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Navient Customer Service: Overview and How to Contact
Updated On September 6, 2022
Editorial Note: This content is based solely on the author's opinions and is not provided, approved, endorsed or reviewed by any financial institution or partner.
Navient is a leading student loan servicer that services federal student loans and Parent PLUS loans for the U.S. Department of Education. Navient also services private student loans and loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Navient, which spun off from Sallie Mae, says its federal student loan customers are 35% less likely to default on their student loans.
Here’s what you should know about Navient to maximize your customer service experience, if Navient is your student loan servicer. In this guide, we will discuss:
- What is a student loan servicer?
- Navient student loan repayment options
- How to make student loan payments to Navient
- Navient deferment and forbearance
- How to contact Navient customer service
- How to file a complaint against Navient
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What is a student loan servicer?
A student loan servicer collects and manages your student loan payments. If you have federal student loans, the U.S. Department of Education assigns you a student loan servicer when your student loan is disbursed to your college or graduate school. A student loan servicer may be different than your lender. You borrow a student loan from your lender, but you make payments to your student loan servicer.
Student loan servicers can help you with student loan payments, but they are not necessarily acting as your financial advisor. Therefore, it’s important to understand all your repayment options because your student loan servicer may be acting in its own best interest rather than in yours.
Navient student loan repayment options
Navient offers several student loan repayment options:
Standard Repayment Plan: A standard repayment plan lasts up to 10 years. If you consolidate your federal student loans, you can repay for up to 30 years. The payments are fixed amounts with a minimum of $50 per month.
Graduated Repayment Plan: A graduated repayment plan starts with a low monthly payment and increases usually every two years. The repayment term is 10 years (and may be up to 30 years for a Direct Consolidation Loan).
Extended Repayment Plan: An extended repayment plan give you up to 25 years to repay your student loans.
You can also enroll in an Income-Driven Repayment plan, which lowers your monthly payment based on your discretionary income. With an income-driven payment, your monthly payment may be as low as $0. There are four types of income-driven repayment plans: Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). Navient also offers an Income-Sensitive Plan (ISP) for FFELP Loans.
How to make student loan payments to Navient
The best way to pay Navient for your student loan payment is on the Navient website. You can use your Navient student loans login. When you register on the Navient website, you will create an ID and password. Make sure to sign up for auto pay so that your student loan payments are automatically withdrawn from your bank account each month. This will help ensure that you don’t receive any late fees or negative impact to your credit score.
Navient deferment and forbearance
If you face financial hardship or lose your job, Navient offers several deferment and forbearance options. Forbearance and deferment can help you pause or postpone your payments for a temporary period.
Unemployment Deferment: This postpones payments for up to 36 months if you lose your job or work less than 30 hours per week.
Economic Hardship Deferment: This postpones payments for up to 36 months if you face financial hardship.
Education Deferment: This postpones your payments if you are in a graduate fellowship, medical or dental residency, medical or dental internship or related educational program.
In-School Deferment: This postpones your student loan payments while you are enrolled in school at least half time.
Parent PLUS Deferment: This postpones payments for Parent PLUS Loan borrowers with a child enrolled in school.
Military Service Deferment:There are various options for borrowers serving active military duty or in the National Guard. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) caps the interest rate on both federal and private student loans for borrowers and cosigners. During periods of active duty, interest rates are capped at 6% for loans obtained prior to active duty military service.
Be aware that even though you can pause payments through forbearance, interest still accrues on your loans during the forbearance period.
How to contact Navient customer service
There are various ways to contact Navient customer service:
Navient Phone Number: 1-800-722-1300
Navient Hours of Operation: Monday – Thursday 8 am – 9 pm and Friday 8 am – 8 pm E
Navient Email: Log in and access the “Email Us” feature in the Help Center
Navient Social Media: Navient Facebook and Navient Twitter
Navient Fax Number: 1-866-266-0178
Navient Website: navient.com
Navient Customer Login: navient.com
Navient Mailing Address For Loan Payments:
Navient – U.S. Department of Education Loan Servicing
P.O. Box 4450
Portland, OR 97208-4450
Navient Mailing Address For General Correspondence:
Navient – U.S. Department of Education Loan Servicing
P.O. Box 9635
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9635
How to file acomplaint against Navient
If you want to complain about Navient customer service or file a complaint against Navient as your student loan servicer, you have several options. First, you can file a complaint with Navient’s Office of the Consumer Advocate. You can contact the Office of the Consumer Advocate at advocate@navient.com or by calling 1-888-545-4199.
You can also file a complaint against Navient with:
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Your state consumer protection office
- Federal Student Aid
- Your state attorney general
- Your congressional representative
You should maintain written communication between you and Navient. This may include your monthly statements, records of communication with a Navient customer service representative, emails and other correspondence.
You may also contact the U.S. Department of Education Ombudsman:
Phone: 1- 877-557-2575
Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of Education
Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group
P.O. Box 1843
Monticello, KY 42633
Make sure to complete the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman Information Checklist as well.
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