Who is my federal student loan servicer?

Key takeaways

• The Department of Education assigns your federal student loan service through the Federal Student Aid office.
• You can log in to your Federal Student Aid account with your FSA ID to find out who your loan servicer is.
• If you have private student loans, check your private lender's website.

Though the Department of Education is your lender for federal student loans, you will need to contact your student loan servicer if you have questions about your account. This company processes all of your payments and helps you enroll in the right repayment program.

Borrowers don't choose their loan servicer -- they are assigned one. If you don't know who your loan servicer is, there are a few ways to find out.

Who is my student loan servicer?

Your loan servicer can provide details about your loan, such as the loan balance, payment history and more. Here are a few ways to find your loan servicer:

• Log in to your account. Sign in to your Federal Student Aid account using your FSA ID. In your account dashboard, find your loan servicer by scrolling down to the "My servicers" section.

• Check the National Student Loan Data System: The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is the Department of Education's central database for federal student aid. To access it, you'll need to enter your FSA ID or create an account. Your account dashboard will list your federal student loans, along with your student loan servicer, loan balance, interest rate, loan status and other details.

• Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center: You may also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243.

• Check your credit reports: Additionally, your loan servicer may be listed on your credit reports. Head to AnnualCreditReport.com, where you can access a credit report from each of the three main credit bureaus -- TransUnion ( TRU ), Equifax ( EFX ) and Experian ( EXPGF ) -- for free once a week. Once you pull up a credit report, find where your student loans are listed. The loan servicer and lender should be listed next to the loan. For example: "MOHELA/Department of Education."

• Call your school: If your loan is for the upcoming school year or you're still enrolled in classes, then your school's financial aid office can provide your loan details.

How to contact your loan servicer

Once you graduate or enter repayment, the loan servicer is your main source of information regarding your loan. Right now, your loan is likely managed by one of the following servicers:

Loan servicers for private student loans

Your loan information won't appear in the NSLDS if you have private student loans. Private institutions such as banks, credit unions and online lenders, originate these loans and hire loan servicers to manage the accounts, much like federal student loans.

To find out who services your private student loan, log in to your lender's website or app. If you have no idea who the loan servicer is, check your credit reports. The loan servicer should be listed next to the account, along with any contact information.

The future of federal student loan servicers

The Department of Education has made some changes to federal student loan servicing in the past few years to simplify the borrowing experience. Notably, the organization is trying to cut down the number of servicers.

Additionally, they announced that all federal student loan servicer websites would be changed from ".com" to ".gov" websites. All servicer websites should also include branding for the office of Federal Student Aid, in addition to their own branding. Your loan servicer may change if a company's contract is not renewed with the Department of Education.

These companies have recently discontinued service or plan to discontinue services soon. Their loans have been transferred over to new servicers:

• Loans formerly serviced by Granite State Credit Union have been taken over by Edfinancial Services.
• Loans formerly serviced by Navient ( NAVI ) have been moved to Aidvantage.
• FedLoan (PHEAA) student loans have been moved to on of four servicers: MOHELA, Aidvantage or Nelnet ( NNI ).
• OSLA student loans have been transferred over to Aidvantage.
• Loans serviced by Great Lakes have been moved over to Nelnet ( NNI ).

Your StudentAid.gov account should be updated with your new servicer's information within 7-10 days if there is a change. Your loan servicer should also notify you, so be sure the contact information they have on file is current.

Bottom line

Finding your student loan servicer can seem frustrating, but there are a few ways to locate this information. Start by logging in to your student loan account, calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center or checking your credit reports.

Once you know who your loan servicer is, create an account if you didn't have one before. Return to your account each month to make payments, track your progress and get information about hardship options.