FAFSA processed with SAI score but missing spouse's SSN - do I need to correct?

If the FAFSA is processed and you have an SAI, you're GOOD TO GO! I wouldn't touch anything. My daughter's app was processed last month with a small error (wrong address) and when we tried to correct it, the whole thing got flagged for verification and delayed her financial aid package by 6 weeks. Not worth the hassle!

Oh wow, that's concerning. I definitely don't want to trigger verification. The colleges he applied to already started sending aid packages based on the current SAI.

Actually, you should definitely submit a correction for your spouse's SSN. Even though your son received an SAI, having missing contributor information could affect several things: 1) It might trigger verification later in the process, 2) Some schools specifically check for complete parent information when finalizing institutional aid, and 3) The income verification matching process relies on accurate SSNs to validate tax information. The correction process shouldn't change his SAI if all income was correctly reported, but the missing SSN could cause problems down the line.

I agree with this 100%. My cousin thought he was fine with a processed FAFSA that was missing his dad's info, but then randomly got selected for verification in April right before committing to a school. Total nightmare situation.

Call the Federal Student Aid office ASAP! They can tell u exactly what to do. I had a similar issue last yr when my husband's SSN had a typo. They told me i needed to fix it even tho we had an SAI. BUT fair warning - I tried calling FSA for THREE DAYS and couldn't get through (kept getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours) which was super frustrating when the deadline was approaching!!

This is good advice. I had so much trouble reaching FSA last month until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - seriously saved my sanity during the verification nightmare I was dealing with.

Omg thank u for this!! Where was this when I was pulling my hair out trying to reach someone 😫

whats sai mean? is that the efc number? my sons fafsa got processed too but i dont see anything called sai.

SAI = Student Aid Index. It replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) in the new FAFSA. It's basically the same thing - the number colleges use to determine how much financial aid to give. Lower number = more aid usually.

oh gotcha thanks! still learning all these new terms lol

This depends on your specific situation. If your wife doesn't have income that would affect the SAI calculation, then it might not matter. However, if she does have income, her missing SSN could be problematic because:\n\n1. The Department of Education uses SSNs to verify income information through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.\n2. If your wife filed taxes, her income should be included in the SAI calculation.\n3. Some schools require complete information for institutional aid consideration.\n\nI would recommend submitting a correction form to add her SSN. The correction likely won't change the SAI if her income was already accurately reported, but it will make the application complete and help avoid verification issues later.

Thank you for the detailed explanation. My wife does work part-time, and her income was included in our joint tax return which I did report. I'm just worried about the timing since my son has already received acceptance letters with financial aid packages from two schools. I guess I should make the correction to be safe.

Honestly the whole FAFSA system is SUCH A MESS this year!! My daughter's application was

same here!!! we thought everything was fine and then got hit with verification in APRIL when my son was trying to decide between schools. nearly missed enrollment deposit deadlines because of it. SO STRESSFUL

EXACTLY!! Then they expect you to submit all these extra forms in like 3 days or something ridiculous. The whole system is designed to make us fail i swear

To directly answer your question - yes, you should submit a correction despite having an SAI. Here's why:\n\n1. Missing contributor information doesn't always prevent initial processing, but it can trigger verification later.\n\n2. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, all contributing parents/spouses need valid SSNs for the income verification process.\n\n3. When schools review the FAFSA data, they may flag applications with missing contributor information for additional review.\n\nThe correction process is straightforward - log into studentaid.gov, select \

Thank you for this clear explanation. I'll make the correction this weekend. Better to be safe than sorry, especially with college decisions coming up soon.

my sons fafsa got accepted without my wifes ssn too!!! she doesn't have one, shes not a citizen. they still gave him a good aid package 🙌 depends on ur situation tho

This is actually an important distinction. If OP's wife doesn't have an SSN because she's not a citizen or eligible non-citizen, that's a different situation than having an SSN but failing to include it. In your case, you correctly completed the application because you can't provide information that doesn't exist. In OP's case, it sounds like they need to submit a correction since their wife does have an SSN.