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You might qualify for this federal funding if the following circumstances apply to you.

A loss or reduction of employment.

If your household earned money in a past year and has since had a reduction in working hours or has lost employment for at least 10 weeks that has resulted in a reduction of wages in a current FAFSA year, you might qualify. Loss of overtime compensation will not be considered.
Ten weeks must have passed prior to submission for either circumstance. Anything submitted before 10 weeks will not be processed.

You must provide:

• Written verification from you or your parents’ former employer(s) indicating start and end dates of employment or reduction of hours, the amount of you or your parent(s) year-to-date gross earnings, severance pay, vacation or retirement payout.
• A written statement from you or your parent’s current or future employer(s) that indicates their expected gross earnings for the calendar year. Calendar year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.
• Copies of you or your parent’s two most recent pay stubs.
• Eligibility forms that indicate dates and amount of unemployment benefits.  
• Signed Federal IRS Tax Return or Tax Return Transcript. Required year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.

Separation, divorce or death.

If you have already completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current academic year and since that time you and your spouse or your parents have become separated or divorced, you might qualify. You also might qualify if a parent or spouse has died.

If you are required to use parent tax information when completing the FAFSA, this applies to your parents. If you are not required to use parent tax information when completing the FAFSA, this applies to you and your spouse.

You must provide copies of all of the following that apply to your circumstance:

• Legal separation papers or divorce decree.
• Death certificate.
• Updated ‘Number of Household Member and Number in College’ verification form.
• Signed Federal IRS Tax Return or Tax Return Transcript. Required year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.
• W-2’s.  Required year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.  

A loss of taxed/untaxed income or benefits.

If you or your parent(s) received unemployment compensation, other taxed or untaxed income or a benefit in a past year, and have completely lost that compensation, income or benefit for at least 10 weeks in a current FAFSA year, you might qualify.

Ten weeks without compensation must have passed prior to your submission. Anything submitted before 10 weeks will not be accepted.

The untaxed income or benefit must be from a public or private agency, a company or from a person due to court order. Do not include loss of veteran benefits. Income and benefits include: Social Security Benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), child support, untaxed retirement or disability benefits, welfare benefits, etc.

You must provide:

• Contracts, agency notices, or legal papers that indicate the date you or your parents taxed/untaxed income or benefit was terminated.
• What amount of income came from that source.
• How that income was used (receipts, invoices, bank statements, etc.).
• Signed Federal IRS Tax Return or Tax Return Transcript. Required year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.

If you or your parent(s) received a one-time income in a past year that will not occur in a current FAFSA year you are applying for (e.g., rollover into a Roth IRA, moving expense allowance, past-year Social Security payments or a divorce settlement) you might qualify. Special circumstance consideration will not be given if this one-time income is a result of an inheritance, job bonus or overtime compensation, gambling winnings, pension, capital gain, insurance settlements or early distributions of retirement accounts.

You must provide:

• Contracts, agency notices, or legal papers that indicate the date you or your parents taxed/untaxed income or benefit was terminated.
• What amount of income came from that source.
• How that income was used.
• Signed Federal IRS Tax Return or Tax Return Transcript. Required year will depend on which FAFSA year you are applying for.