You can know if your student loan is in default by taking the following steps:
- Check your loan status online: For federal student loans, log in to your account at StudentAid.gov using your FSA ID. There, you can view your loans and see if any are listed as in default or delinquent
- Review your credit report: Student loans in default will appear as negative information on your credit report. You can obtain a free credit report weekly from AnnualCreditReport.com to check for any default status on both federal and private loans
- Look for notifications from your loan servicer: If you miss payments, your servicer typically notifies you by mail, email, or phone. Once your loan is 90 days past due, your servicer reports delinquency to credit bureaus, and after about 270 days (for federal loans), your loan enters default
- Watch for collection activity: If your loan is in default, you may start receiving calls from debt collectors, and your loan may be sent to a collection agency. For federal loans, default usually occurs after 270 days of nonpayment; for private loans, it can be after 90 days or three missed payments
In summary, a student loan is typically in default if you have not made payments for about nine months (270 days) for federal loans or three missed payments for private loans. Checking your loan status online, reviewing your credit report, and monitoring communications from your loan servicer are the best ways to confirm if your loan is in default
