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Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Troubleshooting

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Purpose
Review the login troubleshooting guide for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with FACTS SIS.
Related Articles Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication for FACTS SIS
Checklist: Understand Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Basics
Manage Multi-Factor Authentication Credentials and Settings
Watch a Video Multi-Factor Authentication Training Class Video
Understand MFA Basics Training Class Video
Explore eLearning Troubleshooting MFA Login Issues

Overview

Administrators and school office staff may use this troubleshooting guide to get answers to common questions about Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) See Why Multi-Factor Authentication Matters for more information about MFA and resources to share with families in both English and Spanish.

Tip

Use ctrl+f on this article to search for a specific error.

Fix a login error

Review solutions to common errors during the login process. 

A parent or staff member is receiving errors while trying to authenticate.

Have the parent or staff member clear cache and cookies for all time. Parents and staff should be logging out of their accounts to prevent sessions from holding on, instead of simply closing out of their browser or window.

A parent receives an error that states "error when saving data" when attempting to connect to FACTS Financial Management or add funds to a prepay account.

School contacts, please contact our Account Management team.

  • FACTS SIS support: 1-866-800-6593
  • FACTS Financial Management support: 1-866-412-4637

Parents, please contact FACTS Financial Management parent support.

  • Parent support: 1-866-441-4637
A parent or staff member receives an error that states "oops something went wrong."
  • If the user has not completed their account creation, resend the Create Account invite. The user must click the registration link in the email and complete setup. 
  • Verify the parent or staff member is using the correct username.
  • Verify the parent or staff member is not duplicated.

If the issue persists, school contacts, please contact our account management team.

  • FACTS SIS support: 1-866-800-6593
  • FACTS Financial Management support: 1-866-412-4637

Parents please contact FACTS Financial Management parent support.

  • Parent support: 1-866-441-4637
A parent or staff member receives an error that states "We encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request. Your account is not linked to a person record at this school."

Review Staff Login Management or Family Individual Login Management.

  • If there is a username listed and grayed out, the user is most likely using the wrong username or they need to clear cache and cookies for all time.
  • If the invite is showing as sent but there is no username, the user must click on the registration link in the email they received to create an account, OR sign into an existing FACTS Financial Management account to link it to their SIS person record.
A parent or staff member receives an error that states "Access Denied" when logging in with MFA.

Use these steps to troubleshoot the Access Denied error. 

  • Log out completely. Ensure you are fully logged out of your account. Click on the logout option rather than just closing the browser.
  • Use a new or different browser. Instead of clicking the provided link, copy and paste it into a new or different browser. 
  • Manual Entry. Do not use autofill. Type in your username and password manually, as they are case-sensitive. 
  • Clear cache and cookies. Clear your browser's cache and cookies for all time to ensure no old data interferes with the login process.
  • Check for multiple accounts. If you had multiple user accounts for different FACTS products, try using the credentials for the other account.
  • Contact support. If the issue persists, contact FACTS Account Management.
A user entered the correct verification code, but receives an error saying it is invalid.

The following issues may cause this error:

  • The code is expired
  • The browser session has cached data
  • The browser autofill is interfering
  • The user is already logged in elsewhere

Clear cache & cookies for all time.

When a parent or staff member tries to log in, they receive an error saying the system does not recognize the username.

Select Forgot username/password to identify if you are using the correct username.

General

Review solutions to general MFA scenarios.

A student is unable to access Family Portal. Are students required to use MFA?

Students are not required to use MFA. However, students may be prompted to update usernames or passwords. Use Manage Logins to update student usernames, passwords, and email addresses in bulk.

Student accounts must meet the following criteria: 

Note

A valid, mail-receiving address is required on file for each student who signs into Family Portal. A workaround for schools that do not wish for their students to have or recieve emails is to add one generic, monitored mailbox in Email #1 for every student. That mailbox belongs to the school, not the students, and no student ever logs into it or checks it. The address only needs to be able to receive mail so the system can confirm it's real. Each student's other account remains in Email #2. Any integrations that currently reference Email #1 would need to be updated to reference Email #2 instead, so this should be coordinated before the change is made, to avoid disrupting existing classroom or rostering setups.

The MFA invite displays as Sent but there is no username listed.

The user must click the registration link in the email, then create a new account or log into their existing FACTS account. 

A parent or staff member selected the wrong authentication method during their setup.

If a parent or staff member needs to change their authentication preferences they may contact account support to verify their authentication questions and request MFA to be removed.  The removal will allow them to select their preferred authentication method the next time they log in.

  • School contact FACTS SIS: 1-866-800-6593
  • Parent contact FACTS Financial Management: 1-866-441-4637

They may also update their selected method themselves from inside their account. 

Users get an error when trying to log in through a bookmark.

Clear cache and cookies, then log in directly at factsmgt.com. Resave any stored bookmarks.

A parent is unable to start an application for my school.
Steps Example screenshots

The parent will need to Create an Account if they are new to your school. Then they will receive an email account invitation to Register.

 Account invite

If the system recognizes the parent has an existing user account with FACTS based on the email, they will be prompted to Sign in.
OR
They can Create a New Account, which will prompt the parent to setup their username and password, and record required demographic information such address, phone number, and authentication questions.

Once the parent clicks Save, they will be redirected to the create an application page within five seconds.

 account sign in
A user is not receiving the MFA verification email or the password reset email.
Parents with children at more than one FACTS school experience lockouts or confustion when logging in.

MFA is designed for one login across all systems. Make sure the user has the same email adress on all accounts so that they link, and is not already logged into another school in the same browser.

An authentication method shows for the user, but was not actually set up.
  1. Remove MFA from the user
  2. Have them reset their password
  3. Send them a new create account invite to set up MFA again
A parent or staff member's username is listed as "migration." 

This is not an error. This means that the person's username was not unique across all of FACTS and needs to be updated.

  • Once the parent or staff member attempts to log in to the SIS with their existing username and password, they will be prompted to setup a new username and password that is unique.
Tip

Use Create a Report: Family to build a report of individuals with usernames that contain "migration" who have not logged in and may need to update their username. 

  • There may be some individuals in the report who do not need their usernames to be updated. For example, individuals in past families that are never coming back will likely not log in again and do not need to update their username.
Example Create A Report fields

MFA Migration Report