I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Just submitted my FAFSA for my second year of my master's program and was completely thrown off when I didn't see the usual loan eligibility information on the confirmation screen. Last year it clearly showed the $20,500 amount, so I was worried something had gone wrong with my application or that my eligibility had somehow changed. It's such a relief to read through everyone's experiences here and learn that it's just a system display change rather than an actual change to loan availability. I really wish they had communicated this change better - it would have saved a lot of unnecessary stress! Now I'll just wait for my SAI to process and follow up with my financial aid office. Thanks everyone for sharing your insights and for those who took the time to call FSA directly!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue as a first-year PhD student! Just submitted my FAFSA last week and was really confused when I didn't see the loan eligibility amount displayed like I was expecting based on what other grad students had told me. I was starting to worry that maybe I had made an error on my application or that something had changed with my eligibility status. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that this is just a system display change and not an actual change to loan availability. It's really frustrating that they didn't communicate this change better to students beforehand, especially since so many of us rely on these loans to fund our education. I'll wait for my SAI to process and then check with my school's financial aid office. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who took the time to call FSA directly to get official confirmation!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar situation - my mom was laid off from her job about 6 weeks after we submitted our FAFSA, and our family income has dropped significantly. Reading everyone's experiences here gives me so much more confidence about pursuing an appeal. A couple questions based on what I've read: 1. For those who were successful, how far back did you need to provide documentation? Like, did they want several months of pay stubs from before the job loss to show the contrast, or just the termination letter and current unemployment benefits? 2. @Christian Bierman - you mentioned following up weekly if you don't hear back. Is there a particular person/department I should be contacting for follow-ups, or just the general financial aid office? 3. Has anyone had success getting an appeal processed faster by mentioning enrollment deposit deadlines? My deadline is coming up soon and I'm worried about timing. Thanks again to everyone who's shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice that's impossible to find anywhere else!

I just went through this process last month and wanted to share some specifics that might help! My family's situation was similar - my mom lost her job in January, about 2 months after we submitted our FAFSA. Here's what I learned that might be useful: **Documentation I needed:** - Official termination letter from her employer - Last 3 pay stubs from before the job loss (to show previous income) - Unemployment benefits award letter - Our most recent bank statements - A letter I wrote explaining the timeline and financial impact **Timing:** My school processed it in about 3.5 weeks, but I called every Friday to check status (nicely but persistently). When I mentioned my enrollment deposit deadline, they actually expedited the review. **Results:** They reduced my SAI from 16,200 to 7,800, which qualified me for about $4,000 more in federal grants plus additional institutional aid. **Pro tip:** I submitted everything via their online portal AND dropped off hard copies in person. The person at the desk gave me a receipt with the date/time stamp, which was super helpful for follow-ups. Don't give up! Job loss appeals really do have high success rates. The key is being thorough with documentation and persistent (but polite) with follow-ups. You've got this! 💪

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my divorce was finalized in January but we had filed jointly for the previous tax year. The key thing that saved us time was being proactive about gathering documentation BEFORE submitting the professional judgment request. Here's what I wish I had known upfront: - Get certified copies of your divorce decree (schools often want originals or certified copies, not just photocopies) - Request your individual wage transcripts from the IRS website (irs.gov) - these show your individual earnings separate from the joint return and schools love these because they're official - If you're receiving or paying child support, get documentation of the exact amounts even if it's informal The timing worked out that my daughter got significantly more aid, including work-study she wouldn't have qualified for otherwise. One school processed it in 2 weeks, another took 6 weeks, so definitely submit to all schools simultaneously. Don't get discouraged by the paperwork - it's absolutely worth the effort and most financial aid offices deal with divorce situations regularly, so you're not asking for anything unusual.

