My FAFSA SAI jumped from 18,000 to 210,000 with no income changes - what's going on?

This definitely sounds like either a data entry error or a system glitch! I've seen similar issues with dramatic SAI increases, though yours is much more extreme than usual. First, log into your studentaid.gov account and carefully review the exact numbers you entered, especially checking for decimal point errors (like entering $200,000 instead of $20,000 for something). Check all asset reporting sections - sometimes people inadvertently enter retirement account values in the wrong field, and those shouldn't count toward FAFSA. Also, the new FAFSA formula heavily weighs real estate and business assets differently - did you report any property or business ownership differently this year?

omg same thing happened to my cousin!! her SAI went from like 22k to 198k and turns out she accidentaly put her house value in the wrong box!! check all ur asset entries, especialy any retirement or college savings acounts. sometimes the form is super confusing about which assets count and which dont.

There are a few specific things that could cause such a dramatic SAI increase: 1. Check if you accidentally reported retirement assets as non-retirement investments (this is the most common error I see) 2. Verify you correctly reported the value of your primary residence (it should NOT be included as an asset) 3. Make sure you didn't accidentally report the same income twice in different sections 4. Check if you mistakenly included a one-time distribution or rollover as regular income 5. Review how many people in your household are in college (this dramatically affects SAI) If none of these solve it, you'll need to submit a correction. If the online correction doesn't fix it, you may need to contact your school's financial aid office to request a professional judgment review.

Have you tried calling FSA to ask what's going on? I spent FOREVER trying to get through last month but I know they can pull up your application and tell you exactly what's different between years. They can also see if it was a system error on their end.

The new FAFSA formula for 2025-2026 has some MAJOR changes in how they calculate SAI. They're using a different income protection allowance and asset calculation method. But still, a jump from 18K to 210K seems WAY beyond what those changes would cause. Did you have any unusual income events last year? Capital gains from stock sales? Retirement distributions? Property sale? Inheritance? The new formula is much more sensitive to one-time income events than the old one was.

i bet u entered a number with an extra zero somewhere lol. hapened to me this year and i nearly had a heart attack when i saw my SAI. checked my app and realized i put $230,000 for my moms income instead of $23,000 🤦‍♀️ submitted a correction and it took like 3 weeks to process but evntually got fixed

Update: I think I found the issue! When reporting our assets, I misunderstood the question about "current value of investments" and included our retirement accounts (about $580K combined). After researching more, I now realize those should NOT have been reported as they're protected retirement assets. I just submitted a correction online. Does anyone know how long it typically takes for corrections to process? We're on a tight timeline with my daughter's tuition due soon.

good catch!!! thats EXACTLY what my aunt did last year!! added her retirement as regular investments and her SAI was insane. when she fixed it her SAI dropped by like 150k

Ugh the FAFSA is THE WORST. they make these forms so confusing and then act like its our fault when we mess up. just another way the system is rigged against regular families trying to pay for college 😡

I'm so glad you figured out the issue! That retirement account mistake is probably the #1 cause of massive SAI increases - I see it all the time in financial aid groups. Just a heads up that while you're waiting for the correction to process, you should also double-check that you didn't accidentally include any of these other protected assets: life insurance cash value, annuities held in retirement accounts, or any small business assets if you own less than 100 employees. The good news is once your correction processes, your SAI should drop back down to something much more reasonable. Keep us posted on how it turns out!

This is such a stressful situation, but you're definitely not alone! The retirement account mix-up is incredibly common - the FAFSA wording around "investments" is so misleading. I made a similar mistake two years ago and my SAI went from 25K to 180K overnight. The panic is real! One thing to add to the great advice already given - when you call your daughter's school, ask specifically about their "professional judgment" process. Even if your correction takes a few weeks to process, many financial aid offices can make temporary adjustments based on documentation you provide directly to them. They can often restore aid packages while waiting for the official FAFSA correction to come through. Also, keep detailed notes of every call and email - if there are any delays, having a paper trail helps expedite things. You caught this early enough in the process that it should all work out fine!

Just wanted to say how glad I am that you found the issue! The retirement account mistake is SO common - I work as a financial aid counselor and see this exact scenario multiple times every year. The FAFSA form really should have clearer instructions about what qualifies as "investments" vs. protected retirement assets. A couple additional tips while you wait for your correction to process: 1. Print or screenshot your corrected FAFSA submission confirmation - schools often want proof you've submitted corrections 2. If your daughter's school has a student portal, check if there's a way to upload documents directly to her financial aid file explaining the situation 3. Some schools have emergency aid funds or short-term loans specifically for situations like this where there are FAFSA processing delays The fact that you caught this early and already submitted the correction puts you in a much better position than families who don't realize the mistake until after aid has already been finalized. Your SAI should drop dramatically once the correction processes - probably back to something very close to your original 18K range. Keep us updated on how everything works out!

I'm so relieved you found the problem! That retirement account confusion is honestly one of the most stressful FAFSA mistakes because the SAI impact is so dramatic. I went through something similar last year - not quite as extreme, but my SAI nearly doubled when I accidentally included my husband's pension value as a regular asset. One thing that really helped us was calling the school's financial aid office the same day I submitted my FAFSA correction. The counselor was incredibly understanding and actually flagged our account for priority review once the correction came through. She also mentioned that they see this exact mistake several times each aid cycle, so don't feel bad about it! Since you're dealing with timing pressure, definitely ask about their appeals process too. Even if everything processes smoothly, having that information upfront can save you stress later. Fingers crossed your correction processes quickly and gets your daughter's aid package back on track! 🤞