A number of federal student loan servicers notified borrowers they would be changing hands in 2022. Some have already made the switch.
Six million Navient borrowers are now going through a provider called Aidvantage but for the 8.5 million Fed-Loan borrowers the answer isn't so clear.
According to Studentaid.gov, Fed-Loan borrowers are being divided up among multiple providers. But Fed-Loan has also extended its contract through the rest of the year.
Experts with Student Loan Hero say as this gets sorted out, that's where the extended pause on payments comes in handy.
"I think that was part of the Department of Education's recommendation to the Biden White House and saying, you know what if the moratorium on those payments is extended to May 1, this gives us a lot more time to communicate with those borrowers," said Andrew Pentis, a Student Loan Counselor with Student Loan hero.
He said if you're trying to make a payment right now and are unsure where it's going, hold off and try to get in touch with Fed-Loan.
Studentaid.gov says if you haven't been notified about a new provider, then your loans are still through Fed-Loan.
Some of the delays could be attributed to the extra steps Fed-Loan has to take as the only provider that handles Public Service Loan Forgiveness. That's in the process of being transferred to the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority or MOHELA.
Although all the changes may seem confusing now, they should make paying student loans easier in the future.
"Going forward, it'll be less and less important who your servicer is. As long as you know how to access Studentaid.gov in the future, you should have a much more streamlined experience and be able to pay back your student loans," Pentis said.
To find more information on the status of provider transfers, you can visitStudentloanhero.com or Studentaid.gov.
