Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Change in income appeal

If your income has changed since you submitted the FAFSA, let us know. We may be able to re-calculate your eligibility based on your more recent income. A reduction in income could increase the amount of aid you are eligible to receive.

Examples of changes in income:

• You are a dependent student and your parent lost their job.
• Your working hours or wages have been reduced significantly.
• You got separated or divorced.

Note: This appeal is only for a reduction in income. It does not consider increased expenses. If you have unusual expenses, contact us to see if you qualify for an additional expense appeal.

The appeal process

1. Contact us to request a copy of the change in income form.
2. Write an appeal statement explaining what changed, when it changed, and the current financial situation – see below for details.
3. Collect documentation of your circumstances and income – see below for examples.
4. Return the appeal form to documents@pcc.edu. Attach your appeal statement and documentation.
5. Check your @pcc.edu email. We may request additional info from you – respond as soon as possible.
6. Review the results. We will notify you once the review is complete, so check your email often.

Need help? Submit questions to the Financial Aid Inquiry Form.

How to write an appeal statement

To re-evaluate your eligibility, we need a detailed statement and supporting documentation of current income. Include all important dates, dollars, and reasons for how and when your situation changed.

• Be specific: Who had a change? What changed?
• Be linear: First this happened, then this, and finally this.
• Include dates: Tell us specific dates when things changed.
• Connect facts to documents: When you give a fact, tell us what documentation relates to that fact. Example:“I was laid off from my job at company XYZ on January 12. I’ve attached the layoff notice. I started receiving unemployment income on Feb 2 for $200 per week. I’ve attached a screenshot of all of my unemployment payments since the payments began. Unemployment is my only income now.”

What to include for documentation

Depending on your situation, supporting documentation may include: most recent tax return, W-2s, most recent paystub, unemployment benefit statement, layoff notice, divorce decree, or documentation of other untaxed income.

Circumstance	About the situation	Documentation examples
Unemployment or change in employment	You, your spouse, or your parent who earned money in the FAFSA tax year has lost their job or had a reduction in hours or wages.	2 or 3 most recent paystubs Verification of unemployment benefits received or denied Termination or layoff letter from employer Evidence of any other taxed or untaxed income, such as: child support, severance pay, retirement, IRA or pension payments
Separation, divorce, or death of a spouse	You or your parents have separated or divorced after the date you initially submitted your FAFSA.	Divorce decree Proof of separate residences Taxes and W2s/1099s to separate income from joint taxes
Loss of one-time income	You, your spouse, or your parent received a one-time income and cannot reasonably be expected to receive that income in the current year.	A signed copy of the most recent Federal Tax Return Documentation showing how one time income was exhausted
Other	You, your spouse or your parent have an extenuating circumstance that caused a reduction of income not listed in the other options.	Detailed explanation of circumstances Documentation that supports your explanation. Include dates, dollar amounts, and reasons