To pause payments on federal loans serviced by Nelnet, download the Department of Education deferment request form that matches your situation, complete the borrower and certification sections, attach the required documentation, and submit the Nelnet student loan deferment form through your online account, by mail, or by fax. The Department publishes a separate standardized PDF for each qualifying situation at studentaid.gov, and you can also reach them through your Nelnet dashboard. Choosing the right form and attaching the right proof is what separates a quick approval from a denial letter.
Pick the Right Deferment Form
Eight deferment categories exist for federal student loans, each with its own form and eligibility rules. Submitting the wrong one is a common reason applications come back.1Federal Student Aid. Loan Deferment
- In-School Deferment if you are enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school. This is often applied automatically when your school reports enrollment to the National Student Loan Data System, but you can file it yourself if it hasn’t been.2Federal Student Aid. In-School Deferment Request
- Unemployment Deferment if you receive unemployment benefits, or are actively seeking but unable to find full-time work. If a public or private employment agency exists within 50 miles of your address, you must register with it. Capped at 36 months cumulative per loan program.3Federal Student Aid. Unemployment Deferment Request
- Economic Hardship Deferment if you receive a means-tested benefit such as SNAP, TANF, or SSI, or work full-time and earn less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline for your family size and state. Peace Corps volunteers also qualify. Capped at 36 months, granted in one-year increments that require reapplication.4Federal Student Aid. Economic Hardship Deferment Request
- Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment if you serve on active duty in connection with a war, military operation, or national emergency, including reservists and National Guard members called to active duty. Covers up to 13 months after qualifying service ends or until you re-enroll at least half-time, whichever comes first.5Federal Student Aid. Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request
- Cancer Treatment Deferment if you are receiving cancer treatment, as certified by a licensed physician. Covers the treatment period plus six months after treatment ends, with no fixed cap.6Federal Student Aid. Deferment for Cancer Treatment
- Parent PLUS Borrower Deferment for parents with a Direct PLUS Loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2008, while the student they borrowed for is enrolled at least half-time, plus six months after.7Federal Student Aid. Parent PLUS Borrower Deferment Request
- Graduate Fellowship Deferment if you hold a bachelor’s degree and have been accepted into a full-time graduate fellowship program that provides financial support for at least six months and requires periodic progress reports.8Federal Student Aid. Graduate Fellowship Deferment Request
- Rehabilitation Training Deferment if you are enrolled in an approved program providing vocational, drug abuse, mental health, or alcohol abuse rehabilitation services.1Federal Student Aid. Loan Deferment
Gather Your Documents First
Every deferment form asks for your Social Security Number and basic contact information. Keep your Nelnet account number next to you — Nelnet asks borrowers to write their name and account number on every page of any documentation submitted with the form.9Nelnet. Postpone Your Payments with Deferment or Forbearance Beyond that, what you need to attach depends on the deferment type.
In-School and Graduate Fellowship
The in-school form has a section for an authorized school official to certify your enrollment dates and status. You have alternatives: attach a separate enrollment verification letter, or ask your school to report enrollment to the National Student Loan Data System, which Nelnet can access directly.2Federal Student Aid. In-School Deferment Request The graduate fellowship form needs certification from an authorized fellowship program official.
Unemployment
If you receive unemployment benefits, attach documentation showing your name, address, Social Security Number, and eligibility for the period you are requesting — typically a benefits determination letter from your state unemployment office. If you are not receiving benefits but are job hunting, the form’s own questions about your search and employment agency registration are the record; no separate attachment is required.3Federal Student Aid. Unemployment Deferment Request
Economic Hardship
If you qualify through a means-tested benefit, attach proof such as a benefits award letter. If you qualify through low income, attach documentation of your monthly income. The form lets you choose: your gross taxable monthly income from all sources, or one-twelfth of the adjusted gross income from your most recent federal tax return. Pay stubs covering the most recent 30 days or an IRS tax transcript both work.4Federal Student Aid. Economic Hardship Deferment Request
Military Service
An authorized military official can complete the certification section. As an alternative, attach a copy of your military orders or a written statement from your commanding or personnel officer, with enough detail to establish the type of qualifying service and the service dates.5Federal Student Aid. Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request
Cancer Treatment
A doctor of medicine or osteopathy legally authorized to practice must complete Section 4, certifying that you are receiving or were scheduled to receive treatment, whether treatment has been completed, and the start and expected end dates. A separate physician letter containing the same information works as an alternative.10Federal Student Aid. Cancer Treatment Deferment Request
Fill Out the Form Section by Section
All the forms share a layout because they are standardized OMB-approved Department of Education documents.2Federal Student Aid. In-School Deferment Request Section numbers shift slightly between types, but the structure is consistent.
