Can I fix a mistake in parent info after FAFSA submission?

u can make correction after u submit. log into studentaid.gov and click on ur FAFSA application, then theres a 'make correction' button somewhere on the page. u can change whatever u need 2 and resubmit

Yes, you can absolutely make corrections! I work in a financial aid office and we see this all the time. Here's what you need to do: 1. Log into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID 2. Go to the FAFSA application section 3. Click on "Make FAFSA Corrections" 4. Navigate to the parent financial information section 5. Update the investment account information correctly 6. Submit the corrections Your corrected FAFSA will be reprocessed, which usually takes 3-5 business days. This WILL generate a new SAI score. The good news is that for most schools, they'll use the most recently processed version for awarding aid. Since you're still 2 weeks from the priority deadline, you should be fine as long as you make the corrections ASAP.

This SAME THING happened to me!!! I put my stepdad's 401k as a regular investment and our SAI was insanely high. When we fixed it our SAI dropped by like $14,000! Definitely make the correction - it's super easy and it processed faster than my original application did.

I need to add one important detail to the excellent advice you've already received. When you make corrections to your FAFSA, you'll need to use the Data Retrieval Tool again (if you used it initially) OR manually update all the tax information. The correction process doesn't just let you change one field - you'll need to go through several steps of verification again. Also, while corrections typically process in 3-5 business days, I've been seeing some delays this year with the new FAFSA system. If you're cutting it close to your school's priority deadline, you might want to try calling FSA directly to see if they can expedite the correction. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an FSA agent quickly instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. I used it when I needed to fix a similar issue with my daughter's FAFSA and was able to talk to someone who walked me through the correction process.

BE CAREFUL!!!! I made a correction to my FAFSA last year and it COMPLETELY reset my place in line for state grants!!! I ended up missing out on $3000 in state aid because my "submission date" changed to the date of the correction instead of my original filing date. Check with your specific state aid programs before making corrections if your state has first-come-first-served grants!!!

Honestly the whole FAFSA system is so glitchy this year with the new formula and all the rollout problems. My daughter's application has been "processing" for over 3 weeks now and when I called they said it was due to "verification" even though we didn't get any notification about being selected for verification. The whole system is a mess! 😡 I don't mean to scare you but be prepared for delays regardless of what you do. And document EVERYTHING - take screenshots of confirmation pages, save emails, etc. The financial aid offices are overwhelmed this year.

One more tip that might help - after you submit the correction, call your school's financial aid office directly. Explain the situation and ask if they can pull your updated FAFSA information once it processes. Sometimes they can expedite your file review if they know you're waiting on a correction, especially if you're close to a deadline. Most financial aid offices want to help students get the maximum aid they qualify for!

Just wanted to add that when you make the correction, double-check ALL the parent financial information while you're in there - not just the retirement account issue. I've seen students fix one mistake only to discover another error later that required a second correction. Since you'll already be going through the verification process again, it's worth taking an extra 10 minutes to review everything: income, assets, household size, number in college, etc. Better to catch everything now than have to do multiple corrections! Also, if your SAI drops significantly (which it sounds like it will), some schools will automatically re-review your aid package, but others might need a nudge. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself once the correction processes!

I went through this exact same situation last year! Made a similar mistake with parent asset reporting and was panicking about the deadline. Here's what worked for me: 1. Make the correction TONIGHT - don't wait. The sooner you submit it, the sooner it processes. 2. After you submit the correction, immediately email your school's financial aid office with your student ID and explain that you submitted a correction due to a parent asset reporting error. Ask them to watch for the updated FAFSA and confirm they'll use the corrected version for your aid package. 3. Keep checking your FSA account every day for the updated SAI - mine processed in 4 days but I've heard it can vary. 4. If you don't see movement after a week, definitely call FSA directly. The correction process has been more reliable than the initial submissions this year from what I've seen. My SAI dropped by over $10,000 after fixing a retirement account mistake, and I ended up qualifying for a Pell Grant I originally wasn't eligible for. The financial aid office was totally understanding - they said parent asset mistakes are super common, especially with retirement vs. investment accounts. You've got this! 💪

I'm a newcomer here but wanted to share what just happened with my friend's FAFSA correction since it might help! She made a similar parent asset mistake (put her dad's 403b as regular investments) and was stressed about the same thing. She submitted the correction through studentaid.gov last month and it processed in exactly 5 days. Her SAI dropped by like $8,000! The key thing she did was screenshot everything - the original SAI, the correction confirmation page, and the new SAI when it updated. When she called her school's financial aid office, having those screenshots made the conversation so much smoother because she could reference the exact numbers and dates. One thing nobody mentioned yet - after your correction processes, log back into your studentaid.gov account and download/save a copy of your updated SAR (Student Aid Report). Some schools ask for this documentation when there's been a significant SAI change, so having it ready can speed up your aid package review. You're going to be fine! Two weeks is plenty of time for this to process, and from everything I've read here, the financial aid offices are totally used to these kinds of parent asset mistakes. Good luck! 🍀

Hey! I'm new to this community but just wanted to chime in because I literally went through this EXACT same situation two months ago. I mistakenly reported my mom's TSP (federal employee retirement account) as a regular investment account and our SAI was absolutely ridiculous - like $25,000 higher than it should have been! Here's what I learned from the experience: 1. Yes, you can definitely fix this! The correction process is pretty straightforward through studentaid.gov 2. Make sure you have your parent's tax documents handy when you do the correction - you might need to re-verify some info 3. The processing time was actually faster for my correction than my original FAFSA (3 days vs. 2 weeks) 4. My school automatically updated my aid package once the new SAI came through, but I still called them to make sure they saw it The biggest relief was that retirement accounts are specifically excluded from FAFSA asset calculations, so fixing this mistake made a HUGE difference. My corrected SAI was literally $20,000+ lower and I went from getting zero need-based aid to qualifying for grants I never thought I'd see. Don't stress too much - you caught this early enough and these mistakes are super common! The financial aid folks have seen it all before. You've got plenty of time before your deadline. 👍

