FAFSA reprocessing confusion - how to know if my student needs to resubmit?

My kid got an email about the reprocessing. Check your spam folder maybe? Not everyone is getting reprocessed tho, just some ppl with certain income situations I think.

The Department of Education is reprocessing certain 2024-2025 FAFSA applications due to errors in how the Student Aid Index was calculated. Students affected include those with untaxed income, those with parents who file taxes separately, and those with specific contribution scenarios from multiple household members. You should receive direct communication if your application is being reprocessed. You can also check your studentaid.gov account - there should be a notification there if you're affected. The reprocessing is happening automatically, so you don't need to submit anything new unless specifically instructed. If you're concerned about your daughter's financial aid package, I'd recommend contacting the school's financial aid office directly. They can tell you if your daughter's SAI might change with reprocessing and how that could affect her aid package.

omg this whole FAFSA thing is such a mess this year!!! my brother got his SAI recalculated and his score went DOWN by like 2000 points which is actually good for aid but the schools already gave out most of the money so he's not getting much extra help even tho hes technically eligible for more now 😡

I called Federal Student Aid about this exact issue yesterday and was on hold for over THREE HOURS before getting disconnected. Called back and another hour on hold. Never got through to anyone. This whole system is completely broken and they expect us to just wait around while our kids' futures hang in the balance? Unbelievable.

you dont have to do anything. if ur affected theyll just redo it automatically and send u an updated SAI. my daughter got hers redone and we didnt have to fill anything out again.

To specifically answer your question: There are three main ways to know if your student is being reprocessed: 1. Direct notification - You'll receive an email to the address on the FAFSA application 2. StudentAid.gov account - Log in and check for notifications or messages 3. FAFSA status - If you check your application status and it shows "processing" again after previously showing "completed," that's an indicator Importantly, if your daughter's early retirement distribution was reported as untaxed income on the FAFSA, there's a high likelihood you're in the reprocessing group. The Department of Education identified specific issues with how untaxed income was being calculated in the SAI formula. Regarding your financial aid package concern - contact the financial aid office at her school immediately. They can place a hold on her current package if reprocessing might benefit her, but you need to be proactive about this. Many schools have a process for these situations given the widespread FAFSA issues this year.

my cousin works in financial aid and she says like 40% of all applications are getting redone!!!! crazy how they messed up so many ppls forms

Just to add some clarity here - the Department of Education announced that approximately 24% of processed FAFSA applications are being reviewed for potential reprocessing due to the calculation issues. Not all of those will actually need changes, but they're reviewing each one. The main categories affected are: 1. Applications with untaxed income (including retirement distributions) 2. Families where parents file taxes separately 3. Multiple contributor households with specific income scenarios 4. Some dependency override situations The good news is that if you are reprocessed, the vast majority of corrections are resulting in lower SAI scores (better for financial aid eligibility). The challenge is timing, as many schools have already allocated their institutional aid. Federal aid like Pell Grants will still adjust automatically if your student becomes eligible.

Update: I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid this morning. They confirmed that our application IS flagged for reprocessing because of how we reported my husband's retirement distribution. They said we should receive the updated SAI within 7-10 business days and that we don't need to take any action. I also spoke with my daughter's school, and they said they'll review her package once the new SAI comes in. Thank you all for your help! I would never have known to call and check without your advice.

For anyone still trying to figure out if they're affected - I was in the same boat last week! Here's what finally worked for me: I logged into my studentaid.gov account and looked under "My Activity" where it actually showed a new entry dated this month even though my FAFSA status still said "processed." That was the first clue something was happening with our application. Then I got the official email two days later confirming reprocessing. So definitely check that activity log section, not just the main status page. Also, if you reported ANY untaxed income (retirement distributions, unemployment benefits, child support, etc.), you're very likely in the reprocessing group. Hope this helps someone avoid the phone hold nightmare!