FAFSA form glitch when entering spouse's birthday - keeps skipping down

This is actually a known issue with the new FAFSA form's date fields. The problem happens because the form is trying to auto-format your input as you type. Try entering the date in MM/DD/YYYY format all at once without pausing between numbers. Another approach is to use the calendar picker icon instead of typing the date manually - that usually bypasses the glitch. If neither works, try using Chrome browser in incognito mode, as some browser extensions can interfere with the form functionality.

Thank you! I tried the calendar picker and it still skipped down, but entering the full date without pausing worked! Seems like such a simple fix for hours of frustration. I appreciate the help.

OMG SAME THING HAPPENED TO MEEEEE!!! i was ready to throw my laptop out the window!! the whole fafsa site is so glitchy this year i swear. ended up having to use my son's computer to get it working and even then it took like 4 tries. have u tried clearing cache??

I tried clearing cache on my iPad but didn't think to try it on my phone! Maybe I'll give that a shot if the problem comes back. Glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with these glitches!

If you're still having issues after trying the suggestions above, you might need to contact Federal Student Aid directly. This year's FAFSA rollout has had numerous technical problems, especially with contributor information sections. When I had similar issues with the parent information fields, I had to call FSA to get it resolved. Unfortunately, their phone lines are completely overwhelmed right now - I spent 3+ hours on hold before finally getting through to someone who could help.\n\nIf you need to speak with someone quickly, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of hold time. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

i tried calling fsa last week and got disconnected twice after waiting FOREVER. is this claimyr thing legit? sounds too good to be true tbh

It's completely legitimate - I was skeptical too but it worked exactly as advertised. You only get charged if they successfully connect you with an agent, and it saved me literally hours of waiting on hold.

have u tried using a different browser? the birthday field worked fine for me in firefox but edge was a disaster, kept doing exactly what ur describing. also make sure ur not using any autofill or form fillers, they mess with the fafsa site all the time.

I didn't even think about Firefox! I've only been trying Safari on my iPad and Chrome on my phone. I'll download Firefox if this happens again - thank you for the suggestion!

This year's FAFSA is a complete disaster. The Department of Education rushed the implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act and now we're ALL suffering for it. My daughter's college financial aid office told me they've had hundreds of parents call with similar technical issues. The date fields, the contributor sections, the signature pages - all riddled with bugs.\n\nIf you manage to get through the spouse birthday section and encounter more problems, document EVERYTHING with screenshots. Several colleges are accepting documentation of technical difficulties as a valid reason for missing priority deadlines. Also, your school's financial aid office might have workarounds for specific technical issues that the general FSA helpline doesn't know about.

That's really helpful advice about documenting everything. I'll start taking screenshots of any issues I encounter from now on. And good point about contacting the college financial aid office directly - I hadn't thought of that!

Last week i had the exact same issue with my husband's information. What finally worked for me was using the TAB key instead of mouse clicking between fields. For some reason, manually clicking caused the form to jump around, but tabbing through each field worked perfectly. Also, make sure you're entering the full 4-digit year (like 1975 not just 75). Hope this helps!

The TAB key! That's genius! I was definitely clicking between fields. I managed to get past this section already using the

when i did my fafsa for my son last month it kept glitching on the contributor screens too. what fixed it was logging out completely, restarting my computer, and then logging back in. also make sure ur using the right format for birthdays (month/day/year not day/month/year). the whole system is so annoying this year!!

The format issue is huge - I've seen many families get stuck because they don't realize the FAFSA system is strictly expecting MM/DD/YYYY format. The error messages don't clearly explain this either. Just another example of poor user experience design in this year's implementation.

Update: I finally got through the entire application! For anyone who might have the same problem in the future, what worked was: 1) Using the suggestion to enter the full date without pausing, 2) Using the TAB key instead of clicking between fields, and 3) Making sure I entered dates in MM/DD/YYYY format. After that, I had one more glitch on the signature page but managed to fix it by clearing my browser cache and cookies. Thank you all for your help - this community saved my sanity!

That's great news! And thanks for posting your solution - it will definitely help other parents facing the same issues. Just a heads up - you might want to check your SAI calculation once it's processed (usually takes 3-5 days). There have been some calculation errors in the new system, so it's worth comparing your SAI result against what your expected family contribution should be based on your financial situation.