from parents who've been through this recently would be super helpful.
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Ryder Ross
You'll need to file the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year, which opens on December 1, 2024. For that application, you'll use your 2023 tax return information (the prior-prior year). The FAFSA always uses tax information from two years before the start of the academic year, so for 2025-2026, they look at 2023 taxes.
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Kyle Wallace
•Thank you! That makes sense about the 2023 taxes. So even though we file this in December 2024, they're looking at our 2023 taxes, not our 2024 taxes (which wouldn't even be filed yet). Is that right?
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Gianni Serpent
yupp its the 2023 tax info!! i remember this bc my older sister just went through this. the "prior prior year" thing confused my parents sooo much lol
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Henry Delgado
Just to add some practical advice - make sure you and your son both create FSA IDs well before December. The system gets overwhelmed when the application opens, and sometimes the ID verification process can take days. Also, gather your 2023 tax documents, W-2s, and records of any untaxed income now. Having everything ready makes the process much smoother.
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Kyle Wallace
•Great suggestion about the FSA IDs! I had no idea those could take time to process. We'll get those set up soon. Are there any other documents besides tax returns and W-2s that we should have ready?
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Henry Delgado
•You'll also want records of current cash/savings/investments (not including your primary home or retirement accounts), any child support received, and veterans non-education benefits if applicable. For assets, they'll want values as of the day you file, not from your 2023 records.
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Olivia Kay
The whole FAFSA system is RIDICULOUS!! I spent HOURS trying to submit my daughter's application last year because the website kept crashing and then it took FOREVER to get our SAI score. The whole "prior-prior year" thing is stupid too - what if your income has changed significantly since then?? They don't care! Just another example of government bureaucracy failing families trying to afford education!
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Ryder Ross
•If your financial situation has changed significantly since the tax year being used, you can actually request a professional judgment review (sometimes called an appeal) from the financial aid offices after you receive aid offers. Job loss, medical expenses, or other major changes can be considered, but you need documentation.
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Joshua Hellan
wait i'm confused. i thought the new FAFSA uses SAI not EFC? and didn't they change the dates for the application period?
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Ryder Ross
•You're right on both counts! The FAFSA now produces a Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). And yes, the opening date for the FAFSA application period was changed to December 1st (rather than October 1st previously). But the principle of using prior-prior year tax information remains the same.
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Jibriel Kohn
When I was trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid about my daughter's application, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through on the phone. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in minutes instead of waiting for hours. They even have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ If you ever need to call FSA directly about your son's application status or SAI calculation, I highly recommend it. Saved me so much frustration during the whole process.
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Kyle Wallace
•Thanks for the tip! I'll bookmark that for when we inevitably run into problems. Did you find the agents were actually able to help once you got through?
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Jibriel Kohn
•Yes, actually! The agent I reached was able to explain why our application was flagged for verification and exactly what documents we needed to submit. Much better than trying to figure it out from the vague notices on the website.
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Edison Estevez
I went through this last yr with my twins college apps. One tip - make sure ur tax return doesn't have any small errors that could flag ur FAFSA for verification. We had a tiny math mistake on a form and it delayed everything by like 2 months! Also make sure u list ALL the schools ur son might apply to on the FAFSA (u can list up to 20 now i think
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Kyle Wallace
•Oh that's really good to know! I'll double-check our 2023 return for any errors. And I didn't realize you could list up to 20 schools - that's helpful since my son isn't sure where all he'll apply yet.
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Henry Delgado
One more thing to prepare for: the Parent Contributor section is one of the most challenging parts of the new FAFSA. If you're married, both parents in the household need to create their own FSA IDs and provide their information. If divorced/separated, the parent who provides the most financial support needs to complete it. Contributors have to manually confirm their role in the student's application, so coordinate with any other parents/stepparents early.
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Kyle Wallace
•Thanks for mentioning this. I'm a single parent with full custody, but his father does pay some child support. Would his father need to create an FSA ID too? Or am I the only parent contributor since he lives with me full-time?
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Henry Delgado
•Since you have full custody, you would be the only parent contributor required on the FAFSA. The child support you receive would be reported as untaxed income, but his father wouldn't need to create an FSA ID or directly provide information. This is one situation where the FAFSA is actually more straightforward!
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Gianni Serpent
does anyone know if scholarships affect FAFSA? my brother got some local scholarships and then his financial aid got reduced which seemed really unfair
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Ryder Ross
•Yes, outside scholarships can impact financial aid packages. Federal regulations require schools to consider all financial assistance when awarding aid. If a student receives scholarships exceeding their calculated need, the school must reduce other need-based aid. Schools usually reduce loans first before grants, but policies vary by institution. It's called "scholarship displacement" and unfortunately is common practice.
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Kyle Wallace
Thank you all for the helpful information! I'm feeling much more prepared now. To summarize what I've learned: We'll file in December 2024 using our 2023 tax information, create FSA IDs well ahead of time, gather all financial documents including assets/savings, and I'll be the only parent contributor since I have full custody. I'll also check our tax return for errors to avoid verification delays and make sure to list all potential schools. Is there anything else major I should know before we start this process?
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Henry Delgado
•You've got the main points covered! One final tip: mark your calendar for the first week of December 2024. While the FAFSA opens December 1st, it's often better to wait a few days to avoid first-day technical issues. Also, some states award financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis, so submitting in early December is still important for maximum aid consideration. Good luck with the process!
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