SAI doubled from 48000 to 103000 after FAFSA completion - can I appeal?

same thing happened to my son last month!! our SAI went from 32k to 78k for absolutely NO REASON. called FSA like 20 times and couldn't get through. eventually just gave up and accepted we'd have to pay full price 😡

This is unfortunately common with the new FAFSA system. Several things could have happened: 1. The initial estimate might have been calculated using incomplete data 2. Your corrections may have triggered a full recalculation using different factors 3. Assets might be weighted differently in the final calculation versus the estimate 4. There could be a technical glitch with the new system (very common this year) First step is to download the full SAI calculation breakdown from studentaid.gov and compare it to your financial information. Look specifically at how they're counting assets versus income. The new FAFSA has changed how they calculate contributions from assets, which is surprising many families.

You absolutely need to appeal this with each individual school your daughter applied to. The SAI is just a starting point - financial aid offices have discretion to adjust based on special circumstances, especially when there are obvious calculation errors. I went through something similar with my son last year (though not as extreme as your case). Our income had actually decreased, but our SAI increased by about 30%. We submitted appeals to all six schools with documentation showing our correct financial situation. Four of the six schools adjusted his financial aid package after our appeal. Two wouldn't budge. But it was definitely worth the effort - we saved about $12,000 in the end.

Try to call the FSA help center first before appealing to schools. I know its frustrating but you really need to understand WHY your SAI doubled before you start the appeals process, otherwise you won't know what to appeal. But good luck getting through to them!! I spent 3 days trying to reach someone about a similar SAI issue and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an FSA agent in under 15 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it because the agent I spoke with identified that my daughter's small business income was being counted as parent income rather than student income (huge difference in the formula). Once I knew the actual problem, I could file a specific correction.

The new FAFSA is a TOTAL DISASTER this year!!! 🤬 My daughter's SAI tripled and we lost all her aid. Called the "help" line 47 TIMES in April with no response. The entire system is broken and they DON'T CARE about struggling families!! Even if you get through, the agents have NO IDEA how the new formula works. One told me houses aren't counted, another said they are. USELESS!!! The schools won't help either - they just point back to the FAFSA. This is why college is unaffordable!! The whole system is RIGGED against middle class families!!! 😡😡😡

I've been helping families with FAFSA issues for years, and the most dramatic SAI increases I've seen are usually due to one of these issues: 1. Small business or farm assets being incorrectly reported (these have a HUGE impact on SAI) 2. Distributions from retirement accounts being double-counted as both income and assets 3. Parent vs. student assets being mixed up (parent assets are assessed at a much lower rate) 4. Multiple students in college not being properly counted (this can significantly affect SAI) 5. Technical glitches in the new system (unfortunately common this year) After you download your SAI calculation, check these specific areas. If you find the error, you can submit a correction to FAFSA directly. If the calculation looks technically correct but doesn't reflect your ability to pay, that's when you appeal to individual schools.

btw saw ur other comment that you have a fam business... my neighbor had EXACT same problem where his business value somehow counted twice in their calculation. call FSA asap!!

Just an update - I had a similar issue with my son's SAI calculation last month (jumped from 52k to 94k). After finally reaching someone at FSA, they identified that our rental property was being counted both as an asset AND the rental income was being counted as untaxed income. Once we submitted a correction clarifying this, our SAI dropped back down to around 60k. Don't give up! The new system has a lot of bugs, but they can be fixed if you're persistent.

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My SAI went from around 35k to 89k after we made what we thought were minor corrections to our FAFSA. Based on what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like business assets might be the culprit in many cases. One thing I learned from my financial aid counselor is that you should also check if your business income is being calculated correctly. Sometimes the system counts business income as personal income AND then also counts the business assets separately, which can create a double-counting situation. Also, if you haven't already, make sure to contact the financial aid offices at your daughter's schools ASAP to let them know you're working on correcting this. Many schools will hold off on finalizing aid packages if they know there's a pending FAFSA correction. Don't wait until the correction is processed - reach out now! The whole system is definitely buggy this year, but I've seen several success stories where families got it sorted out. Hang in there!

This is such a frustrating situation, but you're definitely not alone! The new FAFSA system has been causing these dramatic SAI jumps for so many families this year. Based on what you've shared about having a family business, that's very likely where the problem lies. The business valuation can have an enormous impact on your SAI calculation, and there are several ways it can go wrong in the system: 1. Business assets being double-counted (once as business value, again as personal assets) 2. Business income being treated as both taxed and untaxed income 3. The business net worth calculation including things it shouldn't (like equipment that's already depreciated) Before you spend hours on hold with FSA, I'd suggest downloading your detailed SAI calculation first and looking specifically at how they're treating your husband's consulting business. Compare what they have listed against what you actually reported. Also, definitely reach out to your daughter's schools NOW - don't wait for the correction to be processed. Most financial aid offices are aware of these FAFSA issues and will work with you if you're proactive about communicating the problem. You mentioned your income actually decreased, so this increase makes no sense. That alone should be grounds for both a FAFSA correction AND school appeals if needed. Stay persistent - I've seen too many families get this resolved to give up hope!

I went through almost the exact same thing last year! Our SAI jumped from 42k to 95k overnight and we were panicking. Turns out it was a business asset reporting issue - the system was counting my wife's small photography business assets twice in the calculation. Here's what worked for us: 1. Downloaded the detailed SAI breakdown (this was KEY - showed us exactly where the error was) 2. Called FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above (honestly worth every penny to skip the hold times) 3. The agent found that business equipment was being counted as both business assets AND personal investments 4. Filed a correction that took about 2.5 weeks to process 5. Final SAI came back to 48k, very close to our original estimate The most important thing is to act fast and contact your daughter's schools immediately. We emailed all her top choices explaining the situation and asking for extended decision deadlines. Three out of four schools were totally understanding and held her spot while we fixed the FAFSA. Don't lose hope - the new system is buggy but these errors CAN be corrected. Focus on that business valuation section in your SAI breakdown - I bet that's where you'll find the problem!