Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I submitted the correction this morning and included myself, my parents, and my younger sister who they support. Hoping this brings my SAI down to qualify for more aid. I'll update once it recalculates in case anyone else runs into this same issue.

Just wanted to add that you can also check if your correction went through by looking at your Student Aid Report (SAR) - it should show the updated family size information once processed. Also, make sure when you're counting family size that you don't accidentally include grandparents or other relatives who might live with you but don't receive more than half their support from your parents. I made that mistake initially and had to submit another correction. The whole process is confusing but once you get it right, your SAI calculation will be much more accurate!

UPDATE: We finally got this resolved! For anyone facing the same issue, here's what worked for us: 1. We used Claimyr to actually reach a human at Federal Student Aid (after 3 weeks of failed attempts) 2. The agent confirmed there was a "household verification mismatch" between our tax data and FAFSA entries 3. We had to submit a special form through our son's FAFSA portal (it was hidden under Special Circumstances → Family Structure) 4. We also sent documentation to each college (tax returns, marriage certificate showing step-parent relationship) 5. His SAI was calculated 4 days later! The most frustrating part is that there was no way to see or fix this issue on our own - the edit option simply didn't exist where it should have been. Thank you to everyone who helped us figure this out!

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my daughter's FAFSA - we keep getting the "unable to calculate SAI" message and her college's financial aid office mentioned something about a family size issue. I had no idea about the Special Circumstances section or that the system was automatically comparing IRS data to what we entered manually. For those who successfully resolved this - how long did it typically take once you submitted the special form or got the college to override it? My daughter's aid package deadline is coming up fast and I'm getting nervous about the timing. Also, did anyone have issues with multiple colleges requiring separate documentation, or was it something that got fixed system-wide once resolved? Thanks so much for sharing your experiences - this is way more useful than anything I've gotten from the official FAFSA help resources!

Hey Anastasia! I just went through this exact same situation last year at my community college. One thing that really helped me was asking the financial aid office for their specific disbursement calendar - most schools have set dates they follow each semester. Also, if you're worried about covering books and supplies before your loan hits, check if your school has a bookstore voucher program. My school lets you charge up to $500 worth of books/supplies to your student account before disbursement, then they deduct it from your loan refund when it comes through. Might be worth asking about! The waiting game is definitely stressful but it does get easier once you know your school's timeline.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who works in a community college financial aid office! A few things that might help with your specific situation: First, federal regulations actually require schools to disburse no earlier than 10 days before the term starts and no later than the end of the first week of classes, but most community colleges err on the side of caution and wait until after the add/drop period to ensure enrollment is stable. Second, if you're really struggling to reach your financial aid office by phone, try visiting in person early in the morning - we're usually less swamped before 9am. Also, many schools now have financial aid chat features on their websites that can give you quick answers about disbursement dates without the phone wait. One last tip - if you haven't already, make sure to accept your loans in your student portal AND complete entrance counseling plus the Master Promissory Note on studentaid.gov. Missing any of these steps will delay your disbursement even if everything else is ready to go!

UPDATE: Success! I used the Claimyr service that @profile4 suggested to get through to an agent. Turns out my account had both a security lock AND an email verification issue. The agent fixed both problems on their end in about 5 minutes. I was able to log in immediately after and complete the Parent PLUS loan application for my son. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar Parent PLUS loan access issue right now and was getting so frustrated. Reading through all the suggestions here gives me hope that there's actually a solution. The duplicate FSA ID issue that @profile1 mentioned in the update is really interesting - I wonder if that's what's happening with my account too since I also helped my older child with FAFSA a few years ago. Going to try the agent route first before creating a new account. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Final thought: Since the 2024-2025 FAFSA has had so many technical issues, be sure to keep documentation of EVERYTHING. Save screenshots of your corrected FAFSA showing family size 4, save all emails from FSA and the financial aid office, and take notes during phone calls (date, time, who you spoke with). If you need to escalate this beyond the financial aid office, having that paper trail will be crucial. And yes, the difference between family size 3 and 4 can absolutely affect Pell Grant eligibility by thousands of dollars, so this is worth pursuing until it's resolved correctly.

I'm a current college student who went through something similar with my FAFSA last year. One thing that really helped me was creating a timeline of all the steps I took and keeping track of reference numbers from each interaction. When I finally got through to someone who could help, having all those details made the process much smoother. Also, don't give up! The financial aid office at my school initially told me they couldn't do anything, but when I persisted and asked to speak with a supervisor, they were able to resolve it within a few days. The key is being polite but firm about getting the correct calculation. That $3,000 difference is definitely worth fighting for - it made the difference between me taking out loans or not. Good luck with your call tomorrow! I hope they can get this sorted out quickly for your daughter.