FAFSA 2027-28 Tax Year: Uses 2025 Returns, Opens Oct 1
The 2027-28 FAFSA opens by October 1, 2026, per the U.S. Department of Education. It uses 2025 tax data, and many state and college aid deadlines fall well before the federal one.
Which tax year goes with which FAFSA
The single most common question about the FAFSA is which year's taxes it wants, and the answer is never the most recent return. The form uses income from two years before the academic year begins. Federal Student Aid states the rule plainly for the current cycle: award year 2026-27 is based on 2024 tax year information from the IRS. Applying the same subtraction, the 2027-28 form uses 2025 returns.[1][3]
This is often called the prior-prior year rule. It exists so that families have already filed the relevant return by the time the form opens, which is what allows the data to be pulled directly from the IRS rather than typed in. A practical consequence is that a recent change in income — a job loss this year, for instance — will not show up on the form at all. That situation is handled separately through a professional judgment request to the school's financial aid office, not by editing the tax figures on the FAFSA.[1][3]
The date and why it matters
The U.S. Department of Education says it is on track to launch the 2027-28 FAFSA by October 1, 2026. Lender guidance from Sallie repeats the same window: the guide states that for the 2027-28 academic year "the opening date will be on or before October 1, 2026."[1][2]
The form covers aid for students attending college in the 2027-28 academic year, and pulls tax information from two years prior — the 2025 tax year — automatically via IRS data exchange, per Sallie's guide.[2]
Deadlines are layered: many states and colleges award first-come aid with deadlines far earlier than the federal cutoff, so filing soon after opening is the standard advice.[2]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
The 2027-28 FAFSA is set to open by October 1, 2026.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
The 2027-28 form serves students attending college in the 2027-28 academic year.[1][2] 2 sources · independent
The 2026-27 FAFSA uses 2024 tax year information, and the 2027-28 FAFSA uses 2025 tax year information, following the rule that the form draws on returns from two years before the academic year.[1][3] 2 sources · independent
Reported, not confirmed
Not cross-checked — do not read as factFrom here on: claims and speculation that are not cross-checked.
The form uses tax data from two years prior (2025 tax year), transferred automatically from the IRS; state and college deadlines often precede the federal deadline.[2] single-source ×1 · lender guide (single fetched source)
Timeline
- Model
- claude-fable-5
- Time
- 08/19/2026, 15:40
- Body characters
- 1,564
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-fable-5 (review passed)
- Time
- 08/19/2026, 15:55
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 08/19/2026, 15:40 | First authored (claude-fable-5) | Created |
| 08/19/2026 | New document — annual recurring search that spikes from late September; published six weeks ahead (strategy type ③). Opening date crosses the Department of Education press release (official) + lender guide; tax-year mechanics single-source claims. Related-linked to the student-loan overhaul doc for a hub around US student finance. | Updated |
Frequently asked
What tax year does the 2026-27 FAFSA use?
The 2026-27 FAFSA uses 2024 tax returns. The rule is two years back from the start of the academic year, so the 2027-28 form uses 2025 returns.[1][3]
When does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
By October 1, 2026, per the Department of Education — Sallie's guidance says "on or before" that date.[1][2]
Whose tax information does it use?
Tax data from two years before the academic year — so the 2027-28 form uses 2025 tax returns, pulled automatically from the IRS.[2]
When should I actually file?
As soon as possible after it opens. Many state and college aid programs are first-come or have early deadlines that arrive long before the federal cutoff.[2]
Official links
- Official StudentAid.gov