Section 1 — Borrower Information. Enter your Social Security Number, date of birth, full legal name, mailing address, phone numbers, and email. Check the box at the top if any of your information has changed since your last correspondence with your servicer.
Section 2 — Eligibility Determination. A series of yes/no questions specific to the deferment type. Read before you check: answering “no” to certain questions means you are not eligible and should stop. On the unemployment form, for example, answering “no” to both receiving benefits and seeking employment ends the inquiry.3Federal Student Aid. Unemployment Deferment Request
Section 3 — Borrower Certification and Signature. You sign and date the form, certifying the information is true. The form warns that knowingly making a false statement or misrepresentation may result in fines, imprisonment, or both under the U.S. Criminal Code and 20 U.S.C. §1097. Use the month-day-year format the form specifies.
Section 4 — Third-Party Certification. Most types require an authorized official to verify your eligibility: a school registrar official for in-school, a commanding or personnel officer for military, your treating physician for cancer treatment. A missing signature or incomplete certification here is one of the most common reasons applications come back.
Submit the Form to Nelnet
Nelnet accepts deferment forms three ways. The fastest is uploading through the secure document portal on the Nelnet website. Log in, go to the document upload section, and submit the completed form with any supporting documentation.9Nelnet. Postpone Your Payments with Deferment or Forbearance Write your name and account number on every page before uploading.
For paper submission, mail the completed form and documentation to:
Nelnet
Attn: Enrollment Processing
P.O. Box 82565
Lincoln, NE 68501-256511Federal Student Aid. Addresses for Correspondence/Form/Document Submission
Keep Paying Until You Have Approval
A pending application does not pause your payment obligation. Keep making scheduled payments until you receive confirmation that Nelnet has approved the deferment and updated your account. If you stop paying before approval arrives and the request is then denied, those missed payments count as delinquent. Once approved, your account summary page will show a new “Next Payment Date” reflecting the deferment period.
What Interest Will Cost You
Whether you owe interest during deferment depends on the loan type, not the deferment type. On Direct Subsidized Loans, Subsidized Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, and the subsidized portion of Consolidation Loans, the federal government covers the interest. On Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, and the unsubsidized portion of Consolidation Loans, interest keeps accruing the whole time you are in deferment.1Federal Student Aid. Loan Deferment
When deferment ends, any unpaid interest on unsubsidized loans capitalizes, meaning it is added to principal, and new interest is then calculated on the higher balance.12Federal Student Aid. Interest Capitalization You can prevent capitalization by making voluntary interest payments during the deferment period. Doing so will not jeopardize your deferment status; you remain in deferment even if you pay down accruing interest.
When Deferment Is the Wrong Tool
If you are working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness or income-driven repayment forgiveness, deferment can set you back. PSLF requires 120 qualifying monthly payments made under an accepted repayment plan while working for an eligible employer. Months spent in deferment generally do not count, because you are not making payments under a repayment plan.
An income-driven repayment plan can reduce your monthly payment to as little as $0 based on income and family size, and those $0 months do count toward both PSLF and the 20- or 25-year IDR forgiveness timeline.13Federal Student Aid. Income-Driven Repayment Plans A borrower whose income qualifies them for economic hardship deferment would almost certainly produce a $0 payment under an IDR plan. Deferment pauses both payments and your forgiveness clock; a $0 IDR payment pauses only the payment.
If Nelnet Denies Your Request
When Nelnet denies a deferment request, the servicer sends a written explanation identifying the specific deficiency. The common causes are fixable: the third-party certification section was incomplete or unsigned, supporting documentation was missing, or you checked a box in Section 2 indicating you did not meet an eligibility criterion. Review the denial letter, correct the issue, and resubmit.
If you do not qualify for any deferment type but still cannot afford your payments, forbearance is a separate option that pauses or reduces payments based on financial difficulty without the same strict eligibility categories. Interest accrues on all loan types during forbearance, so it costs more than deferment on subsidized loans. Applying for an income-driven repayment plan is the other route, lowering your monthly amount permanently rather than pausing it.