To find your student loan servicer, log in to StudentAid.gov with your FSA ID and open the “My Aid” section — every federal loan you have is listed there with the current servicer’s name, website, and phone number. For private loans, which do not appear on StudentAid.gov, your credit report is the fastest source: it shows the company currently reporting each account. Servicers change more often than borrowers expect, so confirm yours before sending a payment or applying for a repayment or forgiveness program.
Look Up a Federal Servicer at StudentAid.gov
The Department of Education tracks every federal student loan from approval through repayment in the National Student Loan Data System, and StudentAid.gov is how you reach that record.1Federal Student Aid. National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) You sign in with an FSA ID tied to your identity.
If you don’t have an FSA ID yet, create one at StudentAid.gov. You’ll need your name as it appears on your Social Security card, your date of birth, your Social Security number, and an email address you can still access, since the site uses two-step verification.2Federal Student Aid. Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account
Once you’re in, go to “My Aid” and scroll to the Loan Breakdown. Each loan is listed separately with the current servicer’s name, website, and customer service phone number.1Federal Student Aid. National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) The record updates when the Department moves a loan from one servicer to another, so what you see is your current servicer, not whoever first handled the loan.
The Current Federal Loan Servicers
The Department contracts with a short list of companies. If a name on your mail or bank statement matches one of these, that’s a federal servicer, though you should still confirm it is yours now by checking StudentAid.gov:3Federal Student Aid. Finding Your Student Loans – Edfinancial Services
- Aidvantage — 1-800-722-1300
- Edfinancial — 1-855-337-6884
- MOHELA — 1-888-866-4352
- Nelnet — 1-888-486-4722
- ECSI — 1-866-313-3797
- Default Resolution Group — 1-800-621-3115 (loans in default only)
If Your Servicer Just Changed
The Department periodically reassigns loan portfolios. When that happens, your outgoing servicer must notify you at least two weeks before the transfer with the new servicer’s name and contact information, and the new servicer contacts you once your account is loaded on their end.4Federal Student Aid. So Your Loan Was Transferred – Whats Next A transfer does not change your loan terms, repayment plan, or forgiveness progress; everything carries over.5Federal Student Aid. Borrowers Rights and Responsibilities After a transfer, log in to the new servicer’s site and verify that your repayment plan, payment amount, and qualifying payment count all moved over correctly. If something looks off, contact the new servicer right away.
Find a Private Loan Servicer
Private student loans come from banks, credit unions, and online lenders, so they are not in StudentAid.gov. Your credit report is the best starting point.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Find Out Information About My Student Loans You can pull free weekly reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com; that free access is now permanent.7Federal Trade Commission. You Now Have Permanent Access to Free Weekly Credit Reports Look under “Accounts” or “Tradelines.” Each student loan entry shows the original lender, the company currently reporting the account (your servicer), the open date, and the recent balance. Private lenders report loans even during school or deferment, so your account should appear regardless of status.
If you remember the original lender but not who services the loan now, call the lender and ask. Some private lenders service their own loans; others hand them off to a third party.
Other Ways to Identify a Servicer
A few records you likely already have will name your servicer.
IRS Form 1098-E. Any entity that collects $600 or more in student loan interest from you in a year must send you Form 1098-E, and when a servicer collects on behalf of a lender, the servicer is the filer.8Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1098-E and 1098-T The name, address, and phone number on the form belong to the company handling your loan.
Bank statements and email. Search your bank’s online portal for ACH transfers, “student loan,” or the servicer names above. The merchant line usually spells out the servicer and a partial account number. Old billing emails carry the servicer’s return address, website, and phone number on every statement.
Your school’s financial aid office. Schools keep records of the loans they disbursed to you, including the original lender or originator.9Federal Student Aid. Record Keeping, Privacy, and Electronic Processes That tells you where the loan started, not necessarily who services it today, so treat it as a lead and verify through StudentAid.gov or your credit report.
If a Federal Loan Is in Default
A defaulted federal loan is no longer with a standard servicer. The Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group takes over defaulted Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and certain grant overpayments that have converted to loan obligations.10Federal Student Aid. Debt Resolution Reach them at 1-800-621-3115 (TTY 1-877-825-9923) or at myeddebt.ed.gov.11Federal Student Aid. How Do I Contact the Default Resolution Group Not sure whether you’re in default? The loan status appears next to each loan in the “My Aid” section of StudentAid.gov.
If You Still Can’t Find Your Servicer
If none of the methods above turn up your servicer, or your servicer’s records don’t match what you believe you owe, contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. The Ombudsman is a neutral, confidential office inside the Department of Education that helps resolve disputes about federal loan balances and account status.12Federal Student Aid. Feedback and Ombudsman
- Phone: 1-800-433-3243
- Online: submit a case through the Feedback Center at StudentAid.gov
- Mail: FSA Ombudsman Group, P.O. Box 1854, Monticello, KY 42633
For private loan problems — a servicer you can’t identify, or one that won’t respond — file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau online or at (855) 411-2372.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Where Can I File a Financial Aid or Student Loan Complaint