I'm going through something very similar right now! My divorce was finalized in February 2024 but we also filed jointly for 2023. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the professional judgment process or that I needed to submit the FAFSA first with the joint info before appealing. @Yuki Kobayashi - I hope your situation gets resolved quickly! From what everyone is saying, it sounds like the key is being super organized with documentation and contacting multiple schools simultaneously. One question for those who've been through this - did any schools ask for proof of who's been paying the student's expenses? I've been covering everything for my son since we separated but wasn't sure if I need to gather receipts or bank statements showing those payments.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this discussion! I'm in almost the exact same situation - my husband is a disabled veteran receiving both VA benefits and SSDI, and I'm completely overwhelmed trying to figure out the FAFSA for my daughter's 2025-2026 school year. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. The checklist that Zane shared is especially helpful - I'm going to print that out and use it as my roadmap. I had no idea about the distinction between VA disability compensation (don't report) versus other VA benefits like retirement pay (do report as untaxed income). One question I have that I haven't seen addressed yet: For families like ours who have been living off tax-free benefits for years, do the asset protection allowances work the same way? I'm worried that our savings might look unusually high compared to our "on paper" income since we haven't been paying taxes on a significant portion of what we receive. Also, has anyone had experience with schools being understanding about our unique financial situations during the aid review process? I'm concerned that financial aid officers might not fully understand how military benefits work and might think we have more available funds than we actually do. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - this community is exactly what military families need when navigating these complex processes!

As a fellow military spouse going through the FAFSA process, I completely understand your stress! I just went through this exact situation last year with my daughter's application. A few key points that helped me navigate our veteran benefits situation: 1. Your husband's tax-free military retirement pay and SSDI both need to be reported in the "Untaxed Income" section - use the total annual amounts from your benefit statements 2. For assets, report your current bank balances as of the day you complete the FAFSA 3. You're correct that SSDI and SSI are different programs - don't report SSDI under SSI 4. Medicare and Medicaid are also different - don't report Medicare under Medicaid 5. Both parents must provide information even if one has no income One thing that really saved me stress was calling my daughter's school directly to speak with their veterans' affairs coordinator before submitting. They walked me through exactly how they wanted our benefits reported and gave me a checklist of documents to prepare for potential verification. The verification process (if selected) really isn't as scary as it sounds - we just had to provide our benefit award letters and bank statements, and it was resolved in about 2 weeks. You're being incredibly thoughtful about getting this right for your daughter, and that care will definitely pay off! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions - military families need to support each other through these complex processes.

Hey Kayla! I can totally relate to this anxiety - I went through the same panic when my FAFSA processed earlier this year. Here's something that might help that I didn't see mentioned yet: when you're reviewing your processed FAFSA, also double-check that all your schools are correctly listed in the "School Selection" section. I discovered I had accidentally left off one of my colleges from the list, which meant they never received my FAFSA data! Also, regarding your SAI concerns - don't forget that many schools use their own institutional methodology in addition to the federal calculation, so even if your federal SAI seems higher than you hoped, you might still be eligible for significant school-based aid. I was surprised by how different my aid packages were between schools, even though they all used the same FAFSA information. One last thing - if you do find any errors when reviewing, make corrections ASAP. While schools can work with corrected information, getting it fixed sooner rather than later just makes the whole process smoother. You've got this! The hard part (completing the FAFSA) is behind you now.

Hey there! I totally understand the anxiety you're feeling - I went through the exact same panic when my FAFSA processed last month. Here's something that really helped me get organized when reviewing my processed application: I created a simple spreadsheet with columns for "FAFSA Field," "What I Submitted," and "Actual Amount" so I could systematically compare each important data point against our real documents. When you access the "View Processed FAFSA" option (which others have already explained how to find), I'd recommend paying extra attention to these specific areas that tend to have the most impact on your SAI: - Parent AGI from tax return (line 11 of Form 1040) - Untaxed income amounts - Assets in parent/student savings and checking accounts - Household size and number of family members in college Also, here's something I wish someone had told me earlier: even if your SAI seems higher than expected, don't lose hope! I thought I was completely out of luck for need-based aid with my number, but several of my schools still offered decent grant packages because they factor in their own cost of attendance and institutional aid policies. One more tip: once you've reviewed everything and confirmed it's accurate, screenshot or save a PDF copy for your records. It'll come in handy if schools ask questions later or if you need to reference specific numbers. You've got this - the hardest part really is behind you now!