FAFSA error due to spouse's incorrect tax filing - Will colleges adjust aid after May 15 commitment?

Yes, schools are generally required to use your updated and corrected FAFSA information, even after you commit. Financial aid packages are often contingent on verification of your information. When your spouse submits amended tax returns and you update your FAFSA, the school should recalculate your aid package, including Pell Grant eligibility. I would recommend:

omg this happened to my roomate last yr! they had to commit to State U and then later got more money after fixing fafsa. just make sure u tell financial aid office whats happening

Colleges are required to use your most recent FAFSA data for aid calculations, but I recommend calling your school's financial aid office IMMEDIATELY. Explain the situation and ask if they need any documentation about the pending tax amendment. They might be able to place a hold on your file or make a note that updated information is coming. Be proactive rather than waiting!

The same thing happened to me lolll. My dad filed his taxes wrong and our FAFSA got rejected. The school made me sign some form acknowledging my aid might change but I still got to register for classes. After we fixed everything my aid increased by like $3000 per semester!! So don't stress too much but DEF tell the school what's happening!!!!!

I work in college financial aid and want to clarify a few things: 1) You MUST contact your financial aid office immediately and explain the situation. 2) While schools are required to process corrected FAFSA information, there may be institutional aid with hard deadlines that can't be adjusted later. 3) Pell Grant eligibility can be recalculated throughout the academic year, but some state and institutional grants can't be. 4) Ask the school about a "Professional Judgment" review based on your pending tax amendment - this might allow them to make adjustments even before the amended return is processed.

I had the WORST time trying to reach anyone at Federal Student Aid when I had a similar problem!! Was on hold for HOURS and kept getting disconnected. Eventually used Claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual person in like 15 minutes. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - totally worth it to get this resolved quickly. The FSA agent was able to tell me exactly what forms I needed to submit to fix my situation.

One more critical point: When you commit to a school on May 15, you're not necessarily agreeing to a specific price - you're accepting admission and indicating intent to enroll. Financial aid packages can and do change based on updated FAFSA information. However, some schools have limited aid budgets that deplete over time, which is why immediate communication with the financial aid office is essential. Ask specifically about their policies for processing aid adjustments based on corrected FAFSAs submitted after the commitment date.

My cousin went thru this EXACT thing! The financial aid office told her to write a letter explaining the situation and they put a note in her file. She still had to pay the enrollment deposit but they adjusted everything later. Just make 100% sure u call them!!!!

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! Schools just want ur commitment and money and then they don't care. My brother had almost this exact situation and even after fixing his FAFSA they wouldn't give him more aid because "funds were already allocated" MAKE SURE YOU GET ANY PROMISES IN WRITING!!!!

Update: I just got off the phone with our university's financial aid office. They were super helpful! They're putting a note in our file about the pending tax amendment and said they'll recalculate our package once we submit the corrected FAFSA. They also mentioned something called a "Verification" process that might happen, and told me to watch for emails requesting additional documentation. They said Pell Grant eligibility will definitely be reassessed with our corrected info, but warned that some institutional scholarships might not be available if we submit corrections after certain deadlines. So we're going to expedite the tax amendment process as much as possible. Thanks everyone for your help!

That's such great news! I'm so relieved for you that they were understanding and helpful. This whole thread has been really educational for me too - I had no idea about the Professional Judgment review option or that verification process. It sounds like you're in good hands now. Quick question though - when you say "expedite the tax amendment process," is there actually a way to speed that up with the IRS, or do you just mean getting all your paperwork submitted as quickly as possible? I might need to know this for future reference! Good luck with everything! 🤞