FAFSA calculated my SAI at 51% of annual salary - can I appeal this insane amount?

my SAI came in crazy high too...almost 40% of what i make. i don't understand their formula at all. did u have any unusual income last year? i sold some stock to pay for home repairs and that completely screwed up our numbers.

Your SAI calculation definitely sounds wrong. The formula shouldn't result in an expectation that high, especially with a disabled spouse and medical expenses. The new FAFSA formula for 2025-2026 typically expects a maximum of 20-24% contribution from highest income brackets, not 50%+. You absolutely can and should appeal this through the Professional Judgment process. Each school handles these differently, but you'll need to contact the financial aid offices directly at each school your daughter applied to. Documentation you'll need: - Medical bills and proof of payment - Documentation of your wife's disability - Monthly budget showing mortgage and essential expenses - Letter explaining your family's special circumstances - Any documentation about the 401k withdrawal for medical expenses Also double-check that you didn't accidentally misreport any numbers on the FAFSA itself - sometimes an extra zero or decimal point error can cause these issues.

When i got my SAI score, I nearly FAINTED!! the audacity of these people thinking we're made of money. listen, these FAFSA formulas are RIGGED against middle class families. we make too much to get aid but not enough to actually afford college!!! the whole system is corrupt.

I'd recommend immediately checking if you made data entry errors on your FAFSA. The most common mistakes that can inflate SAI include: 1. Reporting the same income in multiple categories (like reporting retirement distributions as both income and assets) 2. Incorrectly reporting assets (including the value of your primary residence, which should be excluded) 3. Not properly indicating your wife's disability status in the proper field 4. Accidentally entering cents as dollars (like typing $10,000.00 as $1,000,000) 5. Including retirement accounts in your reportable assets If you find any errors, submit a correction immediately through studentaid.gov. While that's processing, also begin the professional judgment appeals with your daughter's schools as the previous commenter suggested. Most schools have specific forms for these appeals on their financial aid websites.

have you tried calling the federal student aid info center? they might be able to explain why your SAI is so high or tell you if theres an error... good luck actually getting through to someone though lol ive called 6 times this week and kept getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours each time

i think everyone is getting ridiculous SAI #s this year with the new formula. my son got into State and they want us to pay $36k a year when i only make $75k like HOW?????

After reviewing your situation more carefully, I suspect your 401k withdrawal might actually be the culprit. Even though it was only $8,000, the FAFSA methodology counts retirement distributions as income in the year received, and then applies a protection allowance based on your tax filing status and family size. Here's what likely happened: The $8,000 distribution didn't just add $8,000 to your calculated ability to pay - it potentially shifted your entire income into a higher contribution bracket in the formula. Additionally, if this distribution wasn't properly coded as being for qualified medical expenses on your tax return, the system might be counting it twice - once as income and once as an asset still available. When you appeal, be sure to emphasize that: 1. The distribution was a one-time event specifically for medical expenses 2. It's already been spent on those expenses and isn't available for education 3. Your wife's disability has created ongoing financial strain not reflected in the formula Most financial aid offices are reasonable when presented with clear documentation.

everyone talks about appealing but does it actually work? seems like colleges just want to get as much $ as possible from us parents...

UPDATE: I went through our FAFSA application line by line and found the problem! When entering our assets, I mistakenly included our entire retirement savings ($175k) as regular investments instead of marking them as retirement accounts. I just submitted a correction through the studentaid.gov portal, and according to the estimate calculator, our SAI should drop to around $12,000 - which is still tight but at least within the realm of possibility with loans and work-study. I'm also going to follow the advice about appealing for professional judgment at my daughter's top choice schools. THANK YOU all for helping me figure this out! I've been losing sleep over this for weeks.