FAFSA SAI calculation missing for non-SSN contributor - HOPE scholarship at risk

Unfortunately, this is a common issue with the new FAFSA system when there's a non-SSN contributor. The IRA error is usually related to retirement account information that isn't mapping correctly in their system. Two things you should do immediately: 1) Have your son go to his FAFSA account and use the "Request Professional Judgment" option under the Financial Aid tab. Explain the situation specifically mentioning the missing SAI calculation and non-SSN contributor issue. 2) Ask the financial aid office for a "Dependency Override Form" - this can sometimes bypass the contributor verification issues when there are immigration documentation delays. DON'T just wait - that's terrible advice. The college can actually manually calculate a provisional SAI to release the HOPE scholarship while this gets resolved.

I went through this exact situation last year with my daughter! The non-SSN contributor process is completely broken in the new system. After two months of runaround, we finally got it fixed by having my daughter go IN PERSON to the financial aid office with all my tax documents and proof of my pending immigration status. The financial aid officer manually overrode something in their system and calculated a temporary SAI so she could keep her scholarships while FAFSA sorted itself out. Eventually, the real SAI came through (took another 4 weeks!) but at least she didn't lose her funding. Don't give up and DEFINITELY don't just "wait" like they're telling you to.

The colleges SAI and FAFSA SAI are usually different anyway so waiting is BAD ADVICE!!! My nephew lost his whole scholarship package last year because of the "just wait" approach from FAFSA! The IRA thing is a glitch with the system where it's not properly coding retirement account contributions for non-citizen contributors. It's NOT YOUR FAULT!! But you need to be super aggressive about getting it fixed because no one else will. FAFSA helpline is completely worthless this year with all the system changes.

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA specialist directly? Regular FAFSA phone support is tier 1 and can't help with complex contributor issues, but the specialists can actually fix SAI calculation problems. I spent 3 weeks trying to call normally, then used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a specialist in minutes who fixed our similar issue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Not all FAFSA agents can access the contributor verification backend where your non-SSN issue is probably stuck. You need to speak with someone in the Federal Student Aid Special Handling Unit.

hi random question but does your son attend Georgia State by any chance? the HOPE scholarship thing made me wonder. my daughter goes there and they have a special FAFSA exception process specifically for international parents without SSNs. they do a separate calculation form if your financial aid counselor is named Ms. Peterson she's amazing with these cases

omg same thing with the IRA error!!! the problem is the system is looking for retirement account verification but since ur using the non-SSN contributor option it can't match the IRA info with the IRS database!!! they told me to just wait too but i kept calling EVERY DAY until i got someone who knew what they were doing and they put in a manual override for the verification don't wait!!! call and ask specifically for a "contributor verification bypass" - thats the magic phrase that worked for me!! took like 3 more days after that and then my daughters SAI finally showed up

Quick follow-up: One other thing to check - is your son's dependency status correctly marked in the FAFSA? Sometimes with non-SSN contributors, the system incorrectly flags the student as "independent" rather than "dependent with contributor information pending verification." If that happened, it would definitely cause the SAI calculation to fail or be incorrect.

Let me clarify some things about the non-SSN contributor process and SAI calculation: 1. The FAFSA system requires an extra verification step when a contributor doesn't have an SSN, particularly when retirement accounts (like IRAs) are reported on tax returns. 2. What's likely happening is that the IRA information you reported can't be automatically verified through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (since it requires an SSN match). 3. Without this verification, the system won't calculate the SAI, but it should show a specific error code, not just mention "IRA" vaguely. 4. Your son should log into studentaid.gov and check his "Application Status" page. Look for a specific error code (likely starting with 20, 21, or 30) which will tell us exactly where the problem is. 5. For the HOPE scholarship specifically (assuming Tennessee HOPE), the college can actually use last year's methodology to calculate a provisional eligibility while these FAFSA issues are resolved. This is fixable but requires specific steps, not just waiting.

did u submit the paper signature page too??? sometimes with non-SSN the electronic signature doesnt work right and they need the paper one even if u did everything else online

FAFSA IS SUCH A DISASTER THIS YEAR!!! My daughter almost lost her entire aid package because of their stupid system problems. After WEEKS of getting nowhere, I finally contacted our state representative's office and filed a formal complaint. Magically, the FAFSA issues were resolved within 48 HOURS after that. Don't waste any more time with their useless phone support. Either use the Claimyr service someone mentioned, go directly to the financial aid office, or contact your congressional representative's constituent services. This is literally what they're there for!