A “deferment” is a period of time in which repayment of both your principal balance and accrued interest are temporarily delayed. While the government may pay interest on Direct Subsidized Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, or Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans during a deferment, it will not pay interest on unsubsidized or PLUS loans.If you have Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), or Perkins Loans, you may be eligible for deferment during: at least half-time enrollment at a college or career school; study in an approved graduate fellowship program or rehabilitation-training program for the disabled; active-duty military service during a military operation, national emergency, or war; or thirteen (13) months following the conclusion of active-duty service. Deferment may also be available for no more than three years during a period of economic hardship, unemployment, or inability to secure full-time employment. Visit studentaid.ed.gov for more information.Remember that while your repayment is temporarily delayed during deferment, you may still be responsible for paying the interest which accrues during that time, and this interest maybe “capitalized,” meaning it could be added to your principal balance.If you are struggling with student loan debt, contact an experienced student loan attorney today for a free consultation.
Deferment
Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss
- Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at Mike Agruss Law.
- Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
- Over 8000+ consumer rights cases settled.
- Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.
Submitted Comments
sean neal
7 years ago
I'm in school and have received an in school deferment from navient. In the first month of the semester navient began to send bills to me and a letter stating they've made a change in my account. The second month into the semester I receive a letter from a collection agency saying navient has sent my account into collections and that I can pay the agency $3k to settle the whole account. Along with the collection notice, navient mailed me a bill trying to collect on the very same collection notice but for the full amount. While I was in school for the past three years, navient has been reporting to the credit agencies that I am delinquent on my account for the whole time I've been in school and that has been impacting my credit for the past couple of years.
I've filed a inquiry with the credit agencies and the department of education asking them to challenge these negative reports and have navient address these harassment tactics. Each party mentioned has asked navient to give a copy of the contract and that's all either has done. I received reports on my request for help and both parties just said the inquiry is done, good bye. After the reports came back, navient sent another bill and once again a collection agency has sent me notice of an attempt to collect.
Is there anything I can do to stop this illegal antics?
Thomas
7 years ago
Sallie Mae agreed to put my student loans in deferment due to hardship. while my loans where in deferment , they were being reported to the credit bureau as payments being late and was recently denied credit for a loan on a house due to the effect this had on my credit.
Mike Agruss
7 years ago
Hi Thomas, I've heard of this exact same situation with other clients. If the loans were in deferment, they should not have been reported as late payments on your credit report. I will help you dispute this information. If your credit reports are not fixed, we will purse a Fair Credit Reporting Act case. I'll call you discuss your rights and options. Thanks, Mike.
