You can find your loan number in five reliable places: your monthly billing statement, your lender’s online account portal or mobile app, the closing paperwork you signed when you took out the loan, your year-end tax forms, and a call to your servicer. Every lender assigns this unique string of numbers, sometimes with letters mixed in, so payments and correspondence stay tied to the right account. Knowing where to look saves time when you’re setting up autopay, filing taxes, or sorting out a servicing change.
Your Monthly Billing Statement
The quickest place to check is the statement your lender sends each billing cycle, whether it arrives by mail or as a downloadable PDF. Most lenders print the number in a header or account-summary box on the first page, near the due date and the amount owed. Look for a field labeled “Account Number,” “Loan Number,” or “Account Details.”
A fresh statement is generated every month, so it always reflects your current account, including any change that came out of a servicing transfer. If you’ve gone paperless, older statements usually sit in a document archive inside your online account for at least a few years, which gives you a backup if a paper copy has gone missing.
Your Online Account or Mobile App
Log in to your lender’s website or mobile app and open the loan account dashboard. The loan number typically lives under a tab called “Account Details,” “Loan Information,” or “Settings.” Digital access lets you pull the number up right away instead of waiting for the next statement.
Many portals display only the last four digits by default and hide the rest behind asterisks. A small “show” link or eye icon usually reveals the full number when you need it. This partial masking is standard privacy practice for financial institutions.
Your Closing Documents
The paperwork you signed when you first took out the loan holds a permanent record of your account number. For a mortgage, the two documents to reach for are the Promissory Note and the Closing Disclosure. The Closing Disclosure is required by federal regulation to include a “Loan ID #” that identifies the transaction for you, the lender, and anyone else who needs to reference it.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.38 – Content of Disclosures for Certain Mortgage Transactions This field usually appears at the top of the first page, near your name and the loan amount.
One caveat if you’ve refinanced: a refinance pays off your old loan and creates a brand-new one, which means a new loan number. Make sure you’re looking at the closing documents for the current loan, not the original.
Your Year-End Tax Forms
Tax documents are another dependable source. Mortgage lenders that receive $600 or more in interest during the year must file IRS Form 1098 and send you a copy.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1098 (12/2026) Student loan servicers follow a similar rule with Form 1098-E when they collect $600 or more in student loan interest.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1098-E and 1098-T (2025) Both forms include a designated “Account Number” box, and the IRS encourages lenders to fill it in on every form they file.
The layout is standardized, so the account number box sits in the same place no matter which lender issued the form. Look toward the lower portion. Lenders must send your copy by January 31 of the following year.
Call Your Servicer
If you can’t find any documents, calling customer support or sending a secure message from inside your online account is a straightforward fallback. The representative will verify your identity before sharing any account information. Expect to confirm your Social Security number, date of birth, or, for a mortgage, the property address. Once you’re verified, they can read you the full loan number or send it through a secure channel. This is especially handy right after a servicing transfer, when older statements show the previous number and your new online account may not be fully set up.
If Someone Else Needs to Call for You
If you want a family member, attorney, or housing counselor to handle the call, most servicers require a written third-party authorization on file first. The CFPB’s model authorization form asks for the third party’s name, contact information, and signature, and it expires one year from the date you sign it unless you cancel sooner.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Borrower Authorization of Third Party Your servicer may use its own version, so ask before someone else calls in.
After a Servicing Transfer
Servicing changes are one of the most common reasons people lose track of their loan number. When servicing rights are sold, the new company often assigns a different account number. The terms of your mortgage itself, meaning your rate, balance, and repayment schedule, cannot change because of the transfer, but your loan number, payment address, and online login almost certainly will.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Happens if My Mortgage Is Sold? Is My Loan Safe?
Federal law requires both the old and new servicers to notify you of the change.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1024.33 – Mortgage Servicing Transfers The new servicer’s letter, sometimes called a welcome letter, typically includes your new loan number along with the effective date and payment instructions. Hold onto it rather than treating it as junk mail.
If a payment accidentally goes to the old servicer during the switch, you have some protection. For 60 days after the transfer date, the new servicer cannot charge you a late fee or report you as delinquent for a payment you sent to the previous company on time.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Happens if the Company That I Send My Mortgage Payments to Changes? Start sending payments to the new servicer as soon as the transfer notice arrives so you don’t lean on that grace period.
The MERS Number Is Not Your Loan Number
If your mortgage is registered on the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), you may spot a separate 18-digit number on your deed of trust or mortgage document.8Fannie Mae. Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) Seller/Servicer Risk Self-Assessment That’s the MERS Mortgage Identification Number (MIN), and it is not the same as the loan number your servicer uses for billing. The MIN stays with the loan through servicing transfers, while your servicer loan number can change with each one.
The MIN still has a use. MERS runs a free tool called ServicerID that lets you look up who currently services your loan and who owns it, either online or by calling (888) 679-6377.9MERSINC. Find Your Servicer with MERS ServicerID You don’t need the MIN to run the search; you can verify personal details instead. If you’ve lost track of your servicer after a transfer, that lookup can point you to the right company so you can get your current loan number directly from them.