FAFSA 25-26 SAI estimate jumped from negative to 1500 - will it change after processing?

The initial SAI estimate you see immediately after submitting is typically quite accurate, but there are several reasons your 25-26 number might be different from your 24-25 result: 1. The FAFSA formula was updated for 25-26 applications with some significant changes to how they calculate need 2. The income protection allowances increased, but so did some multipliers in the formula 3. If your student has any siblings whose college status changed, that can dramatically impact your SAI 4. Sometimes small differences in how you entered information can cause unexpected changes I'd recommend downloading both SAI calculation worksheets when they become available and comparing them line by line to identify what changed. Your final processed SAI could adjust slightly, but typically not by huge amounts unless there's a verification issue.

SAME THING HAPPENED TO US!!! Our 24-25 was -$2300 and our 25-26 estimate came back at $890. Nothing changed for us either and I used the exact same tax return for both applications. I think its the new FAFSA being weird again. All the changes they've made have been a complete disaster imho

The formula definitely changed for 25-26 applications. The biggest shifts are: 1. They adjusted how they calculate the income protection allowance 2. Changed the asset protection allowance 3. Modified the assessment rates for student income 4. Changed how multiple students in college affects the calculation For that last point - having multiple students in college doesn't provide as much benefit as it used to. In the old formula, your EFC was essentially divided by the number of college students. In the new formula, the impact is more complex and generally less beneficial for families with multiple students. Also worth noting: your final processed SAI can absolutely change from the initial estimate, especially if your application gets selected for verification.

Have you tried calling Federal Student Aid directly to ask about the discrepancy? I was having similar issues with our SAI calculation last month and spent DAYS trying to get through on their phone line. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in under 20 minutes who explained exactly what was happening with our application. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that there were specific changes to the formula for 25-26 that were causing lots of families to see increases. She was able to go through our application line by line and confirmed everything was entered correctly. In our case, it was just the new formula giving us a higher number.

my daughters sai went UP by almost $2000 between the 2 years and literally nothing changed for us either!!! i think the whole system is rigged tbh. we make just enough to not qualify for good aid but nowhere near enough to actually pay what they expect. so frustrated with this entire process!!

Check if maybe you entered something differently this time? I accidentally put an extra digit in our mortgage and it shot our SAI through the roof. Once I fixed it and resubmitted, it went back down.

After your application is fully processed, you'll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that includes your official SAI. This can differ from the estimate for several reasons: 1. The initial estimate is based solely on the information you provided 2. The processed SAI incorporates verification against IRS data 3. Some error corrections might be automatically applied If you're seeing a dramatic change in SAI despite similar circumstances, I strongly recommend comparing your 24-25 SAR with your 25-26 SAR when you receive it to identify the specific differences. Also contact each college's financial aid office - they often have institutional funds they can use to help bridge unexpected gaps like this. For the 25-26 FAFSA, most people are seeing processing times of 3-5 weeks before receiving their official SAI.

Update: got our official SAI today and it actually went DOWN from the estimate!! From $890 to $650. still higher than last year but better than the estimate at least

I'm going through the exact same thing! My daughter's SAI jumped from around -$800 for 24-25 to $1,200 for 25-26 and I was panicking. Like others have mentioned, it seems like the formula changes are hitting a lot of families unexpectedly. One thing that helped me was realizing that even though the SAI increased, some schools are also adjusting their aid policies to account for these changes. I called my daughter's top choice school and they said they're aware many families are seeing higher SAIs this year and they're taking that into consideration when packaging aid. Also, don't forget that you can always submit a special circumstances appeal if you have any expenses or situations that aren't reflected in the FAFSA - things like high medical bills, job loss, or even just the fact that the formula change is creating unexpected hardship. It's worth a shot! Hang in there - this whole process is so stressful but there are usually options available once you dig deeper.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation! Just submitted my daughter's FAFSA for 25-26 and our SAI estimate went from around -$400 last year to $980 this year. Same income, same assets, everything identical. It's so stressful because we were counting on similar aid to what we got for 24-25. Reading through all these comments is both reassuring (that we're not alone) and terrifying (that this seems to be happening to a lot of families). I think I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned to actually get through to FSA and get some answers. Has anyone had luck with the special circumstances appeals at their schools? I'm wondering if the formula change itself could be grounds for an appeal, especially for families who were budgeting based on previous years' aid packages.