diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.ts b/frontend/src/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.ts
index 203c906..3c6a389 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ export function deepMergeWithDefaults<T extends Record<string, unknown>>(
     if (typeof sourceValue === typeof defaultValue) {
       result[key] = sourceValue as T[keyof T];
     }
+    // Special case: default is null but source has a value (nullable fields)
+    else if (defaultValue === null && sourceValue !== null) {
+      result[key] = sourceValue as T[keyof T];
+    }
     // Special case: allow null for nullable fields
     else if (sourceValue === null && defaultValue === null) {
       result[key] = null as T[keyof T];
diff --git a/frontend/tests/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.test.ts b/frontend/tests/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.test.ts
index 86824ab..140f8ed 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/lib/forms/utils/mergeWithDefaults.test.ts
@@ -190,6 +190,15 @@ describe('deepMergeWithDefaults', () => {
     const source = { value: null };
     expect(deepMergeWithDefaults(defaults, source)).toEqual({ value: null });
   });
+
+  it('uses source value when default is null but source has value', () => {
+    const defaults = { description: null as string | null, name: '' };
+    const source = { description: 'A real description', name: 'Test' };
+    expect(deepMergeWithDefaults(defaults, source)).toEqual({
+      description: 'A real description',
+      name: 'Test',
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 describe('createFormInitializer', () => {