FAFSA SAI calculation is almost my entire salary - can I fix my submitted application?

Don't panic! You can absolutely make corrections to a submitted FAFSA. Log into studentaid.gov, go to the FAFSA form section, and click on "Make FAFSA Corrections." You'll be able to review and update your answers. Look carefully at the income section - a common mistake is reporting retirement contributions twice or not properly accounting for pre-tax deductions. Also double-check that you didn't accidentally include assets that are protected (like your primary residence). The good news is corrections are processed pretty quickly!

omg same thing happnd to me!! my SAI was like $33k and im only making $37k lol. turns out i put my retirement fund as both an asset AND income 🤦‍♀️ fixed it and my new SAI dropped way down

When you're making your corrections, pay special attention to these commonly miscalculated areas: 1. Retirement contributions (as mentioned above) 2. Educational tax credits (these should be reported correctly) 3. Untaxed income sections (many people report things twice here) 4. Asset reporting (primary residence should NOT be included) 5. Business/farm value (if applicable) Corrections typically process within 3-5 business days, so if your school's priority deadline is two weeks away, you should be fine timeframe-wise. Just make sure you check your SAI calculation after submitting corrections to confirm it looks more reasonable.

The FAFSA system is GARBAGE. I had the same issue last year and had to fix it THREE TIMES because they kept processing my corrections wrong. Make sure you take screenshots of everything you submit in case you need to prove what you entered. The whole system is designed to deny us aid!!

Hey, financial aid counselor here - one thing that often causes inflated SAI calculations is incorrect reporting of one-time distributions or rollovers. If you took any money from a retirement account, received an inheritance, or had any unusual financial event in the base tax year, make sure that's correctly categorized. Also, double-check that you selected the correct status (dependent vs independent). The difference between these can dramatically impact your SAI calculation.

When I tried to call the Federal Student Aid office about my SAI calculation issues, I kept getting disconnected after waiting 45+ minutes! So frustrating. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual human at the FSA. They have a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of frustration and the agent was able to walk me through exactly what I needed to fix on my application. They have a video demo too if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

lol the SAI is such BS anyway. my friend had like a super low SAI and still didn't get much aid. the whole system is rigged

After you make your corrections, I'd recommend reaching out directly to your school's financial aid office to let them know you submitted a correction. Sometimes they'll pull your original FAFSA data before the correction is processed, and it helps to give them a heads-up that updated information is coming. Most schools are pretty understanding about FAFSA corrections, especially with all the changes to the system this year.

after u fix it does anyone kno how long it takes for the new sai?? mine took like 9 days which seemed forever

UPDATE: You guys were totally right! I went through the correction process and found TWO major mistakes I made. I had included my retirement account as an asset AND counted my contributions as untaxed income, plus I had accidentally included the value of my car (which isn't supposed to be reported). After fixing those and a couple other small things, my SAI dropped from $42,800 to $18,200! That's still higher than I expected but WAY more reasonable. Thanks everyone for your help!

Amazing update! So glad you got it sorted out. Those are exactly the kinds of mistakes that trip up so many people - the retirement account double-counting is probably the most common error I see. Your new SAI of $18,200 should definitely open up more aid opportunities, especially for federal grants and subsidized loans. Make sure to keep checking your student aid report over the next few days to confirm everything processed correctly. You should be in much better shape for your financial aid package now!