FAFSA SAI increased by 8K despite no income changes - anyone else experiencing this?

same happened to us!! SAI went from 5k to 12k and nothing major changed. something is wrong with the new formula I think

This is likely due to the new FAFSA Simplification Act changes. The formula for calculating SAI was significantly revised for 2025-2026. Key differences include: 1. Changed income protection allowances (they protect less income from counting toward your EFC/SAI) 2. Modified asset protection allowances (many families now have more countable assets) 3. Different treatment of multiple students in college (the benefit was reduced) 4. Changes to how certain retirement contributions are counted Most families are seeing increases in their SAI under the new formula, even with identical financial information. I recommend comparing your Student Aid Report line by line with last year's to identify exactly which part of the calculation changed.

UGH THE NEW FAFSA IS THE WORST!!! Our SAI jumped from $3,700 to $9,200 and we literally made LESS money this year than last year!!! This is going to DESTROY my son's chances at his dream school. The entire system is designed to screw over middle class families who are already struggling. I've spent 3 days trying to get someone on the phone at FSA and keep getting disconnected. Anyone know how to actually reach a human being???

my sister works in financial aid office and she says they are getting TONS of calls about this exact issue. the new formula is hitting families with 75k-150k income the hardest apparantly. something about protection allowances being lower.

has anybody tried filing special circumstances form? my daughters school has one where u can explain if the FAFSA doesn't reflect your actual ability to pay

My daughter's SAI went from $8k to $21k!!!! I almost had a heart attack when I saw it. We even made less money this year because I lost my overtime hours. This whole system is rigged against hardworking families.

UPDATE: The Department of Education just announced they're aware of the concerns about SAI increases and are reviewing the implementation of the formula. They haven't promised any changes, but they're at least acknowledging the issue. In the meantime, they recommend: 1. Double-check all entries on your FAFSA for accuracy 2. Contact your school's financial aid office to discuss institutional aid options 3. File a special circumstances form if your financial situation has special factors not reflected in the FAFSA 4. Consider submitting the CSS Profile if your school accepts it (it allows for more financial nuance) Remember that your SAI is not necessarily what you'll actually pay - it's just one factor schools use in determining aid packages.

For those trying to understand why this happened, the FAFSA Simplification Act made several key changes to how Student Aid Index (formerly EFC) is calculated. The most significant impacts for middle-income families are: 1. Lower income protection allowance (approximately 25% reduction) 2. Reduced benefit for multiple students in college 3. Changes in how certain retirement contributions are counted 4. Modifications to asset protection allowances The good news is that many colleges are aware of these issues and are adjusting their institutional aid policies to help offset these increases. Some schools have created special funds specifically to address the gap created by the new formula. If your SAI increased significantly, I strongly recommend: 1. Contact your financial aid office ASAP 2. Ask specifically about institutional adjustments for FAFSA formula changes 3. Submit a special circumstances form documenting your actual ability to pay 4. Consider appealing any aid offers that don't acknowledge the formula impact

I'm going through the exact same thing! My SAI jumped from $4,800 to $12,600 and I was losing my mind thinking I made an error somewhere. Reading all these comments is actually reassuring (in a weird way) that it's not just me. I had no idea about all these formula changes - the government really should have done a better job communicating this to families. Has anyone had success getting their school to provide additional institutional aid? My son's first choice school already sent his aid package and it's way less than we were expecting. I'm wondering if it's worth reaching out to them or if I should just accept that we're going to need way more loans than planned.

I'm experiencing something similar! My SAI went from $7,200 to $15,800 with virtually no change in our financial situation. Reading through all these comments has been both frustrating and helpful - at least now I understand it's due to the new FAFSA formula changes rather than an error on my part. I wanted to share that I just got off the phone with my daughter's college financial aid office, and they were incredibly understanding about the situation. They told me they've been fielding calls about this all month and have actually set aside additional institutional aid specifically for families impacted by the formula changes. They're reviewing cases on an individual basis and can potentially provide supplemental grants to help bridge the gap. The financial aid counselor recommended I submit their special circumstances form along with documentation showing our income/assets haven't changed significantly from last year. She said to specifically mention the FAFSA Simplification Act impact in my appeal letter. For anyone dealing with this - definitely don't give up! Contact your schools directly. Many are being really proactive about helping families navigate these unexpected increases.

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a newcomer to this community but dealing with the exact same issue. My family's SAI increased from $5,400 to $13,200 despite our income actually decreasing slightly this year due to reduced work hours. I had no idea about the FAFSA Simplification Act changes until reading all these comments. What's really helpful is seeing that so many schools are being proactive about addressing this. I was feeling completely hopeless about affording my daughter's college choice, but now I'm realizing I need to be more aggressive about contacting their financial aid office. Has anyone had experience with schools that use the CSS Profile? I'm wondering if that might provide a more accurate picture of our financial situation since it seems more detailed than the new FAFSA. My daughter applied to a few schools that require it, so I'm curious if those aid packages might be more reasonable. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and advice - this community is a lifeline for stressed parents trying to navigate this mess!

