Missing student loan payments puts your account under delinquent or default status. This leads to higher interest on loans, loss of eligibility on some student aid programs, and worse, repossession of property.
Can late payments on student loans be removed? What happens when you don’t get them removed? Will removing student loans from your credit report affect your credit score?
CAN YOU GET LATE PAYMENTS DELETED?
A default student loan occurs 120 days after delinquency on a private loan and 270 to 360 days for federal loans. Your score is likely to drop by 100 points! Once your lender accurately reports the late payments, the information will not be removed.
However, if the information reported is incorrect, you can dispute the information and have it removed. To remove a student loan from your credit report due to fraud or inaccuracies, file a dispute with the three major credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Ask them to remove the inaccurate loan details from your credit report.
An investigation will be launched, and the information will be removed from your credit report when it is clear the loan was taken without your authorization.
WILL FORBEARANCE REMOVE LATE PAYMENTS?
Student loan forbearance is an agreement you make with the lender to reduce or postpone student loan repayment for a designated period. Forbearance is only temporary relief to help you deal with a sudden hardship and helps prevent your loan from defaulting. Unfortunately, forbearance increases the amount you owe.
If you are unemployed and the student loan is weighing you down, you can apply for deferment, which can be interest-free.
Still, both forbearance and deferment are short-term solutions to help you catch up with the payments when your loans haven’t defaulted. Still, you need to pay your student loan as soon as your financial situation improves.
STUDENT LATE PAYMENT FORGIVENESS PROGRAM
On August 24, 2022, President Joe Bidden announced that his administration would waive student loan debt for qualifying Americans. But, are all student loans eligible for late repayment forgiveness?
To qualify for the federal government forgiveness program, you must have taken direct federal loans or took a Stafford loan. Non-federal loans, handled by private loan companies, don’t qualify for the federal loan forgiveness program.
Another way to get student loan forgiveness is the income-driven program that stretches out to a term of 20 or 25 years from the standard repayment period of 10 years. After making on-time qualifying payments for the period, whatever balance you still have is usually forgiven. Income-driven payments are usually capped between 10% to 20% of your income.
DOES STUDENT DEBT CONSOLIDATION REMOVE LATE PAYMENTS?
No. As Aaron Huebner explains in this Youtube video Q&A session, a student loan is possibly one of the worst debts because it has a negative connotation and doesn’t go away! So, consolidating your defaulted loan will not remove late payments.
Debt consolidation opens a new entry in your credit report but won’t erase the late student payment history. The report will keep showing until the end of seven years when it naturally drops off your credit report.
Regarding credit scoring, payment history, length of credit history, amounts owed, new credit cards, and credit mix affect your credit score. When you consolidate your student loan, you get to lose these crucial additions. However, properly taking charge of your student loan repayment plan gives you a good credit score that helps you apply for future loans and credit cards.
STUDENT DEBT FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS
These are some of the federal student forgiveness programs you can apply for if you qualify:
- Public service loan forgiveness. This forgiveness program is for public service employees and non-profit employees with federal loans.
- Teacher loan forgiveness. This program is for full-time teachers working for over five years in low-income public schools.
- Military student loan forgiveness and assistance. This program benefits those working in the military.
- Total and permanent disability discharge. This program benefits those unable to work due to being permanently disabled, either mentally or physically.
- Total and permanent disability discharge for veterans. Veterans who have suffered permanent disability automatically qualify for a student loan discharge.
CAN ASCENT NETWORK HELP WITH STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS?
Managing student loans may need some counseling, especially if you have been falling behind on your payments. Ascent Network has a qualified team to help you take charge of your finances. Whether you are applying for forbearance, deferment, or disputing an incorrect student loan entry, you can trust Ascent Network to help you improve your score.
A more positive outlook toward a more financially secure future starts today. Give the Ascent Network a call today at 1-877-871-2400. Ascent Network helps consumers all over the United States and is available locally in Huntington Beach, CA, Coachella Valley, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Thousand Palms.
