FAFSA SAI over 15,000 - Did I mess up reporting dependent student finances?

You didn't necessarily mess up. The FAFSA requires both parent and student financial information for dependent students. Your daughter's $1,200 income probably didn't impact the SAI much. What matters most is YOUR income and assets as the parent. The $15,000 SAI is based primarily on your financial situation, not because you entered information incorrectly. If your household income is above ~$60k with few qualifying factors (multiple college students, etc.), an SAI in that range isn't unusual.

nope u didnt mess up. my sons SAI was 17k and he doesnt work either. its all about parent income. the system is rigged against middle class families tbh

The FAFSA is calculating correctly based on the formula. For dependent students, parent income is the primary factor in the SAI calculation. Under the new FAFSA Simplification Act, the formula has changed significantly for 2025-2026, and many middle-income families are seeing higher SAIs than expected. However, you DO have options: 1. If you have unusual circumstances (medical expenses, job loss, etc.), you can request a Professional Judgment review directly with each college's financial aid office (not through FAFSA). 2. Some colleges meet full demonstrated need regardless of your SAI. 3. Don't assume aid packages will be bad - many schools have institutional funds beyond federal aid. The SAI is just one part of the equation!

i swear the new FAFSA is such a nightmare!!!! took me 6 tries just to get logged in and now everyones saying the calculations are all messed up too. wish they'd just gone back to the old system 😤

If you need to contact Federal Student Aid about recalculating your SAI or explaining why it's so high, good luck getting through their phone lines. I spent DAYS trying. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Totally worth it - the agent actually explained exactly how my daughter's SAI was calculated and what factors were driving it up.

Just to clarify some misconceptions: 1. You correctly included both your info and your daughter's income. That's required for dependent students. 2. The SAI formula now has fewer protections for middle-income families than the old EFC formula did. 3. An SAI of $15,000 for a single-parent household with $85k income could be calculated correctly IF: - You have substantial assets in non-retirement accounts - Your daughter has assets in her name - You don't have other children in college 4. Most importantly: The SAI is NOT the amount you'll actually pay! Each school uses it differently for their aid packages. Don't panic until you see actual aid offers from schools.

I appreciate everyone's help! After calling FSA (finally got through) and speaking with a financial aid advisor at my daughter's top choice school, I have some updates: 1. Our SAI calculation is technically correct based on the new formula 2. Medical expenses can be considered through Professional Judgment but only AFTER applying to each school 3. The good news is her top choice school uses institutional methodology that DOES factor in medical expenses I'm still disappointed about the high SAI, but at least we have some options. I'll be gathering medical expense documentation to submit separately to each school after applications go in.

That's great news about the institutional methodology! Many private colleges use the CSS Profile which takes more factors into consideration than FAFSA alone. Definitely follow through with that Professional Judgment review at each school - it makes a huge difference when done properly. Good luck to you and your daughter!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My son is a junior in high school and I'm already stressed about what our SAI might look like next year. We're in a similar income range as the OP but with two kids who will be in college at the same time. Does having multiple children in college still help with the SAI calculation under the new formula? I've heard conflicting information about whether the "sibling discount" still exists.

I'm going through something similar right now! My daughter is also a senior and we just got our SAI back at $12,800 which was much higher than expected. Like others mentioned, the new FAFSA formula really does seem to hit middle-income families harder. One thing that helped me was using the Federal Student Aid estimator BEFORE submitting to get a realistic expectation - I wish I had known about it earlier. Also, don't forget that many state schools have their own need-based aid programs that use different criteria than federal aid, so your actual out-of-pocket costs could still be manageable even with a higher SAI. Keep your chin up and definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review with documentation of your medical expenses!