Will FAFSA reconsider my aid if child support payments end during college?

Yes - ending child support is definitely considered a "special circumstance" for financial aid appeals! My son's aid was adjusted mid-year when my payments ended. You need to file what's called a Professional Judgment request (sometimes called Special Circumstances form) with your daughter's financial aid office. Don't wait - start the process now since it can take 4-6 weeks for processing. You'll need documentation showing when the payments end, probably court documents and bank statements showing the change in income. Each school handles these differently but they specifically look for major income changes like this.

i had same thing happen last year my payments stoped when my kid hit 18 and i called fafsa but they said i had to talk to the school not them. fafsa just collects the info but the schools decide what to do with it

This is a classic special circumstances case that financial aid offices deal with regularly. You'll need to complete a Special Circumstances form (each school has their own version). For the documentation, you'll typically need: 1. Court order showing the child support end date 2. Documentation of payments received (bank statements or payment records) 3. A written statement explaining the situation and calculating the exact income reduction 4. Possibly a projected income statement for the coming year Most importantly - don't contact the general FAFSA helpline as they can't help with this. You need to speak directly with a financial aid counselor at your daughter's school. They have discretion to adjust the SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation based on these circumstances.

START NOW!!!! Don't wait till December!!! The financial aid office is gonna be SWAMPED with requests at the end of the semester. I waited until the payments actually stopped and regretted it because it took them FOREVER to process my appeal and we almost didn't get the adjusted aid in time for spring semester!!! TRUST ME, get the paperwork started now even if the actual change hasn't happened yet.

my kid's school made me wait until the paymets actually stopped b4 they would process anything so maybe call first to check?

I've been trying to get through to our financial aid office for THREE WEEKS about our special circumstances form and keep getting voicemail. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual human at the financial aid department. They have this system that basically waits on hold for you then calls you when someone picks up. Saved me hours of frustration. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ As for your situation - yes, reduction in child support is absolutely considered for aid adjustments. It's actually specifically mentioned in most schools' special circumstances forms.

To answer your earlier question about timing - ideally you want to start the process about 2-3 months before the change takes effect. So starting now for a December change is perfect timing. The financial aid office can accept your documentation and start the process even though the change hasn't happened yet. Just be clear about the exact date the support ends in your written statement. By the way, when the payments end, you'll also want to update this information on your next FAFSA for the following academic year. The change should be reflected in your tax return by then, but it's good to note the change in the comments section as well.

Focus on the PERCENTAGE change in your income, not just the dollar amount. A $14,000 reduction might be 15% of income for someone with a high salary, but if it's 30-40% of your total income, emphasize that. Also clearly show how this impacts your ability to pay the Expected Family Contribution (now called Student Aid Index). Schools are most responsive when you can show the change makes your current aid package mathematically impossible for your situation.

When my support payments ended, I got nowhere with the financial aid office until I specifically asked for a meeting with a financial aid counselor rather than just submitting forms. The person at the front desk kept giving me the runaround, but once I actually got face time with a counselor, they were much more helpful and understood our situation. Be persistent and don't take no from someone who isn't authorized to say yes!

Has anyone managed to get aid adjusted mid-year for this reason? My son's college told us they only adjust for the following academic year, not mid-year. Is this normal or should I push back?

one more thing make sure ur ex isnt claiming ur daughter on taxes that really messed up our fafsa one year

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my child support ended. Here's what I learned: definitely start the process NOW, don't wait until December. I made the mistake of waiting and it created unnecessary stress. Most schools have a "Special Circumstances" or "Professional Judgment" form - ask specifically for this, not just general financial aid forms. One thing that really helped my case was creating a simple before/after budget showing exactly how the $14,000 loss would impact our ability to pay college costs. I included things like "Previous monthly income: $X, New monthly income: $Y, Gap: $Z per month." The financial aid counselor told me this made it much easier for them to see the real impact. Also, keep copies of EVERYTHING and follow up regularly. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices. Good luck - this is definitely something they can and should help with!