Income Adjustment Appeal
Appeal Overview
The FAFSA uses your family’s annual income from two years ago to project how much your family can afford to contribute toward your expenses while you attend college. This projection assumes that family income is relatively stable over the course of time. While the FAFSA form does not give the student the opportunity to explain a special circumstance that could affect his or her ability to pay for college; federal law allows authorized officials in our office to make certain adjustments to your income data so that it accurately reflects your family’s situation. These types of adjustments are made on a case-by-case basis.
If your family has experienced one or more of the following special circumstances, you may qualify for an adjustment to the information on your FAFSA. Making these types of adjustments may result in increased financial aid eligibility.
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript for the person who is unemployed
- 2023 Wage and Income Transcript for the person who is unemployed
- Termination Notice from the former employer confirming the last date of employment
- Unemployment Determination Notice from the State Department of Labor
- This will show how much the unemployed person is eligible to receive as a weekly benefit as well as for how long they are eligible to receive unemployment benefits
- Severance pay information
- Furlough information
- Acceptable documentation may include, but is not limited to: a letter from the employer discussing the terms of the furlough including dates
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript for the person who is disabled
- 2023 Wage and Income Transcript for the person who is disabled
- Disability Determination Notice from the State Department of Labor
- This will show how much the disabled person is eligible to receive as a weekly benefit as well as for how long they are eligible to receive disability benefits
- Letter from former employer documenting the person's last date of employment
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript for the person who is retired
- 2023 Wage and Income Transcript for the person who is retired
- Letter from former employer documenting the person's last date of employment
- Documentation of expected retirement benefits
- Documentation may include, but is not limited to: pension or social security benefits
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- Death Certificate
- Documentation of Social Security Benefits received
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript(s) or signed 2023 IRS 1040(s), inlcuding all pages and schedules
- 2023 IRS Wage and Income Transcript(s) or all W2 and 1099 forms
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- Documentation of separate residences for both parties
- Acceptable documentation may include: drivers licenses (issued after the date of divorce/separation), mortgage statements, rental agreements, utility bills, etc.
- Relevant court/legal documents
- Documents may include but are not limited to: Petition for Divorce or a Divorce Decree
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript(s) or signed 2023 IRS 1040(s), inlcuding all pages and schedules
- 2023 IRS Wage and Income Transcript(s) or all W2 and 1099 forms for both parties
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript(s)
- 2023 Wage and Income Transcript(s)
- Unemployment Determination Notice from the State Department of Labor (if unemployed)
- This will show that the unemployed person has exhausted their unemployment benefits
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript(s)
- 2023 Wage and Income Transcript(s)
- Three most recent year-to-date Pay Stubs and/or documentation showing the start date of the new job and the hourly rate/salary the person will earn
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- Relevant documentation of the one-time taxable income (401K or IRA Withdrawal, lottery/gambling winnings, cancelled debt, etc.)
- 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript(s) or signed 2023 IRS 1040(s), inlcuding all pages and schedules
- 2023 IRS Wage and Income Transcript(s) or all W2 and 1099 forms for both parties
Documents to Submit for 2025-2026:
- Schedule A of the 1040 (if applicable)
- Receipts of expenses paid out-of-pocket; Do not include unpaid invoices (medical expenses must have been paid to qualify for this appeal)
- Documentation of payment plans, if expenses are on-going (such as long-term care/treatments)
Learn How to Submit an Appeal
You must clearly demonstrate a change in the family’s financial situation occurred either during the tax year used on the FAFSA or later. Our office will use the information provided to determine if your appeal could make an impact to your financial aid award. However, submitting information does not guarantee an increase in aid.
If you have incorrectly reported information on your FAFSA this review could negatively impact your Student Aid Index (SAI) resulting in a loss/reduction of your current financial aid. Please review the information on your FAFSA for accuracy before submitting an appeal.
If the student’s FAFSA is selected for federal verification, that process must be completed before this appeal can be considered.
We will review the information that you submit and request any documentation necessary to support changes to FAFSA data. You (the student) will upload the documents directly to your appeal.
Once we have all the necessary documentation, we will make appropriate adjustments to the data on your FAFSA. You will receive an email from Federal Student Aid (the FAFSA processing center) when we do submit these changes. Please do not make any changes to this data. Doing so will cause major delays in your aid processing.
As soon as we receive the updated FAFSA processing results, we will adjust your financial aid offer. You will receive an email to review and accept your financial aid on your goStockton Portal account.
We have seen an increase in the number of appeals submitted to our office. Staff are working to complete reviews as quickly as possible. Reviews can typically take between 3-5 weeks to complete once all required documentation has been submitted.
When a review has been completed, the student will be notified via email and text message. If the review warrants adjustments to the FAFSA, processing can take several weeks to complete.
Be sure to watch for status updates, check your email and respond quickly to requests for additional information.
When you are ready to submit your appeal, you will be prompted to login to stockton.studentforms.com with your goStockton Portal credentials. If this is your first time logging in to the Student Forms site, you must confirm your personal information and register your account.
*For new students, your goStockton Portal credentials were provided to you with your admissions packet.
Once you are in the system, click on the black “Request” button at the top, right corner of the page. Then, select "Does this involve a financial change?" and the category that applies to you. Click continue to create your appeal. You will see a new tab on your page “Special Circumstance Appeal.” Open that tab to continue your appeal. Fill out the online form and provide the documentation requested. You (and your parent, if you are dependent student) will e-sign the appeal statement before submitting it to us.
Submit an Appeal
*Please read the instructions above. After clicking the button above, you need to initiate the appeal by clicking on the black "Request" button. Just clicking the button above does not start your appeal.
