FAFSA family size correction dropped our SAI by 5000 - increased Pell Grant eligibility!

Nope! No documentation required for the family size correction. The system just accepted the change right away. But I'm keeping all our tax docs handy in case we get selected for verification later.

Is this why my SAI is so high?? I'm technically independent but I accidentally put family size as 1 (just me) when I should've included my 2 kids! Can I fix this now or is it too late for the 2025-26 year?

It's definitely not too late! You can correct your FAFSA at any time. Log in to studentaid.gov, go to the FAFSA form section, select "Make FAFSA Corrections" and update your family size to include your dependents. This should significantly improve your SAI calculation and potentially increase your grant eligibility. Make the correction as soon as possible so schools have time to adjust your aid package.

same happened to my sister! she had to keep resubmitting and the numbers kept changing randomly. fafsa portal is still so buggy this yr

I had the same issue with the family size glitch. After multiple failed attempts trying to fix it online, I finally reached an FSA agent who manually corrected it in their system. If you're experiencing this problem, I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a live agent quickly. Their service got me through to someone in minutes when I'd been trying for days. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. The agent was able to document the glitch and escalate it so my application was properly processed with the correct family size.

Thank you for this list! We actually had another issue with college student reporting. My oldest is graduating this May, and we weren't sure whether to count him as "in college" since he's only enrolled for part of the award year. The FAFSA instructions weren't clear on this point.

Great question! For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, you should only count students who will be enrolled at least half-time in a degree/certificate program during the 2025-2026 academic year. If your oldest is graduating in May 2025 and won't be enrolled in further education during the 2025-2026 year, then you should NOT count him as a college student on the FAFSA. This is a common point of confusion!

You might qualify for a dependency override in this situation. If you can document that you have no contact with your parents or that there are other special circumstances, your school's financial aid office can potentially process your FAFSA without parent information. You'll need to contact each school's financial aid office directly, as these decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the schools themselves, not by Federal Student Aid.

oh wow didnt know that was possible! gonna email my financial aid office tomorrow, thx

UGH verification is THE WORST. We got selected last year and it took MONTHS to process. Had to send in birth certificates, tax transcripts, utility bills, all kinds of stuff. My daughter almost lost her housing waiting for aid to come through. Good luck!

Being selected for verification after making corrections is fairly common, but it doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong. Approximately 18% of all FAFSA filers get selected either randomly or due to discrepancies. For family size verification, typically you'll need to complete a household verification worksheet provided by your school's financial aid office. The process usually takes 2-4 weeks if you submit all documents promptly. Make sure to respond quickly and provide exactly what they ask for - any missing documents will delay the process.

Hey! Being first-gen can definitely make this process overwhelming. The easiest way to check is to log into studentaid.gov and look at your Student Aid Report (SAR) - it shows all the data from your FAFSA in an easy-to-read format. Pay special attention to the family size, number in college, and income sections. If you spot any errors, you can make corrections right there online. Don't worry about reviewing every single line unless something looks obviously wrong - focus on the big impact items like family size that everyone's been talking about here!