FAFSA incorrectly reported my AGI over $80k to college - can't find where to fix it!

been there done that! the system pulled my ex-husband's income from our joint 2023 taxes even tho we divorced in 2024. it combined our incomes and my daughter got denied aid. u have to submit a special circumstances form at your daughters financial aid office with your w-2 and 2023 tax return. took us like 3 weeks to fix but they did adjust it

This is actually a common issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. When you imported your tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, it sometimes pulls incorrect line items from your tax return. The system might have imported your total income rather than your AGI, or included retirement distributions that shouldn't count. You need to contact Federal Student Aid directly and request a formal review of your SAI calculation. They need to correct it at the source before your daughter's school can update their grant eligibility. Make sure to have your 2023 tax return and W-2s ready when you call.

my brother had the same issue last yr!!! turns out he had a 401k distribution that got double counted somehow and it inflated his agi by like $35k on fafsa. took forever to fix tho

I'm having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM right now!!!! FAFSA is showing my income as $92k when I made $61k. The school says they can't do anything until FAFSA fixes it on their end but I can't reach anybody. This system is BROKEN and they're making our kids suffer 😡

I work at a university financial aid office and see this issue regularly. This specific problem happens when: 1. There was a joint tax filing in 2023 but you're now single 2. There was a retirement distribution that got counted as income 3. There was a calculation error when using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool You need to file what's called an "Income Adjustment Appeal" with both FSA and your daughter's school simultaneously. For FSA, you'll need to speak directly with a FAFSA correction specialist. For the school, submit: - 2023 tax return (full copy) - All W-2s for 2023 - A signed statement explaining the discrepancy - Documentation of current marital status if applicable The school can issue a provisional correction to your daughter's SAI while waiting for the official FAFSA correction, which might allow her to receive the state grant conditionally.

I had a similar issue and spent weeks trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid. After dozens of dropped calls and hours on hold, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game-changer. They got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes instead of hours. The agent was able to review my FAFSA and found that the system had pulled the wrong line from my tax return. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Might be worth trying since this is definitely something you need to speak with an actual FSA representative about. Once I got the correction submitted, it took about 10 days for my daughter's school to receive the updated information.

btw make sure u take screenshots of EVERYTHING when ur trying to fix this!!! the system is so glitchy u might need proof of what u submitted later

I'm actually a tax preparer and I see this issue frequently with my clients. If you received any retirement distributions or had capital gains in 2023, the FAFSA system sometimes counts these incorrectly. Another common problem is if you received any stimulus payments or tax credits that artificially inflated your AGI figure. One important thing to know: your daughter's school can actually process what's called a "Professional Judgment" adjustment while you're getting the FAFSA corrected. This allows them to adjust her aid package based on the correct information even before the official correction comes through. Not all schools advertise this option, but it's worth specifically requesting.

After you get this immediate issue resolved, I'd recommend checking your FSA ID settings and opting into email notifications for any future FAFSA changes or issues. Many people miss important notices because they only check the portal occasionally. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they've rolled out new notification options that will alert you to potential discrepancies much earlier in the process.