FAFSA Adjustment

The 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) requires students to provide household and 2018 tax information. For independent students, this includes spouse information, if married. For dependent students, this includes information for parents. The U.S. Department of Education uses this information when calculating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC figure represents a family’s ability to contribute to a student’s college expenses.

Sometimes there may be a special circumstance not reflected on the FAFSA that reduces a family’s ability to pay for college and education-related expenses. The FAFSA Adjustment process allows you or a member of your household to document a special circumstance, which, if approved, may allow the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) to recalculate your EFC and re-evaluate your financial aid.

FAFSA Adjustment Appeals for the 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will begin in February 2021. You may want to complete a FAFSA Adjustment Appeal if your family had or will have a loss of income in 2020 or 2021 and the 2019 tax information on your FAFSA does not represent your family's ability to contribute to your college expenses. Please stay tuned for more details on this appeal process.

On this page:

• FAFSA Adjustment Policy
• How to Apply
• Supporting Documentation

FAFSA Adjustment Policy

Annually, and on a case-by-case basis, the OFA may recalculate your EFC and re-evaluate your financial aid awards after reviewing documentation of a special circumstance for you or a member of your household (spouse or parents). Prior to reviewing your FAFSA Adjustment Form, you will be required to complete the FAFSA Verification process. If you have not already been selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, the OFA will assign verification requirements when your FAFSA Adjustment Form is received. The added requirements for the verification process can be viewed in your WINGS Express.

Situations that qualify as a special circumstance for FAFSA adjustment for the 2020–21 aid year include: 

• Health care expenses (e.g. medical, dental, etc.) paid by you during the 2019 calendar year that were not covered by insurance or a third party.
• Loss of all or part of one of the following sources of 2019 taxable or untaxed income as it compares to the 2018 income reported on the 2020-2021 FAFSA: (1) wages, salaries, and tips; (2) unemployment; (3) Adjusted Gross Income; (4) child support paid; (5) child support received; (6) living allowances paid to military, clergy, and others; or (6) veteran’s non-educational benefits.
• Loss of employment or reduction in pay that occurred in 2020. OFA will process forms 12 weeks after job loss or reduction in pay, which will require up-to-date documentation at that time.
• A one-time higher income event (i.e. not reoccurring due to the same circumstance), such as an inheritance, windfall, settlement, buyout, withdrawal, etc. that occurred in 2018 and was reported on your 2020-2021 FAFSA.
• A parent included in the household on the student’s 2020-2021 FAFSA is enrolled at least half-time in a degree- or certificate-granting program during the 2020-2021 academic year at a college/university that participates in the federal student aid programs.
• The parents included in the household on the student’s 2020-2021 FAFSA were married at the time the student filed his or her FAFSA and were reported as married on the FAFSA, but the parents’ marital status is now separated, divorced, or widowed; and this marital change occurred on or before December 31, 2020.
• Elementary or secondary school tuition expenses for a dependent child were paid between July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 and those expenses were not covered by a third party.

---

How to Apply

You (and members of your household, if required) must complete and return the 2020–21 FAFSA Adjustment Form and supporting documentation to RaiderConnect no later than February 15, 2021 The submission of a FAFSA Adjustment Form does not guarantee your EFC will be adjusted. See our Important Dates page for processing timelines for FAFSA Adjustments and other financial aid documents.

Upon receipt of your FAFSA Adjustment Form, the Office of Financial Aid will require you complete the FAFSA Verification process. Once the FAFSA Verification process is complete, the Office of Financial Aid will review your FAFSA Adjustment Form and supporting documentation. If your household has a qualifying special circumstance, the Office of Financial Aid will recalculate your EFC and re-evaluate your financial aid awards.  

You (the student) will be notified via your Wright State University email account when the result of your FAFSA Adjustment Form is available to view in WINGS Express.

---

Supporting Documentation

You or members of your household are required to submit supporting documentation with the FAFSA Adjustment Form. For the situations that qualify as a special circumstance for FAFSA adjustment, the following items are requested:

Special Circumstance for FAFSA Adjustment	Supporting Documentation
Health care expenses (e.g. medical, dental, etc.) were paid during the 2019 calendar year that were not covered by a third party	Tax Transcript (or signed copy of 2019 Federal Income Tax Form 1040) Schedules 1, 2, 3 (only those schedules filed with the tax return) Schedule A itemized deductions (only if filed with the tax return) Copies: receipts; medical provider statements; canceled checks
Loss of all or part of one of the following sources of 2018 taxable or untaxed income reported on the 2020–21 FAFSA compared to 2019 or 2020: Wages, salaries, and tips; Unemployment; Adjusted Gross Income; Child support paid; Child support received; Living allowances paid to military, clergy, and others; or Veteran’s non-educational benefits	Letter of termination date/reduced wages/hour on company letterhead Documentation of untaxed income AND 2019 tax documents W-2s for 2019 (include spouse's W-2s also, if married) Tax Transcript (or signed copy of 2019 Federal Income Tax Form 1040) Schedules 1, 2, 3 (only those schedules filed with the tax return) OR 2020 income documents Copies of last pay stubs for 2020; unemployment; other types of income Also include spouse income items for 2020, if married
A one-time event, such as an inheritance, windfall, settlement, buyout, withdrawal, etc., occurred in 2018 and was reported on the 2020-21 FAFSA	Documentation of untaxed income W-2s for 2019 (include spouse’s W-2s also, if married) Tax Transcript (or signed copy of 2019 Federal Income Tax Form 1040) Schedules 1, 2, 3 (only those schedules filed with the tax return)
A parent included in the household on the student’s 2020-2021 FAFSA was enrolled at least half-time in a degree- or certificate-granting program at a college/university that participates in the federal student aid programs.	Enrollment verification for May 2020 – April 2021 from the college/university where parent is enrolled at least ½ time Proof of payment (cannot be a pending payment)
The parents included in the household on the student’s 2020-21 FAFSA were married at the time the student filed his or her FAFSA and were reported as such on the FAFSA, but the parent’s marital status is now separated, divorced, or widowed, and marital change occurred on or before December 31, 2020.	Copy of death certificate; separation agreement; divorce decree Tax Transcript (or signed copy of 2019 Federal Income Tax Form 1040) Schedules 1, 2, 3 (only those schedules filed with the tax return) W-2s for 2019 (for the remaining parent in the household)
Elementary or secondary school tuition expenses for a dependent child that were not covered by a third party and are beyond the amounts already accounted for on the FAFSA.	Name(s) and age(s) of child(ren) included in tuition payments Proof of tuition expenses (paid from July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020) Proof that tuition expenses were not covered by a third-party

If you or a member of your household is unable to provide the supporting documentation requested above, please contact RaiderConnect to discuss your circumstance to determine if other forms of documentation may be considered.