Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a transfer student who just submitted my FAFSA last week and I'm pretty sure I made the same mistake with my dad's income information. Seeing how many people have dealt with this exact issue makes me feel so much better about having to make corrections. The step-by-step guidance from everyone (especially the financial aid advisor!) is exactly what I needed. I'm going to log into studentaid.gov tonight and get this fixed before my transfer deadline next month. It's amazing how something that seemed like such a catastrophe this morning now feels totally manageable thanks to this community sharing their experiences!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a lifesaver! I haven't submitted mine yet but now I'm paranoid about making the same income year mistake. Can someone clarify - for the 2025-26 FAFSA, we're supposed to use 2024 tax information, right? I keep second-guessing myself after seeing how common it is to mix up the years. Also, is there anything else that's commonly messed up that I should double-check before submitting? I'd rather catch any potential errors now than have to go through the correction process later!

I just wanted to add something that helped me last year when I was in this exact situation! After reading through everyone's amazing advice, I realized there's one more thing that could be really helpful. If you're taking 12 credits in summer and planning to continue full-time in fall, make sure to ask your financial aid office about "enrollment certification" for summer. Some schools require you to verify that you'll be returning in fall before they'll approve certain types of summer aid, especially institutional grants. Also, don't forget to check if any of your 12 summer credits can count toward both your degree requirements AND satisfy any outstanding general education requirements. Sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone, which might open up additional funding categories. One last tip - if you do end up needing to take any loans for summer, ask about the grace period implications. Taking loans in summer can sometimes affect when your grace period starts after graduation, which could impact your post-graduation financial planning. Scarlett, you've got such a solid plan now thanks to everyone's advice! Definitely update us on how your call goes - I'm rooting for you to get that Year-Round Pell and summer-specific grants that others have mentioned. The financial aid system is confusing but this community proves there are always more options than initially apparent. Good luck tomorrow! 🤞

Hey Scarlett! I'm a financial aid counselor and wanted to jump in with some quick actionable steps for your call tomorrow, since timing really is critical at this point in March. **Prepare these specific questions:** 1. "Do I have any remaining annual loan eligibility for summer 2025?" 2. "Am I eligible for Year-Round Pell, and if so, how much?" 3. "What summer-specific scholarships or institutional grants does the school offer?" 4. "Is there a summer aid waitlist I can join if initial funding is exhausted?" **Documents to have ready:** - Your Student Aid Report (SAR) from your current FAFSA - Degree audit showing required courses - Summer course schedule with credit hours **If they say no funding is available, ask:** - "Is there an appeals process for summer aid?" - "Do you have emergency funding for students needing summer classes to graduate on time?" - "Can I speak with a summer aid specialist or supervisor?" The key phrase to use: "I need these courses to maintain satisfactory academic progress and graduate on time." Schools often have discretionary funds for this specific situation. Even calling in late March, I've seen students get substantial aid through persistence and knowing what to ask for. Don't accept the first "no" - there are usually multiple funding buckets to check. You've got this! The fact that you're taking 12 credits (full-time) actually works in your favor for aid calculations.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share that I went through something very similar last year! I submitted my FAFSA in February but had to make a correction in late April because I discovered my parents had miscalculated their business income. I was terrified that the late correction would mess up my aid at all my schools. But literally every single financial aid office I called told me the same thing - your original submission date is locked in and corrections don't change your priority status. The correction actually ended up helping me because it lowered our income, and I got more aid as a result. So you're in a great situation - you met your deadline AND your correction should improve your aid package! Don't stress about it anymore, you handled everything perfectly. 😊

Welcome to the community! I just wanted to add my voice to everyone else here - you're absolutely in the clear! I'm a college sophomore who went through this exact same panic last year. I submitted my FAFSA in early March but had to make a correction in late April because I found out my mom had entered the wrong tax filing status. I was convinced I'd ruined everything, but my school's financial aid office reassured me that corrections are completely separate from submission dates. Your March 15 date is locked in stone for priority purposes! Plus, like others have mentioned, your $18k asset reduction is actually going to work in your favor. I know the whole FAFSA process is super stressful, but you handled this perfectly by catching and fixing the error. Take a deep breath - you've got this! 😊

