What a student loan pause means and how it affects your payments
A student loan pause is a temporary stop on loan payments and interest accrual. When loans are paused, you are not required to make monthly payments, and in most cases, interest does not accrue — meaning your balance does not grow while the pause is in effect. The pause is set for a specific end date, after which regular payments resume.
Whether a pause is currently in effect depends on which president's policies are active and what Congress has authorized. Student loan policy changes with administrations and can shift based on executive orders, legislation, or court rulings. The most recent federal pause on Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) ended in September 2023, and payments have been required since then.
If you hold federal student loans, you should verify your current payment status directly with your loan servicer or through StudentAid.gov, because the status of your specific loans depends on their type and when they were issued.
Key Takeaways
- A pause stops your monthly payment requirement and usually stops interest from accruing on federal loans during that period.
- The most recent federal pause on Direct Loans ended in September 2023, and borrowers have been required to resume payments since then.
- Student loan policy can change with new administrations or legislation, so checking your servicer's website is the only way to know your current status.
- Different loan types (Direct Loans, FFEL, Perkins) may have different pause statuses, so you need to check each one separately if you hold multiple types.
- If a new pause is announced, your servicer will notify you by mail and email, and you will have time to prepare before payments restart.
How to check whether your loans are currently paused
Log into your account at StudentAid.gov using your FSA ID. Under "My Loans," you will see each loan listed with its current status. The status will show whether payments are required or paused, the interest rate, and the next payment due date if one exists.
You can also contact your loan servicer directly. Your servicer's name appears on your loan statement and on StudentAid.gov. Call the number on your statement or visit the servicer's website to confirm your payment status. Servicers include Mohela, Nelnet, Great Lakes, and others depending on your loan type.
If you receive mail or email from your servicer saying payments are required, that is your official notice. Keep that notice — you will need it if you later dispute a payment or need to explain a missed payment to a creditor.
What happens when a pause ends
When a pause ends, your loan servicer sends you a notice by mail at least 21 days before your first payment is due. The notice includes your new payment amount, due date, and payment instructions. You can set up automatic payments through your servicer's website to avoid missing the first payment after a long pause.
If you are unable to resume full payments when the pause ends, you can request an income-driven repayment plan, which lowers your monthly payment based on your current income. You can also ask about deferment or forbearance, which temporarily pause payments again if you meet specific hardship criteria. These options require separate requests and have their own approval timelines.
Missing a payment after a pause ends can damage your credit score and trigger collection action, so contact your servicer before the due date if you know you cannot pay.
Income-driven repayment as an alternative to a pause
If you cannot afford payments even after a pause ends, an income-driven repayment plan may lower your monthly amount. These plans calculate your payment as a percentage of your discretionary income — usually 10 to 20 percent depending on the plan — rather than a fixed amount based on your loan balance.
The four income-driven plans are Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). You can compare them on StudentAid.gov or ask your servicer which one would result in the lowest payment for your situation. Switching plans takes about two weeks after you submit the request.
Income-driven plans require you to recertify your income every year, and if your income changes significantly, your payment amount changes too. Interest still accrues on unpaid balances under most income-driven plans, so your loan balance may grow even though your payment is lower.
Deferment and forbearance if you face hardship
Deferment and forbearance are temporary payment stops for borrowers facing specific hardships. Deferment is available if you are in school, unemployed, or experiencing economic hardship; interest does not accrue on subsidized loans during deferment. Forbearance is available for a wider range of hardships and lasts up to three years, but interest accrues on all loan types during forbearance.
You request deferment or forbearance through your loan servicer. The servicer will ask you to document your hardship — for unemployment, this might be a letter from your employer or proof of unemployment benefits. The approval process typically takes two to four weeks.
Deferment and forbearance are not automatic when a pause ends. You must request them separately if you need them. If you do not request one and cannot pay, your loan will go into default, which has serious consequences for your credit and future borrowing.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness and pause periods
If you work for a government agency or nonprofit organization and are pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), pause periods may count toward your 120 may have access to payments. During the COVID-19 pause (March 2020 to September 2023), the Department of Education counted all months as may have access to payments even if you did not make a payment that month.
This temporary counting rule ended when the pause ended in September 2023. Going forward, only months in which you make an actual payment count toward PSLF, unless you are on an income-driven repayment plan and your payment is $0 — in that case, the month still counts.
If you are pursuing PSLF, check your progress on the PSLF Help Tool at StudentAid.gov. The tool shows how many may have access to payments you have made and how many you need to reach 120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the president pause student loans without Congress?
The president can pause loans using executive authority, but the scope and duration depend on existing law. Courts have challenged some pauses on the grounds that they exceed executive power. Congress can also authorize a pause through legislation. The legal authority for any pause is complex and subject to court review, so the status of a pause can change if a court rules against it.
Will there be another pause on student loans?
That depends on future legislation and executive decisions, which cannot be predicted. You should monitor StudentAid.gov and your servicer's website for official announcements. Rumors and speculation on social media are not reliable sources for loan status changes — only official notices from your servicer or the Department of Education are accurate.
What should I do if I cannot pay when the pause ends?
Contact your servicer before your first payment is due. Ask about income-driven repayment plans, which can lower your payment based on your income. If you face a specific hardship like unemployment, ask about deferment or forbearance. Do not skip payments without requesting one of these options, because missed payments damage your credit and can lead to default.
Do private student loans get paused too?
No. Pauses apply only to federal loans. Private student loans are issued by banks and other private lenders and are not affected by federal pause policies. If you hold private loans, contact your lender directly to ask about payment options or hardship programs they may offer.
How do I know if my loans are federal or private?
Log into StudentAid.gov — only federal loans appear there. If you have loans that do not show up on StudentAid.gov, they are private. You can also check your loan statements; federal loans will say "U.S. Department of Education" or the name of a federal servicer. Private loans will show the name of a bank or private lender.