Your lender may grant you a temporary delay in making loan payments — or lower payments than before — if you’re having trouble repaying your student loan.

If your lender grants forbearance of principal payments, you’ll be responsible for paying the interest or capitalizing it — having the interest added to your loan balance to be repaid later. Capitalization increases the total you must repay and may result in a higher monthly payment when repayment resumes.

  • Forbearance may be granted if you cannot make scheduled payments for many different reasons such as poor health, financial difficulty or other acceptable circumstances.
  • A lender must grant forbearance if you are engaged in national service or involved in a military mobilization.
  • The conditions that qualify you for mandatory forbearance vary widely; contact your lender or HESC for details.

You should also check with your lender or loan servicer whether you are eligible for a deferment.

To Apply

Contact your lender or loan servicer to learn the information required for all types of forbearance. You may request forbearance for up to one year at a time.

If you’re having trouble with repayment, contact the HESC Advocate Unit. Advocate Counselors will review available options and provide solutions for you. Contact us at 1-888-215-0196 or loanadvocate@hesc.org, or visit Mapping Your Future.