In short
For a federal student loan problem, contact the servicer in writing first, then take it to the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman Group; the CFPB says federal loan programs are the Department of Education's responsibility. Repayment rules changed in 2026: the SAVE plan ended by court order, new plans started on July 1, 2026, and income-driven plans are chosen at StudentAid.gov. Help from the servicer and the Department is free, so anyone who charges a fee for forgiveness or consolidation, or asks for your StudentAid.gov (FSA ID) login, is a red flag.
How complaints work in this industry
- If you disagree with your servicer about your loan balance or status, identify the problem, talk to the servicer, and if you still need help contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. USA.gov: student loan problems
- The CFPB says federal student loan programs are within the sole legal purview of the Department of Education and sends federal loan questions to studentaid.gov. CFPB: student loans
- In 2025 the CFPB received approximately 23,700 student loan complaints; companies responded to 69% of those sent to them and gave no timely response, or no response, to 31%, which companies attributed to litigation over repayment programs and changes in servicing. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report
- On March 19, 2026, the Departments of Education and the Treasury announced that Treasury will take over operational responsibility for collecting defaulted federal student loans, and in later phases will support non-defaulted loans. U.S. Treasury press release
Your leverage
- Servicers help you change repayment plans at no cost, and Federal Student Aid says its forgiveness programs are always free. Federal Student Aid: avoid forgiveness scams
- Aidvantage says only the government or the Department of Education can set interest rates, control income-driven repayment eligibility, or forgive student loans. Aidvantage: about
- A credit bureau must reinvestigate a disputed item on your credit report within 30 days 15 U.S.C. 1681i, and you can also dispute directly with the servicer that reported it. CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43
- From July 1, 2026, MOHELA gives a 1% interest rate reduction (up from 0.25%) for borrowers enrolled in auto pay, through June 30, 2028, if enrollment is completed by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31, 2026. MOHELA
Traps
- A court order ended the SAVE plan on March 10, 2026; affected borrowers must select a new repayment plan after they get a notice from the servicer. MOHELA
- The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) and the Tiered Standard Plan became available on July 1, 2026. MOHELA: about
- Income-driven repayment plans, including RAP, can be requested only at StudentAid.gov/idr, not by phone. MOHELA
- MOHELA reports a loan delinquent once it is 90 days or more past due on the last day of the month, and says it is not authorized to make "goodwill" credit updates, per Federal Student Aid's directive. MOHELA: credit reporting MOHELA: contact us
- Credit corrections take time: Edfinancial says credit disputes may take up to 30 days to review, and the credit bureaus may take 45 to 60 days to update their records after that. Edfinancial: credit reporting
- If you shared your login with a debt relief company, Edfinancial says to reset your FSA ID or servicer password. Edfinancial: contact
Scams to watch for
- Federal Student Aid says the Department of Education and its partners, including loan servicers, will never ask for your StudentAid.gov username or password. Federal Student Aid: avoid forgiveness scams
- Scammers ask for upfront or monthly fees while promising immediate and total loan cancellation, and send urgent messages saying a program is ending or your loan is "flagged for forgiveness"; Federal Student Aid says such messages do not come from the Department or its partners. Federal Student Aid: avoid forgiveness scams
- Debt relief companies often impersonate or imply an affiliation with the Department of Education or the servicer, use official-looking envelopes, letters and emails, call from spoofed numbers, and may tell you to stop or redirect your loan payments. MOHELA: avoid costly mistakes
- The FTC says never to pay an upfront fee, never to share your FSA ID, and not to rely on government seals or logos; report student loan scammers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. FTC consumer alert, May 21, 2025
- The FTC sued and settled with USA Student Debt Relief, which it said often misrepresented an affiliation with the Department of Education; the settlement banned the defendants from the debt relief industry. FTC testimony, March 25, 2026
- Edfinancial takes reports about third-party debt relief companies at CustomerResolutionsUnit@edfinancial.studentaid.gov. Edfinancial: contact
By the numbers
- Federal student loan complaints to the CFPB rose 24% and private student loan complaints 21% in 2025, compared with the prior two years' monthly average; complaints about a credit report or score rose 296%. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report