Just wanted to add my experience to this thread - we're dealing with a similar SAI jump from $6,800 to $14,500. What really helped us was creating a detailed comparison document showing our 2023 vs 2024 financial information side by side, highlighting that our income was actually $1,200 LOWER this year. I included this with our special circumstances appeal and specifically referenced the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. The financial aid office was able to award an additional $3,500 in institutional grants after reviewing our case. They mentioned they've processed dozens of similar appeals this season. One tip: when you call financial aid offices, ask to speak with a counselor who is familiar with the "FAFSA formula impact appeals" - most schools now have staff specifically trained on these cases. It saved me from having to re-explain the whole situation. Don't give up - schools really do want to help families navigate this transition!

I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to this problem! My family's SAI jumped from $4,200 to $11,800 even though our income dropped by about $3,000 this year due to my spouse's reduced hours. I've been reading through all these comments and I'm so grateful to find out this is happening to everyone - I was convinced I had made some major error on the FAFSA. The information about schools setting aside special funds for families impacted by the formula changes is incredibly encouraging. I have three kids and my oldest is starting college this fall, so this SAI increase could not have come at a worse time. I'm planning to call her financial aid office tomorrow armed with all the advice from this thread - asking specifically for a counselor familiar with FAFSA formula impact appeals and preparing that side-by-side financial comparison document that Isaac mentioned. It's such a relief to know there might actually be solutions out there instead of just accepting that we'll need to take on massive debt or give up on her first-choice school. Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences and strategies - this community is exactly what stressed families need right now!

I'm new to this community and going through the exact same nightmare! My SAI jumped from $5,900 to $13,400 with virtually identical financial information. I've been panicking for weeks thinking I screwed something up on the FAFSA, but reading through all these comments is both reassuring and infuriating - reassuring that it's not just me, but infuriating that the government made these massive formula changes without properly warning families about the impact. This thread has been incredibly valuable though. I had no idea that schools were setting aside special funds for families affected by the formula changes or that I could ask specifically for counselors trained on "FAFSA formula impact appeals." I'm definitely calling my son's financial aid office tomorrow with a much better strategy thanks to everyone's advice here. The side-by-side comparison document idea is brilliant - I'm going to create one showing that our 2024 income was actually $800 lower than 2023 despite the massive SAI increase. Hopefully that will help demonstrate how disconnected the new formula is from our actual ability to pay. Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences and success stories. It gives those of us just starting this process hope that there might actually be solutions beyond just accepting crushing debt!

I'm completely new to this community but unfortunately very familiar with this problem! My daughter's SAI skyrocketed from $7,100 to $15,600 despite our family income staying almost exactly the same (within $300). I've been losing sleep over this for the past two weeks, convinced I had made some catastrophic error on the FAFSA. Finding this thread has been both devastating and relieving - devastating to see how widespread this issue is, but relieving to know I'm not going crazy and didn't mess up our application. The information everyone has shared about the FAFSA Simplification Act changes is incredibly helpful. I had absolutely no idea the government had made such drastic modifications to the formula. Reading about everyone's success stories with financial aid offices is giving me hope though. I'm planning to call my daughter's school tomorrow and ask specifically for a counselor familiar with "FAFSA formula impact appeals" (thanks Isaac for that tip!). I'm also going to prepare that side-by-side financial comparison document showing our income was virtually identical year over year. This community is exactly what families like us need right now - real experiences and practical advice from people going through the same nightmare. Thank you to everyone sharing their stories and strategies. It's making what felt like an impossible situation seem manageable with the right approach!

I'm brand new to this community but unfortunately experiencing the exact same issue as everyone else here! My SAI jumped from $5,800 to $12,900 even though our household income actually decreased by about $2,000 this year due to my husband's reduced work hours. I've been frantically double-checking our FAFSA entries for weeks, convinced I must have made a massive mistake somewhere. Reading through all these comments has been both eye-opening and reassuring - I had no idea about the FAFSA Simplification Act changes until now, and it's oddly comforting (though frustrating) to see this is happening to so many families. The advice everyone has shared about contacting financial aid offices and asking specifically for counselors trained on "FAFSA formula impact appeals" is incredibly valuable. I'm definitely going to create that side-by-side financial comparison document showing our income decrease alongside the SAI increase - that should make for a compelling case. It's encouraging to hear about schools setting aside special funds for families impacted by these formula changes. Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences and strategies - this community is proving to be exactly what overwhelmed parents need right now to navigate what feels like an impossible situation!