FAFSA 25-26 SAI jumped from 130 to 11k with lower household income - what happened?

did u check if u accidently put a zero in the wrong place somewhere? thats what happened to me last yr lol

This sounds like it might be related to the new FAFSA Simplification Act changes. The formula for calculating SAI has been completely overhauled for 2025-26. A few key changes that might be affecting you: 1. They changed how they count parent income contributions for dependent students 2. The income protection allowance calculations are different 3. Assets are now weighted differently 4. Unemployment is factored in differently than in previous years Also, if your dad became unemployed after you filed, that information wouldn't be reflected in your initial SAI calculation. You should definitely submit a special circumstances form to your school's financial aid office explaining the change in income.

The same thing happened to my cousin!! His SAI went from like 2k to 9k even though his parents actually make less money now. He was freaking out but his financial aid office fixed it after he submitted some extra paperwork showing his dad's reduced hours at work. They called it a "professional judgment adjustment" or something like that.

There's definitely something fishy going on with the 25-26 FAFSA and the SAI calculations. I've seen DOZENS of posts about this same issue in the last week alone. I think they screwed up the new formula implementation! Keep in mind the 25-26 FAFSA is using the totally new FAFSA Simplification Act rules, and the Department of Education has already admitted there were issues with the initial rollout last year. DON'T JUST ACCEPT THIS NUMBER! Challenge it with your school's financial aid office. And definitely file an appeal based on your dad's unemployment - that's a textbook case for a professional judgment adjustment.

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center to ask them directly? Their number is 1-800-433-3243. I spent FOREVER trying to get through to someone there last month when I had a similar issue with my SAI calculation.

Financial aid counselor here. I've seen many cases like yours this cycle. Here's what you need to do: 1. First, verify your FAFSA inputs are correct (especially asset information, which is weighted differently now) 2. Understand that the 25-26 FAFSA uses a completely new formula with different income protection allowances and contribution calculations 3. File a Special Circumstances/Professional Judgment request with EACH school you're applying to. This is critical. Include: - Documentation of your father's unemployment (termination letter, unemployment benefits statement) - Current family income projection for 2025 - Explanation of why your current financial situation isn't reflected in your FAFSA 4. Follow up with each school's financial aid office by phone after submitting documentation This is exactly the kind of situation the Professional Judgment process was designed for. Don't panic - schools have processes to address these circumstances.

just here to say the same eXACT thing happened to my sister and she was able to get it fixed!!! dont give up they can totally adjust it for u!!!!!

I'm dealing with almost the identical situation! My SAI went from around 800 to over 10K even though my mom took a major pay cut this year. I've been researching like crazy and found that the formula now treats parent income and assets totally differently than before. Apparently they changed how they calculate the "income protection allowance" and adjusted how they assess different types of assets. I'm going to submit a special circumstances form to all my schools this week. One financial aid officer told me they're seeing tons of these cases and are prepared to make adjustments. Fingers crossed for both of us!

I'm going through something similar but not quite as extreme - my SAI went from 2,400 to 6,800 even though our income stayed roughly the same. What I learned from talking to my school's financial aid office is that the new formula counts assets differently and has different income brackets. They told me that even families with the same income can see very different SAI results compared to previous years because of how the calculations changed. The good news is that schools are definitely prepared for these situations and have been doing lots of professional judgment adjustments this year. Start gathering all your documentation about your dad's unemployment now - pay stubs, termination letter, unemployment benefits info, anything that shows the income change. Most schools want to see current income projections too, so if you can estimate what your family will actually earn this year versus what's on your taxes, that helps a lot. Don't wait - some schools have deadlines for these appeals!