FAFSA shows no SAI due to 2022 tax errors - amend taxes first or contact schools?

First, take a deep breath! This happens more often than you think. You need to do both things simultaneously: 1. Start the tax amendment process immediately. E-file if possible - it's faster but still takes 8-12 weeks for the IRS to process. 2. Contact each school's financial aid office right away. Most schools have protocols for handling amended tax situations. They might be able to do a provisional aid package based on your corrected information while waiting for official IRS verification. I went through this last year with my son's FAFSA. The key is documentation - gather proof of what you're correcting and why. Schools can sometimes use professional judgment to move forward if you're transparent about the situation.

OMG this literally just happened to me!!! I had an issue where my 2022 taxes reported retirement contributions wrong and it messed up our FAFSA completely. NO SAI at all and my daughter's school was like "we can't do anything without it" 😭 It took FOREVER with the IRS (like 3 months) but the school was actually pretty understanding once I explained. They had me fill out some special circumstances form and submit a draft of my amended return. Not saying all schools will do this but it's worth asking!!! The waiting is the WORST part tbh. Good luck!!!

this whole system is such garbage. my brother went through something similar and missed out on thousands in grants because the corrections didn't process in time. you should call the schools but don't expect much help, they're all about deadlines and don't care about your situation. the fafsa is seriously broken.

If I were u I'd call the IRS first thing and ask how long amendments really take. Their website says stuff takes months but sometimes its faster. Also u should definitely tell the schools cuz they might have some kind of form for special circumstances? my cousin had to do something like that when there was a mistake on their taxes

Just wanted to share my experience with amending taxes during FAFSA processing last year. I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) extremely helpful when I needed to reach the IRS and FSA for my daughter's application. Instead of waiting on hold for hours, they held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ After fixing the tax issues, I also used them to reach the Federal Student Aid helpline to explain the amendments and confirm they were properly processing the updated FAFSA. Saved me hours of frustration and helped resolve everything much faster than I expected.

Financial aid professional here. This is how I recommend handling amended tax situations with FAFSA: 1. Begin the tax amendment process immediately. Document everything. 2. Contact each school's financial aid office with the following information ready: - Specific errors being corrected on your taxes - Estimated timeline for amendment processing - Copies of your original and amended returns - A written statement explaining the situation 3. Request a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Review" - the exact name varies by institution. 4. Ask if they can issue a provisional financial aid package while the amendment processes. Most schools have procedures for handling these situations, especially with the new FAFSA issues this year. The key is clear documentation and frequent communication. For the May 1 deadline: if needed, submit the enrollment deposit to secure her spot (even if you're not 100% committed) while the financial aid is finalized. Some schools will even extend your decision deadline if you explain the circumstances.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for the advice! I called three of my daughter's schools today and had completely different experiences with each: 1. Dream School: Super helpful! They're sending a Special Circumstances form and will do a preliminary aid package based on our corrected info. 2. State University: Said they absolutely cannot process anything until the amended return is processed by the IRS and shows up in FAFSA. No exceptions. 3. Private College: They're allowing us to submit a paper verification worksheet with our corrected tax info to get an estimated package, but nothing will be official until the IRS processes everything. I've started the amendment process and am taking the Professional Judgment Review route with the schools that allow it. Will update again when we know more!

has anyone ever tried getting an extension on the may 1 deposit deadline?? my sister needed one last year and just called the admissions office directly (not financial aid) and they gave her until may 15th

Just wondering - did you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you filled out the FAFSA? I'm confused about how it went through at all if there were tax errors that would affect the SAI calculation???