Student loan help during government shutdown: What to know

At the Education Department’s Studentaid.gov, student loan borrowers can take many steps on their own, including applying for a new repayment plan or a loan consolidation and requesting debt cancellation, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

Those pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness can still submit the form to verify their employment and get a pretty quick count of their qualifying payments, Nierman said. PSLF allows certain not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans scrubbed after 120 payments.

But most loan forgiveness is on hold for now, she said, as the Education Department’s staff has to approve those requests.

You can likely get most of your questions answered with your student loan servicer, Nierman said.

“Loan servicers are government contractors and have funding to keep operating during a shutdown,” Nierman said. “Billing, payments and processing of certain applications, such as forbearance and deferment, should continue as normal.”

If you don’t know which company is managing your student loans on behalf of the Education Department, you can find out at Studentaid.gov.

Borrowers can look for organizations and nonprofits in their area that help people with student loan-related issues, consumer advocates said. For example, in New York, there’s EDCAP.

At the national level, there are groups like The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit offering advice and dispute resolution assistance.