If you need to reach someone about your student loans, start with the type of loan you have. For federal loans, log in to StudentAid.gov with your FSA ID and open the “My Aid” page: it names the servicer assigned to each loan and lists that company’s phone number and website. If you can’t log in, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. For private loans, the federal database won’t help; pull a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com to see which company currently holds the debt, or check the promissory note from when you borrowed.1Federal Student Aid. Who’s My Student Loan Servicer?2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Find Out Information About My Student Loans?
Finding Your Federal Loan Servicer
The federal government owns your Direct Loans but contracts with private companies, called servicers, to handle billing, payments, and customer service.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 20 USC 1087f – Contracts Your servicer is the office you deal with for everything day-to-day: changing repayment plans, applying for income-driven repayment, submitting Public Service Loan Forgiveness paperwork, requesting forbearance, or asking for a payoff amount.
Every federal loan is tracked in the National Student Loan Data System, which feeds the information you see at StudentAid.gov.4Financial Aid Delivery. National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Once you log in with your FSA ID, the “My Aid” page lists every federal loan you’ve received, its current balance and interest rate, the servicer’s name, and a direct link to that servicer’s site.1Federal Student Aid. Who’s My Student Loan Servicer? If you don’t have an FSA ID or can’t recover it, the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 can help you reset access or confirm your servicer by phone.5FSA Partner Connect. Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC)
As of 2026, active federal student loans are handled by one of the following companies:
- Aidvantage — aidvantage.studentaid.gov
- Edfinancial — edfinancial.studentaid.gov
- MOHELA — mohela.com
- Nelnet — nelnet.com
- ECSI — efpls.ed.gov, primarily for Perkins Loans assigned to the Department of Education
When you contact your servicer, have your account number and Social Security number ready for identity verification. Electronic submissions through the servicer’s portal usually generate a confirmation number; save it. If you call, write down the date, time, and the representative’s name. Income-driven repayment applications and recertifications can take up to 60 days to process, so documenting the submission date matters.6Federal Student Aid. Top FAQs About Income-Driven Repayment Plans
Perkins Loans Are Different
No new Perkins Loans have been issued since September 30, 2017, but outstanding balances remain.7FSA Partner Connect. Participating in the Perkins Loan Program Some schools still service their own Perkins portfolios, so your college’s financial aid or bursar’s office may be your point of contact. Other schools assigned their Perkins Loans to the Department of Education, which routes servicing to ECSI at 1-866-313-3797. Check StudentAid.gov to confirm which applies to you.
Finding Your Private Loan Holder
Loans from a bank, credit union, or online lender don’t appear in federal databases. The fastest way to identify who currently holds a private loan is to pull your credit report, which lists every open account under your Social Security number along with the balance, account number, and a contact address. Even if the loan has been sold, your credit report reflects the current owner. You can get a free report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion once a week through AnnualCreditReport.com, and that free weekly access is now permanent.8Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Reports9Federal Trade Commission. You Now Have Permanent Access to Free Weekly Credit Reports
Cross-reference the balance and account open date on the report with what you remember about the loan to confirm you’re looking at the right one. If the loan isn’t showing on the report, go back to your original paperwork. The promissory note or disbursement notice names the original lender, which gives you a starting point for tracing the current holder.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Find Out Information About My Student Loans?
If Your Servicer Has Changed
Federal loan servicers change more often than most borrowers expect, because the Department of Education reassigns loans when contracts expire or shift. Before any transfer, your current servicer is required to notify you by email or letter at least two weeks ahead, and the new servicer sends a welcome notice with updated login details.10Federal Student Aid. So Your Loan Was Transferred — What’s Next?
Your balance, repayment plan, and progress toward forgiveness should carry over automatically. Still, log in to the new servicer’s website as soon as you get the notice to confirm your payment amount, due date, and plan are correct. Autopay generally does not transfer; you usually have to re-enroll with the new servicer to avoid a missed payment. Save your payment history from the old servicer in case anything needs to be reconciled later.
When Your Servicer Isn’t Resolving the Issue
If a servicer misapplies a payment, miscalculates a balance, or mishandles a forgiveness application, start with the servicer directly and keep the complaint in writing. If that doesn’t work, two offices escalate above them.
Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group
The Department of Education’s Ombudsman Group is a neutral office for federal loan disputes that regular customer service couldn’t fix.11FSA Partner Connect. Contact Information for the FSA Student Loan Ombudsman File through the FSA Feedback Center at StudentAid.gov. Include account numbers, copies of relevant correspondence, a timeline of what you’ve already tried, and the specific outcome you want. The Ombudsman reviews whether federal regulations were followed and mediates between you and the servicer.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
You can also file a complaint about federal or private loan servicing with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov or by calling 855-411-2372.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Where Can I File a Financial Aid or Student Loan Complaint? The CFPB forwards the complaint to the company, which generally responds within 15 days, or up to 60 days for complex cases.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Learn How the Complaint Process Works The CFPB is especially useful for private loan disputes, where the federal Ombudsman has no authority.
If Your Federal Loan Is in Default
Once a federal loan is 270 days delinquent, it goes into default and is transferred away from your regular servicer to the Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group.14Federal Student Aid. Student Loan Default and Collections FAQs For defaulted loans, the place to go is myeddebt.ed.gov, where you can see the current balance including collection fees and review your options.15Federal Student Aid. Debt Resolution
Two paths bring a defaulted loan back into good standing. Loan rehabilitation requires nine on-time voluntary payments within ten consecutive months under a signed rehabilitation agreement; once completed, the default status is removed and collection activity stops.16Federal Student Aid. Student Loan Rehabilitation for Borrowers in Default FAQs Loan consolidation combines defaulted loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan; if you agree to repay under an income-driven plan, you can consolidate without making additional payments first, otherwise you generally need three consecutive on-time payments before consolidating. The temporary Fresh Start program ended on October 2, 2024, so rehabilitation and consolidation are the current options.17Federal Student Aid. A Fresh Start for Federal Student Loan Borrowers in Default
Making Sure You’re Contacting the Real Servicer
Scammers routinely pose as servicers or government offices. The Federal Trade Commission warns that no company can deliver anything you can’t do yourself for free through StudentAid.gov or your servicer.18Federal Trade Commission. Student Loan Debt Relief Scams Treat the following as warning signs:
- A request for upfront fees before any work is done.
- A promise to speed up or guarantee loan forgiveness.
- Any request for your FSA ID login, which controls your entire federal aid record and should never be shared.
- Pressure tactics built around a “limited-time offer” or threats of consequences if you delay.
If someone contacts you claiming to be your servicer and you aren’t sure, don’t call back the number they gave you. Log in to StudentAid.gov, confirm your servicer’s name, and contact that company through the phone number listed on their official site. Report scams to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.18Federal Trade Commission. Student Loan Debt Relief Scams