I'm in a similar situation with my SAI being higher than expected! One thing that helped me was creating a comprehensive list of all our family's financial obligations that might not be obvious from the FAFSA - things like caring for elderly grandparents, medical expenses, or other dependents. Even if these don't directly change your SAI, having this information ready can be really helpful when you meet with your school's financial aid office for a professional judgment review. Also, definitely double-check that retirement accounts weren't mistakenly reported as assets - that's a super common error that can inflate your SAI significantly. Don't give up hope yet - there are still options to explore!

Hey Dylan, I totally get how stressful this is! An SAI of 43,762 is definitely on the higher side, but don't lose hope. Since your sister is in college too, that should have helped lower your SAI somewhat already. A few things to consider: First, definitely double-check your FAFSA for errors - retirement accounts are a common mistake that can inflate your SAI. Second, even with limited need-based aid, you'll still qualify for unsubsidized federal loans and potentially Parent PLUS loans. Third, and this is important - many schools have institutional aid that doesn't follow federal formulas. Schedule a meeting with your financial aid office ASAP to discuss your family's actual financial situation. They might have discretion to offer additional help or put you on a payment plan. Also look into merit scholarships at your school based on your academics. The SAI is just one piece of the puzzle - don't give up!

Pro tip from someone who went through this nightmare last month - if you're on mobile, the "View Student Aid Index Report" link is practically invisible! I had to zoom in like 200% to even see it. The desktop version is much easier to navigate. Also, if your FAFSA shows as "processed" but you still can't find the SAI link, try logging out and back in - sometimes there's a delay between processing completion and the link becoming available. Took about 24 hours in my case.

I had a similar issue and found that sometimes the SAI report link doesn't appear immediately even after the FAFSA shows "processed." Try refreshing the page or checking back in a few hours. Also, make sure you're looking at the correct tax year - I was accidentally checking my 2024-25 FAFSA instead of 2025-26! The SAI number should be clearly labeled at the top of the PDF once you download it. If all else fails, your school's financial aid office can usually pull up your SAI on their end while you're troubleshooting the website issues.

UPDATE: Correction has been submitted! Listed myself, my mom, and my sister (3 total). Thanks everyone for the help and quick responses. I'll update again once I see if the correction went through properly.

Good catch on fixing this so quickly! Just wanted to add that you should keep an eye on your SAR (Student Aid Report) once the correction processes - it will show your updated family size and new SAI calculation. Also, don't worry too much about the timing - most schools are still processing FAFSAs from the new cycle, so your correction shouldn't cause major delays if you stay on top of it. The key thing is you caught it early and took action right away!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My ex and I divorced 2 years ago and I just discovered he somehow used my email when he set up his FSA ID back in 2019. I had no idea until I tried to help my son with his FAFSA this year. One thing I learned from FSA customer service (after finally getting through) is that you should also check if your ex has your SSN linked to his account somehow. Apparently some people accidentally enter their spouse's info when creating accounts and it can cause even more complications down the line. They had to verify I wasn't him by asking detailed questions about my employment history and previous addresses. Also, make sure your daughter knows this might delay her application a bit - but colleges are usually understanding about technical issues with FAFSA, especially divorce-related ones. Most have seen this before and will work with you on deadlines if you can show you're actively trying to resolve it.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Been divorced for 2 years and just found out my ex somehow has my email tied to his FSA ID. The most frustrating part is that I can't even remember him ever using my email for anything financial, but here we are. What's been working for me so far: I called FSA at exactly 8:00 AM ET on Monday and actually got through after about 20 minutes on hold (miracle!). The agent was super helpful once I explained it was a divorce situation. They walked me through something called an "account separation request" and said it should take 3-5 business days to process. Pro tip: Have your divorce decree ready when you call. They asked for the case number and date to help verify that you should have separate accounts. Also make sure you know what year your ex might have created his account - they asked me about that too. Hang in there - I know it's stressful with college deadlines looming, but from what I've been told, this is way more common than we think and the FSA agents are pretty experienced with fixing it once you get someone on the phone.

After you've contacted the school, I'd recommend following up with FSA directly with these exact steps: 1. Call early in the morning (7:30-8:00 AM Eastern) when wait times are shortest 2. Request a "Processing Status Update" specifically (use those words) 3. Ask for a "Processing Case Number" which you can reference in follow-up calls 4. Request that they add a "Priority Processing Flag" due to approaching aid deadlines 5. Get the representative's ID number Follow up every 7 days until you see movement. Document each call. This systematic approach often yields faster results than just generally asking about status.

I'm dealing with a similar paper FAFSA nightmare! My son submitted his paper form in late May after we couldn't get his FSA ID issues resolved either. It's now been 9 weeks and still nothing in the system. I called yesterday and the rep told me paper forms are being processed by a skeleton crew due to budget constraints, which is why they're so delayed. She suggested I consider having him try creating a new FSA ID with a completely different email (maybe a parent's email) to submit electronically while the paper one is still pending. Apparently this won't cause rejection issues as long as you explain the situation when the duplicate is flagged. I'm going to try the Claimyr service someone mentioned above to get better phone support. This whole process is absolutely infuriating when our kids' futures are on the line!