FAFSA won't accept my financial data fields - stuck on child support and account balances

Are you using any special characters when entering the amounts? The FAFSA system doesn't accept dollar signs, commas, or decimal points in those fields. Try entering just the numbers (6300, 4750) with no formatting and see if that works. Also make sure you're not leaving any required fields blank, as that can cause the page to refresh without any error message.

mine did the samee thing last week!! turns out i was logged in on 2 devices at once (phone + computer) and that was causing it to glitch. try completely signing out everywhere and then log back in fresh??

This is actually a known issue with the new FAFSA system. The financial data fields have been problematic for many applicants. Two potential solutions: 1. Try accessing the form during off-peak hours (like very early morning or late night) when server load is lower 2. There might be an issue with your session cookie. Try using an entirely different device on a different network (like using a computer at your local library or a friend's house) Also, be sure you're entering the child support as an annual amount, not monthly. I've seen many cases where the system silently rejects monthly figures entered in annual fields.

Call them!! My daughter had the same problem with her FAFSA (different fields tho, it was investment accounts and rental income). We tried EVRYTHING u did. Called FSA 3 times & kept getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours each time!!! So annoying!!!

Yes!!! We finally got it fixed but only b/c I used this service called Claimyr that got us through to a FSA agent in like 20 mins instead of hours. They have a demo video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their website is claimyr.com. The agent said there was a problem with our account and reset something on their end. After that all the fields worked!

Yes it worked great for FAFSA! The agent we got was super helpful and fixed our issue in like 5 minutes once we finally got through. Way better than waiting on hold for hours and getting disconnected!

The whole new FAFSA is a DISASTER this year!! First they delay launching it for MONTHS, then half the features don't work, parents can't link their accounts properly, and now this. My kid might miss out on thousands in aid because of their incompetence. I've been dealing with these exact same issues for weeks. Called their "help" line 8 TIMES and either got disconnected or told they "can't help with technical issues" - WHAT?? Isn't that LITERALLY their job?? The worst part is that schools won't extend their deadlines even though NONE of this is our fault!

I had this exact issue and here's what fixed it for me (took me forever to figure out): the problem is with how the SAI calculation system pulls your data. For some reason, if you're entering child support received AND you have savings accounts, there's a weird bug where it tries to count the child support twice. Try this workaround: 1. Save your application as-is without submitting 2. Log out completely 3. Wait exactly 24 hours (this is important - the system needs time to reset its cache) 4. Log back in 5. Skip directly to the financial information section using the navigation menu 6. Enter ONLY the child support information and save 7. Log out and back in again 8. Then enter the savings account information It's ridiculous that we have to do this, but it worked for me and two other parents in my daughter's school. The FAFSA system doesn't handle certain combinations of financial information correctly.

have u tried entering the $ amounts with or without cents? sometimes the system is picky about that stuff

Following up - did any of the suggestions work for you? I'm curious if the 24-hour reset method solved your issue or if you ended up having to call FSA.

I'm so relieved to see this thread because I'm dealing with the exact same issue! My FAFSA keeps getting stuck on the financial information section too - specifically when I try to enter my checking account balance and untaxed income. I've been refreshing that page for days thinking it was just me. The 24-hour reset method sounds promising - I'm definitely going to try Lucas's step-by-step approach tonight. It's incredibly frustrating that such an important system has these kinds of bugs, especially when financial aid deadlines are so critical. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

I'm having a very similar problem with my FAFSA! Mine gets stuck when I try to enter my parent's business income and my work-study earnings from this year. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cookies, even using my phone's hotspot instead of wifi. The page just keeps refreshing without saving any of the financial data. Reading through this thread gives me hope that the 24-hour reset method might work for me too. It's so stressful when these technical issues could potentially affect our financial aid eligibility. Has anyone else had success with the reset approach for business income fields specifically?

Wow, I can't believe how many people are dealing with the same FAFSA glitches! I just finished my application last month and ran into similar issues with the financial sections. What finally worked for me was actually a combination of approaches mentioned here - I used the 24-hour reset method for my savings accounts, but I also had to call FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The agent was able to see that there was a "session conflict error" on my account that was preventing the financial data from saving properly. They cleared it on their end, and after that everything worked normally. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through so many hoops for something this important, but at least there are workarounds. For anyone still struggling - definitely try Lucas's step-by-step method first since it's free, and if that doesn't work, the calling service might be worth the cost to avoid missing deadlines!

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm a college sophomore and had to deal with these exact FAFSA issues when helping my younger sister with her application last week. The financial data section was completely broken - it wouldn't save her part-time job income or our parents' retirement account balances. We tried everything mentioned here and the 24-hour reset method finally worked, but it was so nerve-wracking being so close to her school's priority deadline. What really bothers me is that there's no clear error message or indication that this is a known system bug - students and families are left thinking they're doing something wrong. I really hope the Department of Education gets these technical issues fixed soon because missing out on financial aid due to website glitches is absolutely unacceptable. Thanks to everyone who shared their solutions - you're helping so many families navigate this broken system!

I just went through this same nightmare with my FAFSA! The financial section was completely broken for me too - it kept refreshing whenever I tried to enter my student loan interest and my parents' 401k balances. I was literally pulling my hair out because I thought it was something I was doing wrong. After reading through all these comments, I tried Lucas's 24-hour reset method and it WORKED perfectly! I entered each financial section separately with the full 24-hour wait between them, and everything finally saved properly. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to use these workarounds for such a critical application, but I'm just grateful there are solutions. To anyone still struggling with this - definitely try the reset method first, and don't give up! This community has been amazing at sharing practical solutions that actually work.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My FAFSA application keeps getting stuck when I try to enter my parent's investment account information and my summer job earnings. I've been refreshing the same page for two days straight and was starting to panic about missing our school's deadline. Reading through all these experiences and solutions has been such a huge relief - it's clearly a widespread system bug, not something we're doing wrong. I'm going to try Lucas's 24-hour reset method tonight, entering each financial section separately with the full waiting period between them. It's incredibly frustrating that families have to deal with these technical glitches during such a stressful and time-sensitive process, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing practical workarounds. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document what worked for them - it's making such a difference for those of us still struggling with these broken FAFSA systems!

I'm currently experiencing this exact same problem with my 2025-2026 FAFSA! My application keeps freezing on the financial information section when I try to enter my parents' checking account balance and the small amount of child support we receive. I've been stuck on this for almost a week now and was getting really worried about missing deadlines. Reading through all these experiences and solutions has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is a known system bug and not something I'm doing wrong. I'm definitely going to try Lucas's 24-hour reset method, entering each financial section separately with the full waiting period. It's really frustrating that such an important application has these kinds of technical issues, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing practical workarounds that actually work. Thank you all for documenting your experiences - it gives me hope that I can get this resolved!