Hi! I'm new to this community but wanted to share some additional encouragement since I see you're really stressed about this. I work as a college counselor and I can tell you that parent asset reporting errors are probably the #1 most common FAFSA mistake I see every year, especially with retirement accounts vs. regular investments. The good news is that the correction system was actually designed with these kinds of mistakes in mind! A few extra tips from what I've observed with my students: - When you log in to make the correction, the system will walk you through each section step by step, so you won't accidentally miss updating related fields - If you used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool originally, you can still use it again during the correction process - it actually makes things smoother - Most schools have a "FAFSA correction received" flag in their system, so your file won't get overlooked while they're processing aid packages I've had students with similar retirement account mistakes see their SAI drop by $15K-$30K after corrections. With 2 weeks until your priority deadline, you're in great shape timing-wise. The financial aid office will definitely work with you - they want to make sure you get all the aid you qualify for! You're going to get through this and probably end up with a much better aid package than you originally thought possible. Take a deep breath - you've got this! 😊

Hey there! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in since I just went through something really similar with my FAFSA. I accidentally categorized my dad's pension account as a taxable investment and it completely messed up our EFC (now SAI). Just wanted to add that when you make the correction, you might also want to double-check if you reported any other retirement accounts correctly - like 401k, 403b, IRA, TSP, etc. These should NOT be included in the parent assets section at all. I found out I had made the same mistake with multiple accounts when I went back to review everything! Also, once you submit the correction, you'll get an email confirmation pretty quickly (usually within a few hours), and then another email when it's actually processed with your new SAI. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking but everyone here is right that it's a super common mistake and totally fixable. One last thing - if your school uses CSS Profile too, make sure the retirement account info is consistent there as well. Some schools cross-reference between FAFSA and CSS, so you want everything to match up. You're definitely going to be okay with 2 weeks left before the deadline! Good luck with the correction! 🤞

Hi! I'm new to this community but wanted to add my voice to all the great advice you've already received. I went through almost the identical situation last year - accidentally reported my mom's 457(b) plan as a regular investment account and nearly had a heart attack when I saw our SAI! Just wanted to emphasize a few things that really helped me: 1. The correction process is honestly more user-friendly than the original FAFSA. The system guides you through each section clearly and highlights what you're changing. 2. When you're in there making the correction, take a screenshot of your original SAI before you submit the changes. It's weirdly satisfying to see the before/after numbers, and some schools like having that documentation. 3. After you submit, you can track the processing status right in your studentaid.gov dashboard - there's a little status indicator that updates as it moves through the system. 4. My correction processed in 4 days and my SAI dropped by over $18,000! I went from getting basically no aid to qualifying for significant grants. The most important thing is to not let anxiety paralyze you - just get in there tonight and make the correction. Two weeks is plenty of time, and honestly, the financial aid officers have probably seen this exact mistake dozens of times already this season. You're going to be fine and likely much better off financially once this gets sorted out! 💪

Hi! I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since it sounds exactly like what you're going through. I made the same retirement account mistake on my FAFSA about a month ago - accidentally reported my mom's 401k as a regular investment and our SAI was absolutely insane! Here's what I learned from going through the correction process: 1. The correction system on studentaid.gov is actually pretty intuitive. When you click "Make FAFSA Corrections," it walks you through each section and clearly shows what you're updating. 2. I processed my correction in 6 days, and my SAI dropped by almost $22,000! It was such a relief to see that number come down to something realistic. 3. One thing I wish someone had told me - when you're making the correction, definitely review ALL the parent financial information while you're in there. I caught two other smaller mistakes that would have required another round of corrections later. 4. My school's financial aid office was super understanding when I called to explain the situation. They said retirement account reporting errors are incredibly common, especially this year with all the FAFSA changes. With 2 weeks until your priority deadline, you have plenty of time for this to process. Don't let the stress overwhelm you - this is totally fixable and you're likely going to end up with way better aid than you originally thought! The hardest part is just logging in and starting the correction process. You've got this! 🌟

Hi! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in since I literally just went through this exact same situation two weeks ago! I accidentally reported my stepmom's state teacher retirement account as a regular investment and our SAI was completely off the charts. Here's what worked for me and some tips I wish I'd known: 1. Don't panic - this is seriously one of the most common FAFSA mistakes! The correction process is actually designed for situations exactly like this. 2. When you log into studentaid.gov to make the correction, have ALL your parent financial documents ready - not just for the retirement account fix. The system will walk you through verifying other information too. 3. My correction processed in exactly 5 days and my SAI dropped by $16,800! I went from thinking I'd get zero aid to actually qualifying for a decent Pell Grant. 4. After submitting the correction, I immediately emailed my school's financial aid office with my student ID and explained the situation. They put a note on my file to watch for the updated FAFSA and it definitely helped expedite things. 5. Pro tip: Take screenshots of everything - your original SAI, the correction confirmation page, and the new SAI when it updates. Having that documentation made my follow-up calls so much smoother. Two weeks is plenty of time for this to process and for your school to adjust your aid package. You're going to be SO relieved once you see how much your SAI drops! The retirement account exclusion makes a massive difference. Good luck! 💪

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! 🎯