Can I still correct my FAFSA after submission? Made a tax info error!

Yes, you can absolutely make corrections to your FAFSA after submitting it. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA application, and click on "Make FAFSA Corrections." You'll be able to update your mom's income information there. Just make sure both you and your mom sign the corrected form electronically before resubmitting. The processing time for corrections is usually 3-5 days, so if you do it now, you should still be fine for your college's priority deadline.

omg i did the exact same thing last month! panicked for no reason lol. just do the correction thing and your fine

You can definitely correct it, but speaking from personal experience, it could trigger verification. I made a small correction to my dad's retirement contributions and ended up having to submit like 20 extra documents to prove everything. Not saying it'll happen to you, but just be prepared that any change can potentially flag your application for extra review.

Financial aid advisor here. Yes, you can and should make this correction immediately. The "Make FAFSA Corrections" option on studentaid.gov will allow you to update the income information. Important things to know: 1. Both you and your parent will need to re-sign with your FSA IDs 2. Your SAI will be recalculated based on the new information 3. Schools will automatically receive the updated information 4. Making corrections doesn't typically trigger verification, but significant income changes sometimes do 5. If you're concerned about meeting the priority deadline, I suggest making the correction ASAP and then emailing your financial aid office to notify them This is a common mistake this year with the FAFSA changes, so don't worry too much!

I had to call FSA for a similar issue last month and spent HOURS trying to get through to a real person. After getting disconnected three times, I tried using Claimyr.com and actually got connected to an agent in about 10 minutes. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent I spoke with was super helpful and walked me through the whole correction process while I was on the phone with them. Might be worth it if you get stuck or have questions during the correction process.

Just wondering - has anyone had their SAI score change dramatically after making income corrections? I'm in a similar situation (haven't submitted yet but might need to correct after) and wondering how much impact it actually has.

MAKE SURE you print out confirmation of your correction submission!!! I made a correction last year and it somehow never processed, and financial aid office claimed they never received the update. Had no proof so had to start the whole process over and missed priority deadline. Document EVERYTHING with FAFSA!!!

Quick tip: When you make the correction, there's an option to add a comment explaining why you're making the change. I recommend using this to briefly explain that you accidentally entered the wrong tax year information. This can sometimes help prevent verification flags since you're proactively explaining the reason for the change.

don't stress too much about this btw. fafsa system is actually designed expecting people to make corrections. like half my friends had to fix something after submitting lol

Thanks everyone for the reassurance! I went ahead and made the correction on studentaid.gov - it was actually pretty straightforward. Just had to log in, click "Make FAFSA Corrections," update my mom's 2024 income info, and then we both re-signed with our FSA IDs. I also added a comment explaining that I accidentally used 2023 data instead of 2024. The system gave me a confirmation number and said it would take 3-5 days to process. I also printed out the confirmation page like Felix suggested and sent a quick email to my financial aid office letting them know I submitted a correction. Fingers crossed it doesn't trigger verification, but at least I know it's fixable if it does!

That's awesome that you got it sorted out so quickly! Your proactive approach with the comment and emailing your financial aid office was really smart. The 3-5 day processing time should definitely get you well ahead of your priority deadline. I'm dealing with a similar situation right now (haven't submitted yet but just caught an error) and your step-by-step breakdown is super helpful. Thanks for updating us on how it went!

Just wanted to add that if your mom's income decreased significantly between 2023 and 2024, this correction could actually work in your favor! A lower parent income typically results in a lower SAI, which means you might qualify for more need-based aid. So while it's stressful to catch this mistake after submitting, it might end up being a good thing for your financial aid package. The correction process really is designed to handle these situations - you're definitely not the first person to mix up tax years, especially with all the FAFSA changes this year.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same situation last year! I accidentally used my dad's 2022 income instead of 2023 on my FAFSA and was panicking about missing deadlines. The correction process is honestly much easier than it seems - I had mine processed in 4 days and my financial aid office received the update automatically. One thing I'd add is that after you submit the correction, you can actually track the status on studentaid.gov under "My FAFSA" to see when it's been processed and sent to your schools. This really helped ease my anxiety while waiting! And like others mentioned, if your mom's income went down, this could actually increase your aid eligibility, so try to see it as a blessing in disguise rather than a mistake.

I went through something similar a few months ago! Made the correction and it processed within 4 days like everyone said. One tip I'd add - after you submit the correction, check your Student Aid Report (SAR) once it's processed to make sure all the changes went through correctly. Sometimes there can be data entry errors during the correction process. Also, don't be surprised if your Expected Family Contribution looks different than what online calculators estimated - the new SAI formula works differently than the old EFC calculation. The fact that you caught this before your priority deadline means you're actually in great shape! Most students don't realize their mistakes until much later in the process.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually in the exact same boat - just realized I used my parent's 2023 income instead of 2024 on my FAFSA that I submitted two weeks ago. Reading everyone's experiences has really calmed my nerves about fixing this. I love how supportive this community is - from the financial aid advisor giving detailed steps to everyone sharing their personal experiences. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here: make the correction ASAP, add a comment explaining the mix-up, print confirmation pages, and email my financial aid office. It's reassuring to know this is such a common mistake and that the system is designed to handle corrections. Thanks everyone for making what seemed like a disaster feel totally manageable!

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!