Which tax year does FAFSA use for Fall 2025 applications?

For Fall 2025 enrollment, the FAFSA will be looking at the 2023 tax year information (so your 2023 tax returns). This is part of the prior-prior year system they use - always 2 years before the fall enrollment date. Even with the FAFSA Simplification changes, they've kept this timeline the same. So for the 2025-2026 academic year, you'll report your 2023 income on the FAFSA application.

its always the year b4 the year b4. so for 2025 its gonna be 2023 taxes. they dont care if ur income changed they just want the 2023 info

I just went through this with my daughter. For Fall 2025, you'll use 2023 taxes BUT if your income dropped significantly in 2024, you can file something called a "special circumstances" form AFTER you submit the FAFSA. You do the regular FAFSA with 2023 data first, then contact each school's financial aid office separately to explain your situation. Each school handles it differently - some were super helpful while others basically ignored us. Prepare documentation for the income drop!

OMG the FAFSA system is SUCH A JOKE! They pretend to care about your "actual financial situation" but then use outdated tax info that has NOTHING to do with your current reality!!! My husband lost his job in 2024 and we told FIVE different schools about it with their "special circumstances" forms and GUESS WHAT? Only ONE school actually adjusted our aid. The whole system is designed to DENY you money!!

Just went through this whole process. Yes, it's 2023 tax info for Fall 2025. But here's what saved us: I couldn't get through to anyone at Federal Student Aid to verify how our income change would be handled after filing the FAFSA. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an FSA agent in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained exactly how to document our income change and which forms each school would need. Totally worth it because different schools handled our situation completely differently.

one thing nobody mentioned is tht if ur kid applies to fancy private schools they also make u fill out the CSS Profile which asks for more financial info than FAFSA. some schools look at home equity and stuff FAFSA doesnt care about

When I was helping my sister with this, we had a similar income change situation. Remember that the special circumstances review is completely separate from your initial FAFSA filing. Some key points: 1. You MUST file FAFSA with 2023 tax data first 2. SAI score will be calculated using that 2023 data 3. After FAFSA is processed, contact each school individually about their professional judgment/special circumstances process 4. Each school requires different documentation and has different deadlines! 5. Some schools will want your complete 2024 tax returns, so have those ready Also, start this process early! Some schools run out of additional aid funds by late spring.

i remember when i was applying to college back in 2019 and my dad lost his job after they already filed the fafsa and it was SUCH a pain to get anyone to update our info!!! took forever and half the schools were like "sorry nothing we can do" which is BS!!!!!

Financial aid professional here. For Fall 2025, the FAFSA will use 2023 tax information. This is consistent with the prior-prior year model that's been in place since 2017. Regarding your income change: After submitting your FAFSA, you should request a "Professional Judgment" review (sometimes called "Special Circumstances" or "Income Adjustment" review) from each college's financial aid office. This is not done through FAFSA but directly with each school. Important things to know: - Each school has different forms, requirements, and deadlines - Documentation is critical (tax returns, layoff notices, income statements) - Schools have limited PJ funds, so apply early - Some schools are more generous with adjustments than others - The review is entirely at each school's discretion Start by completing the FAFSA as soon as it opens (December 2024 for the 2025-2026 year), then immediately contact each school about their PJ process.

As a newcomer to FAFSA, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly helpful discussion! I'm in a similar situation preparing for my daughter's Fall 2025 applications, and the clarity about using 2023 tax information is exactly what I needed. The information about Professional Judgment reviews is particularly valuable - I had no idea this was even an option. It sounds like the key is to be proactive and organized with documentation. For those of us dealing with income changes, it seems like having 2024 tax returns ready early and contacting each school's financial aid office immediately after FAFSA submission could make a real difference. One quick question: For families who experienced income changes due to retirement or career transitions (not job loss), would the Professional Judgment process work the same way? My spouse retired in early 2024, so our 2024 income is significantly different from 2023.

As someone new to this community and the FAFSA process, I'm amazed by how helpful everyone has been in this thread! I'm also preparing for Fall 2025 applications and had the same confusion about tax years. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that while the system uses 2023 tax information, there's real hope for families with income changes through the Professional Judgment process. What strikes me most is how much the process varies by school - it sounds like applying to a mix of schools and being prepared with documentation could really pay off. I'm curious - for those who have been through this process, what was the most important piece of documentation that helped your case? I'm trying to get organized early and want to make sure I'm focusing on the right paperwork when the time comes to submit those special circumstances forms. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community is incredibly valuable for navigating such a complex process!