To figure out who to contact about your student loans, start by identifying whether the loans are federal or private. For federal loans, log in to StudentAid.gov with your FSA ID and open the “My Aid” page, which lists each loan along with the servicer assigned to it and that servicer’s phone number and website.1Federal Student Aid. Who’s My Student Loan Servicer? If you can’t log in or aren’t sure whether your loan is federal, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.2FSA Partner Connect. Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) Private loans don’t appear in federal databases, so those take a different route.
Finding Your Federal Loan Servicer
The federal government owns your Direct Loans but hires private companies to handle billing, payments, and customer service.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 20 USC 1087f – Contracts Those companies are your servicers, and the servicer assigned to your loan is who you actually call or write to about repayment plans, forgiveness applications, forbearance, deferment, or a billing problem. Every federal loan is tracked in the National Student Loan Data System, which is what StudentAid.gov pulls from when it shows you your loan details.4Financial Aid Delivery. National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
Log in at StudentAid.gov with your FSA ID. On the “My Aid” page you’ll see each federal loan you’ve received, the current balance, the interest rate, the servicer’s name, and a direct link to that servicer’s site along with a phone number.1Federal Student Aid. Who’s My Student Loan Servicer? If you don’t have an FSA ID yet or can’t log in, the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 can help you sort out access and confirm your servicer over the phone.
As of 2026, the Department of Education contracts with these servicers for active federal loans:
- 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
Perkins Loans Work Differently
No new Perkins Loans have been issued since September 30, 2017, but many borrowers still carry balances.5FSA Partner Connect. Participating in the Perkins Loan Program Some schools still service their own Perkins portfolios, so your school’s financial aid or bursar’s office may be the correct point of contact. Other schools have 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 situation applies to you.
Finding Your Private Student Loan Lender
Private loans from banks, credit unions, and online lenders don’t show up in the federal database. The fastest way to find out who currently holds a private loan is to pull your credit report, which lists every open credit account tied to your Social Security number. You can get a free copy from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion once a week through AnnualCreditReport.com; that weekly access is now permanent.6Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Reports7Federal Trade Commission. You Now Have Permanent Access to Free Weekly Credit Reports
In the account history section, look for the name of the institution currently reporting the debt, along with the account number and contact address. If your loan was sold at some point, the credit report reflects the current owner rather than the original lender. Match the balance and the account opening date to make sure you have the right loan. If nothing on the credit report looks like a student loan, dig up your original paperwork: the promissory note or disbursement notice names the original lender and lists the terms.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Find Out Information About My Student Loans?
If Your Federal Servicer Has Changed
Federal servicers get reassigned more often than most borrowers expect, usually when contracts expire or shift. Your current servicer must notify you by email or letter at least two weeks before a transfer, and the new servicer sends a welcome notice with updated login information and payment instructions.9Federal Student Aid. So Your Loan Was Transferred — What’s Next?
Your balance, repayment plan, and any progress toward forgiveness should carry over automatically. Still, log in to the new servicer’s site as soon as the notice arrives and confirm your payment amount, due date, and repayment plan look right. Autopay usually doesn’t transfer, so re-enroll to avoid a missed payment. Hold onto your payment history from the old servicer in case a discrepancy shows up later.
When the Servicer Won’t Resolve Your Issue
If a servicer misapplied a payment, miscalculated a balance, or mishandled a forgiveness application, start with the servicer directly and put everything in writing. If that doesn’t work, you have two places to escalate.
The Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group
The Department of Education’s Ombudsman Group is a neutral office that helps borrowers resolve federal student loan disputes when regular customer service has failed.10FSA Partner Connect. Contact Information for the FSA Student Loan Ombudsman File through the FSA Feedback Center at StudentAid.gov. Include your account numbers, copies of correspondence, a timeline of what you’ve already tried, and the specific outcome you want. The office reviews whether federal regulations were followed and mediates between you and the servicer.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
You can also file a complaint about federal or private student loan servicing at consumerfinance.gov or by calling 855-411-2372.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Where Can I File a Financial Aid or Student Loan Complaint? The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company, which generally responds within 15 days; more complex cases can take up to 60.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Learn How the Complaint Process Works The CFPB is your route for private loan disputes, where the federal Ombudsman Group has no authority.
If Your Federal Loan Is in Default
Once you miss federal loan payments for 270 days, the loan defaults and is transferred out of your regular servicer.13Federal Student Aid. Student Loan Default and Collections FAQs From that point, contact the Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group. You can see the status of a defaulted loan, check the balance including any collection fees, and review your options at myeddebt.ed.gov.14Federal Student Aid. Debt Resolution
Two paths bring a defaulted loan back into good standing:
- Rehabilitation. You sign a rehabilitation agreement and make nine on-time, voluntary payments within ten consecutive months. Once you finish, the default status is removed from the loan, collection activity stops, and you regain eligibility for federal financial aid.15Federal Student Aid. Student Loan Rehabilitation for Borrowers in Default FAQs
- Consolidation. You can combine your defaulted loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan. If you agree to repay under an income-driven repayment plan, you can consolidate without making additional payments first. Under other plans, you generally need to make three consecutive on-time payments before consolidating. Consolidation restores federal aid eligibility but does not remove the original default notation from your credit history.
The temporary Fresh Start program that offered a streamlined return to good standing ended on October 2, 2024, so rehabilitation and consolidation are the current options.16Federal Student Aid. A Fresh Start for Federal Student Loan Borrowers in Default
Making Sure You’re Contacting the Real Servicer
Scammers routinely pose as government agencies or debt relief companies targeting student loan borrowers. The Federal Trade Commission warns that no third party can do anything for you that you can’t do yourself for free through StudentAid.gov or your actual servicer.17Federal Trade Commission. Student Loan Debt Relief Scams Red flags:
- Upfront fees before any results are delivered.
- Promises of fast or guaranteed forgiveness. No one can guarantee or speed it up.
- Requests for your FSA ID. Never share it. That login controls your entire federal aid record.
- Pressure tactics built on urgency or threats.
If someone calls or emails claiming to be your servicer and you’re not sure it’s real, don’t act on the contact itself. Log in to StudentAid.gov, confirm who your servicer actually is, and reach them through the phone number listed on that servicer’s official site. Report scams to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.17Federal Trade Commission. Student Loan Debt Relief Scams