I'm going through something similar right now! My dad's small business basically collapsed in January (way after we filed our taxes), and our SAI came back ridiculously high too. I started the professional judgment process at my school about 3 weeks ago and it's been a rollercoaster. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - when you call the financial aid office, ask them to email you a checklist of exactly what documents they need. Every person I talked to seemed to want something slightly different, and I ended up submitting way more paperwork than necessary at first. Getting that official list saved me so much time and confusion. Also, if your school has a student financial services website, check if they have the PJ forms available for download. Mine did, but it was buried like 5 pages deep and not easy to find. Having the forms filled out ahead of time when I called made the whole conversation much more productive. The waiting is the worst part honestly, but reading everyone's success stories here gives me hope that it'll work out. Fingers crossed for both of us!

This entire thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar boat - my family's financial situation changed dramatically after we filed our FAFSA, and seeing all these detailed experiences and tips is giving me the roadmap I desperately needed. A few things that really stood out to me from everyone's advice: 1) Starting the appeal process ASAP since it can take weeks or months, 2) Getting an official email checklist from the financial aid office to avoid confusion, 3) Keeping copies of absolutely everything, and 4) being persistent with follow-ups. I'm curious though - for those who had successful appeals, did you find it helpful to include a personal statement explaining not just what happened, but how the change specifically impacts your ability to pay for school? I'm wondering if adding that context helps the financial aid officers understand the full picture beyond just the numbers. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially @Natalie Chen for the insider perspective from working in financial aid! This community is amazing.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this shock - it's becoming way too common with the new FAFSA formula. That SAI of 38,000 essentially means they expect your family to pay $38k per year (not per semester), so with a state school's lower total cost, there's less room for aid to fill the gap. A couple of immediate things to check: 1. You should be eligible for more federal loans - first-year students can borrow up to $5,500 total ($1,750 subsidized + $3,750 unsubsidized). That missing $3,750 could help significantly. 2. Make sure to ask about work-study, payment plans, and any institutional scholarships when you call the financial aid office. 3. With two kids in college next year, you have a strong case for a professional judgment appeal once you have all your offers. The middle-class squeeze is brutal right now, but don't lose hope until you've seen all your packages and exhausted your appeal options. Many families have successfully negotiated better deals. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the sticker shock is absolutely brutal and unfortunately very common with the new FAFSA changes. Your SAI of 38,000 puts you right in that terrible "middle class penalty" zone where you make too much for significant need-based aid but nowhere near enough to actually afford these costs. A few immediate things to check: 1. That $1,750 is definitely just the subsidized loan portion - your daughter should qualify for an additional $3,750 in unsubsidized federal loans as a freshman (total $5,500/year). Call the financial aid office tomorrow to ask why these weren't included. 2. Ask about work-study opportunities, institutional scholarships, and payment plan options that might not have been in the initial package. 3. Don't panic about this first offer - wait to see all your packages before making decisions. Private schools sometimes offer better institutional aid despite higher sticker prices. 4. Start documenting everything for appeals, especially having two kids in college next year. Even though the new FAFSA doesn't auto-factor this in, schools can still consider it through professional judgment. The system feels broken for families like yours, but many people have successfully appealed and negotiated better packages. That first aid letter definitely isn't the final word - hang in there and advocate for your family!

I'm a newcomer to this community and just wanted to say how grateful I am to have found this thread! My SAI jumped from -$1,200 to $18,500 three days ago and I've been absolutely panicking about losing my financial aid. My family runs a small bakery so this sounds exactly like the Schedule C calculation issue everyone's been discussing. Reading through all these experiences has been both eye-opening and incredibly reassuring. I had no idea this was happening to so many students with family businesses, and knowing there's an official DOE review in progress gives me real hope. The practical advice about calling FSA at 8 AM, contacting my school's financial aid office about emergency aid, and starting the documentation process immediately has given me a clear action plan instead of just feeling helpless. It's amazing how supportive this community is - everyone sharing their experiences and tips has been such a lifeline. I'm going to start making calls tomorrow morning and following all the strategies people have shared here. Thank you to everyone who took the time to help others navigate this incredibly stressful situation!

I'm a newcomer here and just wanted to express my gratitude for this incredibly helpful thread! My SAI jumped from -$2,100 to $20,300 last week and I've been completely overwhelmed trying to figure out what happened. My parents own a small electrical contracting business, so based on everything I've read here, this is definitely related to the Schedule C calculation changes that are affecting so many family businesses. The detailed advice from everyone - especially about the 8 AM calling strategy, emergency aid options, and the upcoming DOE review - has given me hope and a clear path forward. I was feeling completely lost and isolated before finding this community, but now I understand this is a widespread issue with real solutions available. I'm planning to call FSA first thing tomorrow morning and contact my school's financial aid office about temporary assistance while I work through the appeal process. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and practical tips. It's amazing to see how supportive this community is during such a stressful situation. I'll make sure to update with my progress in case it helps other students dealing with similar SAI increases!

UPDATE: For anyone having similar issues, I finally got this resolved! Turns out there were two problems: 1) My son had entered my email with a typo as someone suggested, and 2) The system was getting confused because I had an old FSA ID from when my daughter applied years ago that used a different email. \n\nI used the Claimyr service that someone recommended here to get through to an agent quickly. They fixed both issues and now I can log in normally. Just submitted my parent portion today - what a relief! Thanks everyone for your help.

Wow, glad you got it sorted out! The multiple FSA ID issue is something I hadn't heard about before but makes total sense - the system probably didn't know which account to authenticate. Thanks for sharing the resolution, this will definitely help other parents who run into the same problem. The FAFSA rollout has been such a mess this year with all these technical glitches!

This is such a well-timed question! I'm in a very similar situation - we have about $150k in savings and are considering paying off our $130k mortgage before our daughter starts college in 2026. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful, especially the clarification about the prior-prior year reporting timeline. One thing that really stands out to me from this discussion is how the strategy seems to work best for families in that middle-income range where you're right on the edge of aid eligibility. The peace of mind factor that several people mentioned is huge too - the idea of not having a mortgage payment during the college years is really appealing from a cash flow perspective. I think I'm leaning toward the partial payoff approach that's been mentioned several times. Maybe paying off $100k of our mortgage to get most of the FAFSA benefit while keeping $50k liquid for emergencies and unexpected college costs. Has anyone who went the partial route found a good percentage to target, or is it really just a matter of running different scenarios through the aid estimators to see what works best for your specific situation?

This discussion has been absolutely fantastic! As someone just beginning to navigate this process with my son who's a junior in high school, I feel like I've gotten a masterclass in FAFSA strategy from reading through everyone's experiences and insights. The key takeaways I'm getting are: 1) Home equity doesn't count as an asset on FAFSA, so paying off your mortgage can help by converting countable assets to non-countable ones, 2) The prior-prior year reporting timeline is crucial for planning when you'll actually see the benefits, and 3) The partial payoff strategy seems to work well for many families to get FAFSA benefits while maintaining liquidity. I'm definitely going to use the Federal Student Aid estimator to run different scenarios and check our state's specific aid programs. The peace of mind factor that so many people have mentioned is really compelling too - not having a mortgage payment during college years would definitely reduce our financial stress. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences, especially the financial aid officer who provided the professional perspective. This thread should be bookmarked as a resource for other families going through this same decision process!