Can I fix my FAFSA after submitting? Results seem completely wrong

Yes you can make corrections! Log back into studentaid.gov, click on "Manage my FAFSA" and then "Make FAFSA Corrections." Just make sure you have your FSA ID ready.

omg i did the exact same thing last month!! put my parents 401k as regular savings lol. you def need to fix it asap. when i called the financial aid office they told me just do the correction online but warned me not to submit a whole new application cuz that will REALLY mess things up

You absolutely can make corrections to your FAFSA after submitting. This is a common issue, especially with the new FAFSA Simplification changes for 2025-2026. When you log in to studentaid.gov, select your current FAFSA application, then choose "Make FAFSA Corrections." Specifically for retirement accounts, make sure you're reporting them correctly - they should NOT be included as assets on the FAFSA. For small business assets, if your parents' food truck business employs fewer than 100 people and your family owns and controls more than 50% of it, the value should be excluded from the FAFSA. After making corrections, you'll need to sign and submit again with your FSA ID. The processing typically takes 3-5 business days for the changes to be reflected in your updated SAI calculation.

The same thing happened to me but in reverse - my SAI was suspiciously LOW and I got flagged for verification. Turns out I accidentally put my parents' income as $32,000 instead of $320,000 lol. They reprocessed it but it took almost 3 weeks and I nearly missed out on my school's merit scholarships because of the delay. Don't wait to fix it!

Financial aid advisor here. Corrections are absolutely possible and common. However, be aware that once you submit corrections, your application will need to be reprocessed which typically takes 3-5 business days. Given your tight timeline with the priority deadline, I recommend: 1. Make the corrections immediately 2. Contact your school's financial aid office to alert them that you've submitted corrections and are concerned about the deadline 3. Ask if they can flag your file to review the corrected information when it arrives, even if it's slightly after the priority deadline Most schools have procedures to accommodate FAFSA corrections as long as you communicate with them proactively. The most common mistakes with small business reporting are indeed including retirement assets incorrectly and misreporting small family businesses.

I've been trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid for THREE DAYS to get help with my correction questions and keep getting disconnected after waiting forever!!! The website isn't clear about how to report my stepdad's rental property income and I don't want to mess up again. This whole system is ridiculous.

THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! The FAFSA form is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING so they can deny aid to people who need it! I made a tiny mistake on mine too and my SAI went up by $20k. When I finally got it fixed, they said I'd missed a deadline and would "receive aid based on remaining funds" which means basically NOTHING. The whole system is designed to keep poor students poor. Good luck OP but don't hold your breath.

Update: I made the corrections last night and also emailed my top school's financial aid office explaining the situation. They responded this morning saying they'd make a note in my file about the pending correction. Fingers crossed the new SAI gets processed before decisions go out! Thanks everyone for the help!