FAFSA SAI jumped from 18000 to 210,000 with no income changes - what's going on?

This happened to me too! My daughter's SAI jumped from 24,000 to 115,000 with basically the same income. After three stressful weeks, we figured out it was because of the new FAFSA simplification changes. Did you sell any investments or property last year? Even a small sale can now be counted differently. Or did you withdraw from retirement accounts for those repairs? The new formula treats certain capital gains and distributions much more harshly.

check ur asset reporting. new fafsa is counting some stuff differently. maybe u put a decimal in wrong place? that happened to my friend her sai went from like 20k to 200k+ cuz she accidently added extra zero to 401k value lol

Financial aid advisor here. What you're describing is almost certainly the result of one of three things: 1) Asset reporting error - The most common cause of dramatic SAI increases is incorrectly reported assets. Double-check all asset values you entered. 2) Capital gains impact - The new FAFSA formula treats certain capital gains differently, especially if they pushed you into a higher income bracket. Even one-time capital gains from stock sales can significantly impact your SAI. 3) Business/farm assessment changes - If you own a business or farm, the new formula assesses these assets differently. The good news is that if there was an error, you can submit a correction. If it's due to the new formula treating one-time capital gains unfairly, you can file a special circumstances appeal directly with your college's financial aid office (not through FAFSA). Bring documentation showing the capital gains were for necessary expenses and not recurring income.

same thing for us but opposite... our SAI went from 35k down to 7k and we actually made MORE money last year?!?!? the whole system is broken and random. were getting more aid now but honestly makes no sense. good luck figuring it out!

You need to call Federal Student Aid directly and have them explain the calculation. The problem is reaching them - I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get through their phone system before a colleague told me about Claimyr. It's a service that waits on hold with FSA for you and calls you when an agent picks up. I finally got answers in like 30 minutes instead of endless busy signals. Their site is claimyr.com and there's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained exactly which line items caused our SAI increase (in our case it was reporting a 529 plan incorrectly) and walked me through how to fix it. Worth every penny because we got $14,000 more in aid after fixing the error!

Regarding your question about special circumstances appeals: Yes, colleges do take these seriously, especially for situations like yours where one-time capital gains for necessary home repairs distort your actual financial situation. Success rates vary by institution, but I'd say about 60-70% of legitimate appeals get at least some adjustment. The key is documentation - you'll need: 1) Receipts for the HVAC replacement and car repairs 2) Investment statements showing the stock sale 3) Bank statements showing the proceeds were used for these repairs 4) A clearly written letter explaining that this was a one-time event, not recurring income Be polite but persistent. Some colleges may initially deny appeals automatically, but if you follow up and provide thorough documentation, many will reconsider.

I'd recommend being proactive - contact the financial aid office now. Explain that you've identified a likely cause for the SAI increase and want to discuss a potential special circumstances appeal. Most offices prefer addressing these issues early rather than dealing with last-minute appeals after aid packages go out. It also demonstrates that you're on top of the situation and gives them more time to consider your case thoroughly.

THIS EXACT THING HAPPENED TO US!!! Our SAI went from 22K to over 180K with NO SIGNIFICANT INCOME CHANGES!! We were absolutely DEVASTATED when we saw the number. After THREE WEEKS of fighting with FSA, we discovered two major errors: 1. The new FAFSA counted our home equity as an available asset (which it should NOT do) 2. A retirement account rollover was counted as income (again, should NOT happen) It took so many phone calls and emails, but we finally got it resolved. The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN this year!! Don't give up - the new FAFSA is full of bugs and calculation errors. Fight it!!

We had to do BOTH - submit corrections through studentaid.gov AND file a special circumstances form with the college. The FAFSA correction fixed the retirement rollover issue, but the home equity problem had to be addressed through the college's professional judgment process. My advice: Call FSA first (use that Claimyr service someone mentioned if needed) to understand EXACTLY what's in your FAFSA calculation. Get them to tell you line by line what's contributing to that huge SAI number. THEN decide if you need a correction, an appeal, or both.

There are several potential causes for your SAI increase that I haven't seen mentioned yet: 1. Change in family structure (divorce, marriage, death) 2. Change in student dependency status 3. Reporting cash value of life insurance incorrectly 4. Child support treatment changed under the new formula 5. Certain types of income now weighted differently But given what you've described about selling investments for your HVAC system, I strongly suspect it's related to capital gains. The new formula is particularly harsh on one-time capital events. Your financial aid office can absolutely use professional judgment to discount this one-time event if you provide proper documentation. I've seen many successful appeals for exactly this situation.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress - I can only imagine how overwhelming it must feel to see such a dramatic increase! Based on what everyone has shared here, it really sounds like the stock sale for your HVAC system is the culprit. The new FAFSA formula is treating one-time capital gains much more harshly than before, which is catching a lot of middle-class families off guard. From what I've read in other threads, many families are successfully appealing these situations. The key seems to be clearly documenting that this was a one-time necessity (home repairs) rather than regular investment income. Keep all your receipts, bank statements showing the money flow, and write a detailed letter explaining the circumstances. Don't lose hope - this sounds very fixable, especially since you have clear documentation of where the money went. The financial aid office should be sympathetic to families who had to liquidate investments for essential home repairs. Hang in there!

I'm a newcomer here but had to chime in because we went through something very similar last year! Our SAI jumped from about 16,000 to 142,000 and I literally thought there was a mistake in the system. Turns out we had cashed out some old mutual funds to pay for unexpected medical bills, and the new FAFSA treated that as regular income even though it was a one-time emergency expense. The good news is we were able to get it mostly resolved through a combination of a FAFSA correction (there was actually a small data entry error on our part) and a special circumstances appeal with the college. The financial aid office was surprisingly understanding once we explained the situation with documentation. Our final aid package wasn't quite as good as the previous year, but it was WAY better than what the initial 142K SAI would have given us. My biggest advice: document EVERYTHING and be persistent but polite. The system is definitely broken this year, but there are ways to fix it if you're willing to fight for it. You've got this!