I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just submitted my FAFSA last week and realized I included our 401k balances totaling around $85k. My daughter's SAI came back at $28,000 which seemed way too high for our income level. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea home equity was also excluded! Quick question for those who've been through this: when you made the corrections and got your new SAI, did the schools automatically receive the updated information or did you have to specifically request they review the corrected version? I'm worried about missing deadlines while waiting for everything to get sorted out. Also, @Dylan Hughes - definitely follow the advice about emailing the schools. I called three different financial aid offices yesterday and got three completely different answers about how to handle this situation!

This thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm a parent going through the same nightmare right now. We accidentally included about $120k in retirement accounts AND our home equity (house is worth way more than we paid 15 years ago). Our SAI came back at an absolutely insane $41,000 which is more than half our annual income! Reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that we can get this fixed. The fact that @Dylan Hughes might see a $12,000-15,000 reduction is encouraging. I'm going to follow the advice about emailing all the schools immediately while we work on the correction process. One thing I'm wondering - for those who successfully corrected these mistakes, did you see the SAI change reflect immediately in your studentaid.gov account, or did it take several days? My daughter has some scholarship deadlines coming up that are tied to financial need, so timing is really crucial for us. Also, huge thanks to everyone sharing their stories. It's comforting to know we're not alone in making these mistakes, even though the whole system seems designed to trip families up!

Update: It finally populated! Just checked this morning (Thursday) and all the tax info was there. Thanks everyone for the advice and keeping me from panicking. Now I just need to figure out how this contributor invitation works...

Great to see it worked out! For other parents reading this thread, I wanted to add that if you're still having issues with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool after 5-7 business days, you can also check if your tax return status with the IRS. Sometimes if there were any issues with your return processing, it can prevent the data transfer from working. You can check this on the IRS website or by calling their automated line. Also, make sure the names and SSNs on your tax return match exactly what you're entering in the FAFSA - even small differences can cause the tool to fail.

my son did community college to and the PA grant paid ALL his tuiton!!! gud luck with yurs

As someone who just went through this process, I want to emphasize how important it is to not wait! I made the mistake of assuming FAFSA was enough and almost missed the PA grant deadline. The application really is straightforward once you get to it - just basic residency verification and a few questions about your school plans. One thing I learned is that PA gives priority to students who submit both FAFSA and the state grant application by the May 1st deadline, so earlier is definitely better. Also, keep copies of everything you submit - I had to resubmit some documents because their system glitched. With your low EFC/SAI, you're in a great position to get substantial aid. Don't let the confusing system discourage you from getting the money you deserve!

As someone completely new to this community and facing a very similar situation, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences and advice! I'm a sophomore whose family's SAI jumped by over $1,500 this year despite our income staying virtually the same, and my parents just got denied for their Parent PLUS loan due to an old medical collections account. Reading through this thread has been like finding a roadmap when I felt completely lost. I had absolutely no idea that a PLUS denial automatically makes you eligible for additional unsubsidized loans - my financial aid office literally just sent me a letter saying "your parents were denied" with no explanation of what options that opened up. Now I know exactly what to ask them about on Monday! The tip about Claimyr is incredibly helpful since I've been trying to reach FSA for weeks with no success. It's honestly ridiculous that we need a third-party service just to talk to the people managing our financial aid, but I'm willing to try anything at this point. Paolo (Esposito), your success story gives me so much hope! Seeing how you systematically worked through each option - the additional unsubsidized loans, the adverse credit appeal, the special circumstances appeal - shows that persistence really can pay off even when the system feels designed to make us give up. What really frustrates me is how we're all discovering these crucial options through online forums rather than clear guidance from FSA or our schools. But I'm grateful for communities like this where we can help each other navigate what feels like an intentionally confusing system. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge - you're literally helping students stay in school!

As a newcomer to this community who's been following this incredibly helpful thread, I wanted to share my own experience and add some perspective! I'm currently a junior dealing with almost the exact same situation - my family's SAI increased by $900 this year despite our income dropping by about $3,000, and we're now scrambling to figure out how to cover an unexpected gap. What's been most eye-opening to me is discovering how many crucial options exist that aren't clearly communicated by financial aid offices or FSA. I had no idea that PLUS loan denials automatically trigger additional unsubsidized loan eligibility until reading this thread. That information should be front and center in any denial notification, not something students have to discover through online forums! Paolo, your systematic approach to tackling each option gives me a clear roadmap to follow. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service since I've had zero luck getting through FSA's regular phone lines. It's honestly absurd that we need third-party services just to access basic information about our own financial aid, but if it works, it works. The point about being specific with dollar amounts in appeals resonates with me too. I was being way too vague in my initial draft, but now I understand I need to document every expense and gap with exact figures. Thanks to everyone who's shared their knowledge and experiences here. It's communities like this that help students actually navigate the system when official channels fail us. The new FAFSA changes have clearly created chaos for low-income families, but seeing so many people find solutions through persistence gives me hope that I can figure this out too!

Just to add some specific numbers to this discussion: a $390K difference in reported assets could change your SAI by approximately $22,000 using the federal methodology (about 5.64% of the additional assets). That's potentially significant for aid eligibility, especially at schools that closely follow federal formulas. But the impact varies dramatically depending on your income level. If your income is above certain thresholds, many schools will consider you non-need eligible regardless of the asset correction. If your income is moderate, this correction could make a substantial difference in grant eligibility. After making the correction online, I recommend: 1. Save/print confirmation of the correction 2. Email each school's financial aid office with your daughter's name, ID number, and a brief explanation 3. Follow up by phone in 7-10 days if you don't see updated aid packages 4. If a school seems reluctant to adjust, request a professional judgment review based on the corrected information Most importantly, don't assume the correction will automatically flow through the system perfectly - be proactive with each school.

I work as a financial aid advisor and see this mistake frequently - you're definitely not alone! The good news is that retirement account errors are among the easier corrections to make and schools are very familiar with handling them. A few practical tips from my experience: 1. When you make the online correction, take screenshots of each step and save the confirmation page 2. Create a simple one-page summary showing "Original FAFSA: $490K investments" and "Corrected FAFSA: $100K investments (retirement accounts excluded: $390K)" 3. Include this summary when you contact schools - it makes it crystal clear what changed For contacting schools, I'd recommend calling first to speak with a counselor, then follow up with email containing your documentation. Many offices are swamped right now, so being persistent (but polite) is key. Also worth noting: some schools have their own institutional aid forms or may use CSS Profile data, so make sure any retirement account errors are corrected across all forms your daughter's schools require. You caught this mistake, which puts you ahead of many families who never realize the error. With proactive follow-up, this should be completely fixable before decision deadlines!