Missing SAI score on one child's FAFSA but not the other - reviewed multiple times!

This happened to me too! The system is incredibly frustrating. Did you by chance enter different household sizes on the two applications? That was my issue. Even though I had the same number of people in my household for both kids, I accidentally put different numbers on their applications. The FAFSA system flags inconsistencies across applications from the same household.

Omg I didn't even think about that! I might have put different numbers because my daughter is at college most of the year so I might have counted differently. Going to check right now. Thank you!!!

mine did that 2 and i thought i checked everything but turns out i didnt report some retirement thing on my sons fafsa that i did on my daughters. check all the parent boxes again. like ALL of them.

Thanks, I'll double check all those sections again. It's so hard to know what tiny thing might be causing this!

This is actually a common issue with the new FAFSA system. When you have multiple students from the same household, the system cross-checks information and flags discrepancies, even minor ones. Here are the most common issues that cause this:\n\n1. Different household size numbers\n2. Different reported assets or income\n3. Different contributor information\n4. Different marital status dates\n\nSince your daughter's FAFSA processed successfully, I would recommend printing out both applications side by side and comparing every single field. Look especially at tax information, household size, and parent/contributor information.

Thank you for this detailed response! I'm going to try your suggestion of comparing them side by side. Really appreciate it.

i dealt with the EXACT same thing last month!!!!! drove me INSANE!!!!!!! turned out i accidentally clicked \

It's so frustrating that one tiny checkbox could cause the entire thing to fail! Will definitely check those asset questions again, thanks for the tip!

Did you enter them at exactly the same time? I've heard the system can glitch if you're working on multiple FAFSAs simultaneously. Also, sometimes just logging out completely, clearing your browser cache, and trying again can solve these weird issues.

I did work on them pretty close together... that's an interesting point. I'll try the browser cache clearing too - at this point I'll try anything!

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline? I know the wait times are ridiculous, but they can actually see what's causing the error on their end. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to avoid the wait - they call and hold your place in line, then call you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of hold time. They have a demo video on how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent told me exactly which field was causing my SAI calculation to fail, and it was something I never would have caught on my own.

That service sounds amazing - I've tried calling twice and gave up after being on hold for 45+ minutes each time. Going to check this out, thank you!

does that claimyr thing actually work?? i spent THREE HOURS on hold last month and then got disconnected!!!!

I work in a financial aid office and see this all the time. The most common reason for one sibling's FAFSA working and another having the missing SAI issue is inconsistent parent/contributor information. Even small differences in how income or assets are reported between applications will trigger this. Our office recommends completing both FAFSAs in the same session if possible, and using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to ensure consistency. If you've already submitted your daughter's, you may need to make corrections to align with your son's application (or vice versa).

Thank you for this insider perspective! I did use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, but maybe there's something else I'm missing. Any other specific fields that commonly cause this issue?

Check the parent marital status date, asset questions (especially retirement accounts, investments, and real estate), and any business income reporting. Those are the fields that most commonly cause discrepancies. Also, ensure your children are reporting the same household members.

i bet its the stupid asset questions. those trip everyone up

Yeah those questions are so confusing! Like what exactly qualifies as an \

UPDATE????? did u figure it out? im invested in ur story now lol

Found it! You were right - it was one of those investment questions. I said \