Hey Jamal! I'm also a first-gen college student from NY and went through this exact same confusion last year. Everyone's given you great advice about TAP - just wanted to add that when you do apply on the HESC website, make sure you have your Social Security number, driver's license number, and your parents' tax info handy. The application saves your progress, so you don't have to complete it all at once if you need to gather documents. One thing that caught me off guard - TAP has academic requirements too, not just financial ones. You need to maintain a certain GPA and complete a minimum number of credits each semester to keep getting the award. The requirements get stricter as you progress through college (they expect higher GPAs in your junior and senior years). Also, since you mentioned you're the first in your family to go to college, definitely look into your school's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) if you're going to a SUNY school, or SEEK if you're going to CUNY. These programs provide additional financial aid, academic support, and counseling specifically for first-gen and low-income students. They often have their own application deadlines, so don't wait too long to explore these options! You're doing all the right things by asking questions and being proactive. The financial aid process is overwhelming for everyone - you're not behind, you're just learning!

Hey Jamal! Just wanted to jump in as another NY student who's been through this process. Everyone's given you amazing advice - TAP really is a lifesaver for NY students. I got about $4,200 last year which made a huge difference. One small thing I'll add that I don't think anyone mentioned - when you're on the HESC website applying for TAP, double-check that all your school codes are correct if you're applying to multiple NY schools. I accidentally put in the wrong code for one of my schools and it delayed my award letter by like 3 weeks. The financial aid office had to help me fix it. Also, once you submit your TAP application, you should get a confirmation email pretty quickly. If you don't see it within 24 hours, definitely call or check your spam folder. The system can be glitchy sometimes. You're going to do great! The fact that you're being this proactive about financial aid as a first-gen student shows you've got this handled. Don't hesitate to reach out to this community if you run into any other questions - we've all been there and are happy to help!

Hi! I'm brand new to this community but wanted to chime in because I just went through this exact nightmare scenario three weeks ago! I made the same mistake with my dad's 403(b) retirement account - reported it as a regular investment and our SAI was absolutely bonkers (like $30K+ higher than it should have been). Here's what I learned that might help ease your stress: 1. The correction process is actually WAY easier than the original FAFSA application. The interface is cleaner and it guides you step-by-step through exactly what you're changing. 2. Processing time was super fast - mine updated in just 4 days, which was actually faster than my original submission took! 3. My SAI dropped by over $24,000 after fixing the retirement account error. I went from getting basically no aid to qualifying for substantial grants I never thought I'd see. 4. When you're in there making the correction, definitely take advantage of being able to review everything else. I caught a small error in our household size that would have cost me even more aid. 5. The financial aid office at my school was incredibly understanding when I called to explain. They said they see retirement account mistakes constantly and that it's totally normal. One thing that really helped my peace of mind - after submitting the correction, you can log back in and actually watch the processing status update in real-time on your dashboard. It's oddly satisfying to see it move through the system! With two weeks until your deadline, you're in perfect shape timing-wise. Don't let anxiety keep you from fixing this tonight - you're literally going to save yourself thousands of dollars in aid eligibility. You've absolutely got this! 🎯

Hi! I'm new to this community but wanted to add my experience since I just went through this exact situation last month. I made the same retirement account mistake with my mom's 401k and was absolutely panicking about the deadline! Here's what really helped me get through it: 1. The correction process is honestly much more straightforward than the original FAFSA - the system clearly highlights what you're changing and walks you through each step. 2. My correction processed in 5 days and my SAI dropped by $19,000! I went from thinking I wouldn't qualify for any need-based aid to actually getting a substantial Pell Grant. 3. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - when you email your school's financial aid office after submitting the correction, mention the specific type of mistake (retirement account misreporting) and roughly how much you expect your SAI to drop. This helps them understand the significance of the correction. 4. Keep checking your email for the processing confirmation - mine came through faster than expected and I was able to call my school right away to let them know it was ready. With 2 weeks until your priority deadline, you're in excellent shape timing-wise. This mistake is incredibly common (my high school counselor said she sees it multiple times every year), and the financial aid offices are totally used to handling these corrections. You're going to be so relieved once you see that corrected SAI! Don't let the stress delay you any longer - log in tonight and get this fixed. You've got this! 💪