Why doesn't your brother just take a gap year and work full time? Save up some money. Maybe your dad will change his mind by next year. Thats what my son did when I couldn't afford to help him

I'm a financial aid advisor and want to add one more option that hasn't been mentioned yet - your brother should look into becoming a ward of the court or having documented homelessness. I know this sounds extreme, but if your parents are truly refusing all financial support AND he's not living with them consistently, there might be grounds for a dependency override based on "lack of parental support and contact." Also, some states have their own grant programs that have different dependency requirements than federal aid. What state are you in? Programs like Cal Grant in California or TAP in New York sometimes have more flexible rules. Another strategy: if he can establish residency in a state with generous need-based aid and lower dependency requirements, that could help. But this usually requires living there for 1-2 years first. The gap year suggestion from @Jamal Edwards is actually really smart - he could work, save money, AND potentially establish more independence that strengthens his case for aid the following year.

waitng for finaid is the WORST!!! i had an sai of like +3000 and still got some aid so you'll def get something with -1500. good luck!!

Hey Millie! I'm in a very similar situation - single mom with kids and just got back my SAI last week too. Mine was -1800 and I was just as confused about what it meant! Reading through all these responses is really helpful. One thing I learned from my financial aid counselor is that you should also look into your state's grant programs. Some states have really generous need-based grants that stack on top of federal aid. Also, don't forget about things like childcare grants if your school offers them - that was a game changer for me when I went back to school a few years ago. You're doing great by planning ahead and asking these questions early! The whole process is overwhelming but it sounds like you're going to get some good aid with that negative SAI. Fingers crossed for both of us! 🤞

One additional important point - if your son successfully removes you and adds you back as a contributor, make absolutely certain that all the personal information matches EXACTLY between your FSA ID and how you're listed on the FAFSA: - Full legal name (including middle initial if present on FSA ID) - Date of birth - Social Security Number - Email address Even small discrepancies (like having a hyphen in one system but not the other) can cause these invitation glitches. The 2025-2026 FAFSA is particularly sensitive to these matching issues.

Hey Christian! I just went through this exact same nightmare a few weeks ago. The "Pending Invitation" status is basically the FAFSA system's way of saying it can't connect you as a contributor to your son's application - even though you already completed everything. It's incredibly frustrating! In my case, it turned out to be a mismatch between my FSA ID email and the email my daughter entered for me on her FAFSA. Try having your son double-check that the email address he used when adding you as a contributor matches EXACTLY with your FSA ID email. Also, the hyphenated name issue you mentioned is definitely a known problem - I'd bet money that's what's causing your glitch. The good news is once you get it sorted, the processing usually goes pretty quickly. Hang in there!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I logged into studentaid.gov and found where I could see the tax info they pulled. It all looks accurate for 2022, but definitely doesn't reflect my current situation. I'm going to start preparing my special circumstances documentation now so I'm ready when I hear back from schools. Really appreciate all the insights - feeling much less stressed now that I understand what happened!

This happened to me too and I was so confused at first! The automatic tax data import really caught me off guard. Just wanted to add that when you do your special circumstances appeals, make sure to include a letter explaining the timeline of your job change and how it impacts your ability to pay. I did this last year when my dad got laid off, and most schools were really understanding about it. Also, some schools have online portals for submitting these appeals which is way easier than mailing everything. Good luck with your applications - an SAI of 4800 should definitely help you get some decent aid packages!

Just wanted to follow up - have you made any progress with your financial aid package? Did any of the suggestions here help?

So glad to hear you got it sorted out! A missing middle initial causing months of delays is exactly the kind of bureaucratic nightmare that makes this process so frustrating. It's crazy how something so small can hold up thousands of dollars in aid. Your story gives me hope that there's probably some tiny detail causing my own delays too. Definitely going to try that direct contact approach and the Claimyr service - thanks for sharing what worked!