If your student-loan bill no longer fits your budget, act before the next payment is missed: sign in to StudentAid.gov to confirm the loan type, servicer, repayment plan and status, then contact the servicer. For a problem that is likely to last, compare the income-driven repayment (IDR) plans available for your loans. For a short-term setback, ask about deferment or forbearance and get the interest and forgiveness consequences in writing.
Federal rules do not automatically apply to private loans. The steps below focus on federal loans and identify where a private-loan borrower must follow the lender’s contract instead.
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Start with these checks before you miss a payment
- Open your StudentAid.gov account. Confirm whether each loan is federal, identify the current servicer, note the repayment status and plan, and review balances and original disbursement dates. Loan type and disbursement date can determine which repayment plans you can use.
- Contact the servicer promptly. Explain the amount you can realistically pay and whether the income drop or expense is temporary or ongoing. Ask which plans, deferments or forbearances you may qualify for, how to apply, and the date any change would take effect.
- Keep following the existing bill until a change is confirmed. A submitted application or phone conversation does not by itself change the amount due. Ask how to make the next payment while a request is pending and save confirmation numbers and messages.
Getting the account details first prevents a common mistake: choosing a solution designed for a different loan type or assuming that a pending request has already stopped billing.
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| Situation | Route to investigate | What it can do | Costs and status questions to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income or household budget is lower for the foreseeable future | Eligible income-driven repayment plan | Sets the monthly payment using income and family size; some eligible payments may be as low as $0 | Ask how interest, total repayment time and your applicable forgiveness program will be affected |
| Temporary financial shock, such as a short gap in work | Deferment, if available for your circumstances | May pause or reduce required payments for an approved period | Confirm whether interest accrues on each loan and whether the period counts toward the forgiveness path you are pursuing |
| Temporary hardship when deferment is unavailable or unsuitable | Forbearance | May pause or reduce payments for an approved period | Interest may accrue, and time in forbearance generally does not advance Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or IDR forgiveness progress |
| A payment has already been missed | Servicer’s delinquency and cure options | May help bring the account current or prevent further escalation | Ask for the exact delinquency date, amount needed to become current and the deadline before additional reporting or default action |
| Loan is already in federal default | Default Resolution Group or assigned loan holder; compare rehabilitation and consolidation | Provides separate federal routes to resolve the default | Eligibility, payment requirements, credit-history effects and costs differ; obtain the terms before choosing |
For an ongoing problem, investigate income-driven repayment first
IDR plans calculate a required payment from your income and family size rather than relying only on the original balance and standard schedule. Depending on the plan rules and your circumstances, the calculated payment can be as low as $0. A $0 bill is still an approved payment only after the plan is granted; it is not the same as simply skipping a bill.
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Check eligibility instead of assuming every plan is available
Federal IDR eligibility depends on factors that include the loan type and when the loan was disbursed. Use the official Federal Student Aid Repayment Calculator and application, then have the servicer verify which plan is available for each loan. If you have several loans, ask whether they must be handled separately or can be covered together under the application you submit.
Compare more than the new monthly bill
- Cash flow: What is the actual scheduled payment after approval, and on what date will it start?
- Total interest: A lower payment can extend repayment and increase the total amount paid over time.
- Forgiveness progress: Ask whether payments under the selected plan count toward the specific forgiveness program you are using and what happens during any nonpayment period.
- Recertification and documentation: Confirm what income and family information the servicer needs and when it must be updated so the payment does not change unexpectedly.
Federal Student Aid advises looking into an IDR plan before requesting deferment or forbearance when a lower payment is needed because of a long-term problem. That ordering matters: a temporary pause can relieve this month’s bill but may not solve an affordability problem that will continue.
Use deferment or forbearance as a temporary bridge
Deferment and forbearance are not interchangeable permanent repayment plans. They may pause or reduce required payments for an approved period, but interest may accrue. Ask the servicer to explain which loans will accrue interest, whether unpaid interest will be added to the principal, the exact start and end dates, and the payment due immediately afterward.
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Check the effect on forgiveness before accepting a pause
Forbearance generally does not advance progress toward PSLF or IDR forgiveness. Do not assume that a paused month will count simply because the loan remains in good standing. If forgiveness is part of your plan, ask for a loan-specific explanation of whether the proposed deferment or forbearance period qualifies.
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Get the approval and dates in writing
Ask when the relief becomes effective and how the servicer will show it on your account. Until the servicer confirms approval, continue to follow the current payment obligation. Put a reminder on your calendar before the relief ends so you can reassess the payment or apply for a longer-term plan rather than miss the first payment after the pause.
