Unexpected Pell Grant for one child but not others - FAFSA calculation error?

The FAFSA formula changed DRAMATICALLY for 2024-2025 and again for 2025-2026. Many families who never qualified for Pell before now do! The new SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is totally different from the old EFC. Multiple kids in college doesn't reduce your SAI like it used to with EFC, but the Pell eligibility expanded. Your son might not qualify because of different income years used or different contribution calculations. I'd say this is probably correct!

same thing happened to my family!! my youngest got pell but older brother didnt. we called the school and they said its because of the new fafsa rules. something about how they count siblings in college different now? idk the details but they said its probably right

You definitely don't need to amend your FAFSA if you entered everything correctly. The government doesn't make "calculation errors" in their formula - it's all done by computer systems. What's likely happening is the significant changes to the formula between years. The big things that changed include: 1. The multiple children in college discount was removed 2. The income protection allowance increased significantly 3. The Pell Grant eligibility expanded So it's entirely possible your daughter qualifies under the new rules while your son doesn't. Also, did your income change between the tax years used? Did your daughter report different assets? There are many factors.

i would just take the money and run lol dont question free money from the government!!!

I've been working with financial aid for 15 years, and I can tell you the new FAFSA changes are creating exactly these kinds of situations. The Pell Grant eligibility expanded dramatically for 2025-2026, and families with incomes up to $90,000 can now qualify in some circumstances. The removal of the sibling discount means your son might not qualify while your daughter does, especially if they're using different tax years for the calculations. You should absolutely call your daughter's financial aid office to confirm, but don't be surprised if they tell you it's correct. This is not likely to be a mistake.

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center to verify your daughter's Pell Grant eligibility? I had a similar situation and was disconnected multiple times when calling the regular FSA number. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 10 minutes. They confirmed my daughter's eligibility had changed due to the new formula and explained exactly why. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was super helpful and gave me documentation confirming the calculation was correct, which gave me peace of mind.

UPDATE: I called my daughter's financial aid office and they confirmed that yes, the Pell Grant is correct! The counselor explained that the income protection allowance increased significantly, and we were just under the threshold for the new expanded Pell eligibility. My son doesn't qualify because they used our 2023 tax info for him vs. 2024 for my daughter, and apparently we made just enough less in 2024 to qualify. Thank you all for the help and reassurance! I'm still in shock that we actually qualified. This will make such a huge difference for our family finances!

so basically if ur kid goes to college in 2025 they might get more money than their older siblings did? thats kinda unfair to the older ones who missed out...

i had the EXACT opposite problem!!!! my oldest got pell but my youngest didn't and when i called they said it was because our income went up $2500 between the tax years they used for each kid and that was enough to push us over the limit for the second kid. the whole system is SO FRUSTRATING!!!

I'm so glad you called and got confirmation! This is exactly why I always recommend verifying with the financial aid office rather than assuming it's an error. The FAFSA changes really have been a game-changer for many middle-income families. The fact that different tax years were used for your two kids perfectly explains the different outcomes - even small income differences can push you over or under the eligibility thresholds. Enjoy that Pell Grant relief - you've earned it by being diligent and double-checking everything!

Wow, what a relief that turned out to be legitimate! I'm dealing with something similar - my daughter got a Pell Grant for 2025-2026 when we've never qualified before, and I was completely panicked thinking it was a mistake. Your story gives me hope that maybe the new FAFSA rules actually ARE helping middle-income families like they promised. I'm definitely going to call her financial aid office now instead of just worrying about it. Thanks for sharing your experience and the update - it's so helpful to hear real stories about how these changes are playing out for actual families!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a newcomer to this community and currently navigating FAFSA for the first time with my oldest starting college in fall 2025. Reading about all these changes to the formula is both overwhelming and encouraging. It sounds like the new system might actually help families like mine who always assumed we made "too much" to qualify for need-based aid but are still struggling with college costs. I had no idea about the removal of the sibling discount or the expanded Pell eligibility - the financial aid process feels so opaque from the outside. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the detailed explanations about how the new calculations work. I'm definitely going to be more optimistic when we get our aid package back!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last year, I want to reassure you that you did exactly the right thing by calling to verify! The new FAFSA changes have been a blessing for so many middle-income families who were previously caught in that terrible gap where you make "too much" for aid but nowhere near enough to actually afford college. What's particularly interesting about your situation is how the different tax years used for your two kids created such different outcomes - it really shows how sensitive these calculations can be to even small income changes. The fact that the income protection allowance increased so significantly means families right around that $85k range are seeing dramatic differences in eligibility. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation: always call to verify, but don't panic if you suddenly qualify for aid you've never received before. The 2024-2026 FAFSA overhaul was specifically designed to help more middle-income families, and it's actually working as intended for many of us. Congratulations on the unexpected financial relief - every bit helps with these college costs!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm new to this community and currently helping my twin daughters navigate FAFSA for the first time. Reading about how the formula changes are creating such different outcomes even within the same family is both fascinating and nerve-wracking. The fact that using different tax years can push families just over or under the eligibility threshold really shows how complex these calculations have become. I'm curious - for those who've been through this, do you have any advice on timing FAFSA submissions when you have multiple kids going through college in different years? It sounds like even small year-to-year income variations could significantly impact aid eligibility under the new system. Should families be more strategic about things like retirement contributions or other financial decisions that might affect their FAFSA calculations? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the official FAFSA documentation!

As a newcomer to this community, I can't thank you enough for sharing such a detailed experience! I'm just starting the FAFSA process with my first child and had no idea about these dramatic formula changes. Reading through this thread has been incredibly educational - I had always assumed we were in that "donut hole" of making too much for aid but not enough to comfortably afford college. The explanation about different tax years being used for siblings really illuminates how complex this new system is. It's both encouraging and overwhelming to realize that small income variations between years can have such significant impacts on aid eligibility. Your story gives me hope that families like mine might actually benefit from these changes, but also shows how important it is to understand the details rather than making assumptions based on past experience. I'm definitely going to approach our upcoming aid package with a much more informed perspective. Thank you for taking the time to update everyone with your resolution - real experiences like this are so much more valuable than trying to parse through official documentation!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to echo everyone's thanks for sharing such a detailed and reassuring experience! I'm currently going through FAFSA for the first time with my daughter starting college this fall, and I had absolutely no idea about these massive formula changes. Like so many others here, I always assumed we were in that frustrating middle ground where we make "too much" for any meaningful aid but nowhere near enough to make college affordable without stress. Reading about how the income protection allowance increases and expanded Pell eligibility are actually helping families around the $85k income range gives me so much hope. Your experience with the different tax years explaining why your two kids had such different outcomes is particularly enlightening - it really shows how much more nuanced and potentially beneficial this new system can be. I'm definitely going to approach our aid package with much more optimism now, and your advice about calling to verify rather than assuming it's an error is invaluable. Thank you for taking the time to share your journey and provide that crucial update - real stories like this are infinitely more helpful than trying to decode the official FAFSA documentation!