Just to add one more helpful tip - even though you can't submit the FAFSA for your son yet, you can still be preparing. Make sure you both create FSA IDs now (they take 1-3 days to process), calculate your Expected Family Contribution using online calculators, and research scholarship opportunities. Many merit scholarships have deadlines throughout his junior and senior years, so don't wait on those!

my daughter's school said the same thing! i was so confused because we already submitted something a few weeks ago... now im worried we did the wrong one. she's a senior this year tho, graduating in 2024. did we do the right one??

I remember when the SAI was called the EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Does anyone know if they calculate these differently now? My daughter's SAI seems way higher than what we expected based on our income.

Update: We used Claimyr to get through to an FSA agent this morning, and they confirmed we need to submit the missing W-2 form. Apparently, when there's a discrepancy between reported income and tax documents, they hold the SAI calculation. The agent told us to upload the document through the portal and that it should be processed within 3-5 business days. We've also contacted our daughter's top choice schools to let them know about the delay. Thanks everyone for your help!

I just want to share another dimension to this. My wife is from South Korea, and while we file taxes jointly, some of her foreign accounts aren't technically reportable on US taxes due to certain thresholds. HOWEVER, all assets regardless of location or tax reporting status must be included on the FAFSA. We learned this the hard way when our son's university financial aid office verified our FAFSA and requested documentation for all assets. So definitely include everything!

Thank you everyone for your help! I went back and edited my contributor section to include ALL our household assets, including my husband's EU accounts (converted to USD with today's exchange rate). The form is now reprocessing, and my daughter should get her updated SAI score within 3-5 business days according to the confirmation message. This forum saved us from what could have been a major issue later on!

Just a heads up - make sure you check the "Communication Center" section of your FAFSA account weekly. That's where they'll notify you if they need any verification documents. About 30% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification, and if you miss those notifications, your aid could be delayed. The most annoying part of the new FAFSA system is how they hide important information in different places. And congrats on the -$1500 SAI - that typically qualifies for maximum Pell Grant eligibility!

One more thing - now that your FAFSA is processed, you should start checking your actual college portals/accounts at each school. Many schools will post additional financial aid requirements there rather than through the FAFSA system. Some might require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA (mostly private colleges), and others might have institution-specific forms. Financial aid packages typically start coming out in March-April for the 2025-2026 year.

Has your husband checked with the financial aid office at the school he's applying to? Sometimes they can see more information than we can on our accounts. My daughter's SAI wasn't showing online but when she called her school, they could see it in their system already!

UPDATE: Problem solved! I wanted to post our solution in case anyone else runs into this. We called the university financial aid office and they said they could see his SAI in their system. Apparently there's a glitch with some accounts where the SAI is being calculated but not displayed to students on studentaid.gov. The financial aid officer gave us the number and said this has been happening to quite a few people. Thanks everyone for your help!