If you already missed a payment, move quickly
A federal loan becomes delinquent when a scheduled payment is missed. Federal Student Aid states that delinquency at 90 days or more can be reported to the three major national credit bureaus. A delinquent federal loan generally enters default after 270 days. Those milestones make the date of the first missed payment important.
- Call the servicer immediately. Ask how much is needed to bring the account current, whether a repayment-plan change can be processed, and what date the account will be reported or transferred if you do nothing.
- Check the status online. Compare the servicer’s information with the status shown in StudentAid.gov and keep copies of notices and payment records.
- Choose a cure that fits the cause. If the problem is ongoing, ask about an eligible IDR plan. If the missed payment resulted from a short event, ask whether a deferment or forbearance is available and when it would take effect.
- Do not wait for the 270-day point. Once a loan is in default, ordinary plan changes may no longer be the right channel and separate federal resolution rules apply.
If the federal loan is already in default
Use the federal default information for your account and contact the Default Resolution Group or the loan holder assigned to you. The two commonly discussed federal routes are rehabilitation and consolidation, but they do not have identical requirements or consequences.
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Federal Student Aid describes rehabilitation as requiring nine qualifying payments. When rehabilitation is successfully completed, the default status can be removed from the borrower’s credit history. Ask the loan holder to state the required payment amount, the months that will count, and what happens if a scheduled rehabilitation payment is missed.
Consolidation
Consolidation can be another way to resolve a federal default, subject to eligibility and the terms offered. Ask how the new loan’s interest rate, repayment period, total cost, collection charges and credit reporting would differ from rehabilitation. Do not choose consolidation solely because it appears faster; compare the written consequences with the rehabilitation terms for your account.
Until one of these routes is formally completed, the loan remains subject to the consequences of default. The Default Resolution Group or assigned holder can tell you which option is open and what application or payment is required.
Important 2026 rule change: the SAVE Plan ended
Federal Student Aid says the SAVE Plan ended in March 2026. Borrowers who were enrolled in SAVE are directed to select another eligible repayment plan. The plans displayed for you depend on your loan type and disbursement dates, so use the current StudentAid.gov calculator and application rather than relying on an older SAVE estimate or a third-party chart.
If your account still displays SAVE, ask the servicer which plan-transition step is required, the deadline for selecting a replacement and the payment due while the change is processed. A plan name shown in an old notice does not establish that the plan remains available.
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Reduce interest where an eligible federal loan qualifies
Federal Student Aid’s current repayment guidance says an eligible Direct Loan may receive a 1% automatic-payment interest-rate reduction. The reduction began July 1, 2026, applies to eligible Direct Loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2012, and is subject to the program’s conditions and duration. This lowers interest cost; it is not a substitute for an unaffordable-payment remedy and does not by itself change the scheduled payment enough to solve a hardship.
Ask the servicer whether each of your loans meets the eligibility conditions, when the reduction will appear and what happens if an automatic payment is returned or canceled. Do not enroll in auto-pay merely to obtain the reduction if the withdrawal date would overdraw your account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Private student loans require a separate approach
Federal IDR plans, the 90-day and 270-day federal milestones, federal rehabilitation and the SAVE transition do not automatically apply to private loans. Your private lender’s promissory note and hardship policy control. Contact that lender or servicer before missing a payment and ask, in writing:
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- How interest is calculated and whether unpaid interest is added to the balance
- How the arrangement will be reported to credit bureaus
- Whether a co-signer remains liable and whether the arrangement changes that liability
- What payment and status will resume when the arrangement ends
Do not assume a private lender offers forgiveness, a federal-style $0 payment or the same credit-reporting timeline as a federal loan.
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A practical call script and record-keeping checklist
When you contact the servicer, state: “My current payment is unaffordable because of [income or expense change]. I can pay approximately [amount] per month. Please review every eligible IDR plan and any temporary deferment or forbearance, and tell me the effective date, interest treatment, forgiveness impact and documents required.”
Record the representative’s name, date, confirmation number, documents requested, promised follow-up date and the payment amount currently due. Save screenshots of your account status and copies of submitted forms. If the servicer gives conflicting answers, request the explanation in writing and escalate through the servicer’s complaint process while continuing to protect the account from further delinquency.
Bottom line
Verify the loan and status, contact the servicer before the next missed payment, and use an eligible IDR plan as the first route for a lasting affordability problem. Reserve deferment or forbearance for a defined short-term hardship after checking interest and forgiveness effects. If you are delinquent or in default, act on the account’s specific federal resolution channel immediately; if the loan is private, follow the lender’s contract rather than federal assumptions.
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