diff --git a/api/src/services/text_processing/normalizer.py b/api/src/services/text_processing/normalizer.py
index 2163cbc0..f439dfaa 100644
--- a/api/src/services/text_processing/normalizer.py
+++ b/api/src/services/text_processing/normalizer.py
@@ -441,22 +441,6 @@ def normalize_text(text: str, normalization_options: NormalizationOptions) -> st
     text = text.replace('\n', ' ')
     text = text.replace('\r', ' ')
     
-    # Handle other problematic symbols
-    text = text.replace('~', '')    # Remove tilde
-    text = text.replace('@', ' at ')  # At symbol
-    text = text.replace('#', ' number ')  # Hash/pound
-    text = text.replace('$', ' dollar ')  # Dollar sign (if not handled by money pattern)
-    text = text.replace('%', ' percent ')  # Percent sign
-    text = text.replace('^', '')    # Caret
-    text = text.replace('&', ' and ')  # Ampersand
-    text = text.replace('*', '')    # Asterisk
-    text = text.replace('_', ' ')   # Underscore to space
-    text = text.replace('|', ' ')   # Pipe to space
-    text = text.replace('\\', ' ')  # Backslash to space
-    text = text.replace('/', ' slash ')   # Forward slash to space (unless in URLs)
-    text = text.replace('=', ' equals ')  # Equals sign
-    text = text.replace('+', ' plus ')    # Plus sign
-
     # Handle titles and abbreviations
     text = re.sub(r"\bD[Rr]\.(?= [A-Z])", "Doctor", text)
     text = re.sub(r"\b(?:Mr\.|MR\.(?= [A-Z]))", "Mister", text)
@@ -467,7 +451,7 @@ def normalize_text(text: str, normalization_options: NormalizationOptions) -> st
     # Handle common words
     text = re.sub(r"(?i)\b(y)eah?\b", r"\1e'a", text)
 
-    # Handle numbers and money
+    # Handle numbers and money BEFORE replacing special characters
     text = re.sub(r"(?<=\d),(?=\d)", "", text)
 
     text = MONEY_PATTERN.sub(
@@ -479,6 +463,22 @@ def normalize_text(text: str, normalization_options: NormalizationOptions) -> st
 
     text = re.sub(r"\d*\.\d+", handle_decimal, text)
 
+    # Handle other problematic symbols AFTER money/number processing
+    text = text.replace('~', '')    # Remove tilde
+    text = text.replace('@', ' at ')  # At symbol
+    text = text.replace('#', ' number ')  # Hash/pound
+    text = text.replace('$', ' dollar ')  # Dollar sign (if not handled by money pattern)
+    text = text.replace('%', ' percent ')  # Percent sign
+    text = text.replace('^', '')    # Caret
+    text = text.replace('&', ' and ')  # Ampersand
+    text = text.replace('*', '')    # Asterisk
+    text = text.replace('_', ' ')   # Underscore to space
+    text = text.replace('|', ' ')   # Pipe to space
+    text = text.replace('\\', ' ')  # Backslash to space
+    text = text.replace('/', ' slash ')   # Forward slash to space (unless in URLs)
+    text = text.replace('=', ' equals ')  # Equals sign
+    text = text.replace('+', ' plus ')    # Plus sign
+
     # Handle various formatting
     text = re.sub(r"(?<=\d)-(?=\d)", " to ", text)
     text = re.sub(r"(?<=\d)S", " S", text)