The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by college students in the United States to apply for financial aid. The FAFSA asks for information about the student’s income, assets, and other financial information. This information is used to determine the student’s eligibility for financial aid.
The tax year used for the FAFSA is the calendar year that precedes the academic year for which the student is applying for aid. For example, the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year uses the tax year 2023. This is because the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year opens on October 1, 2023, and the tax year 2023 is the most recent tax year for which the student will have filed taxes.