Income-Driven Repayment Plan Request Mailing Addresses

The easiest way to apply for income-driven repaymentIncome-Driven Repayment (IDR)A category of federal student loan repayment plans that calculate monthly payments based on income and family size rather than loan balance. Any remaining balance can be forgiven after 20–25 years of qualifying payments. is on the Federal Student Aid site, StudentAid.gov. After you log in with your FSA Id, you’ll be able to complete the IDR application. You’ll also be able to use the IRS’s data retrieval tool to pull the adjusted gross incomeAdjusted Gross Income (AGI)A borrower's total taxable income minus specific deductions, as reported on a federal tax return. Federal income-driven repayment payments are generally calculated using AGI. from your tax return into your application so your servicer can calculate your monthly payment.

If you’d rather use a paper request form, you can mail the completed application to each student loan servicerLoan ServicerThe company that manages a borrower's federal student loan account, processes payments, and handles applications for repayment plans, deferment, forbearance, and forgiveness on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. you have loans with. The application process is slower when you mail the paperwork, but it should still be complete within 6-8 weeks.

\* The U.S. Department of EducationU.S. Department of Education (ED)The federal agency that oversees federal student aid programs, issues regulations for federal student loans, and is the ultimate lender on Direct Loans. is reviewing federal student loan borrowers’ accounts to give them credit towards IDR Forgiveness and Public Service Loan ForgivenessPublic Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)A federal program that forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments made while working full-time for a government or qualifying nonprofit employer. for past deferment, forbearance, and repayment periods. The department is starting with borrowers’ who applied for the PSLF Waiver . It expects to finish this one-time account adjustment by July 1, 2023. Read more about the IDR Waiver .

IDR Request Form 2023

Mailing addresses for IDR application

AidvantageAidvantageA federal student loan servicer operated by Maximus that manages Direct Loan accounts on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, including many accounts previously serviced by Navient.

Aidvantage – Federal Student AidFederal Student Aid (FSA)The office within the U.S. Department of Education that manages federal grants, work-study, and student loans. It runs the FAFSA, the StudentAid.gov website, and oversees the federal loan servicers. Loan Servicing

PO Box 300001

Greenville TX 75403-3001

Website: aidvantage.com

MOHELAMOHELAThe Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, a federal student loan servicer that currently handles accounts for borrowers in Public Service Loan Forgiveness and other federal loan portfolios.

MOHELA

633 Spirit Drive

Chesterfield, MO 63005-1243

Website: mohela.com

NelnetNelnetA federal student loan servicer that manages millions of Direct Loan accounts on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.

Nelnet

Attn: Enrollment Processing

P.O. Box 82565

Lincoln, NE 68501-2565

Website: nelnet.com

EdFinancialEdFinancialA federal student loan servicer that manages Direct Loan accounts on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.

Edfinancial Services – Direct Loans

P.O. Box 36008

Knoxville, TN 37930-6008Edfinancial Services – FFEL Loans

P.O.Box 36014

Knoxville, TN 37930-6014

Website: edfinancial.com

Great Lakes

Great Lakes

PO Box 7860

Madison, WI 53707-7860

Website: MyGreatLakes.org

OSLA Servicing

OSLA

P.O. Box 18475

Oklahoma City, OK 73154-0475

Website: public.osla.org/home

Navient

Navient

P.O. Box 9500

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9500

Website: navient.com

AES

American Education Services

P.O. Box 2461

Harrisburg, PA 17105-2461

Website: aesscuccess.org

Can I fax my income-driven repayment plan request?

Yes, you can send the IDR plan request form via fax to your servicer.

Here are the fax numbers for the servicers:

• Aidvantage – 1-866-266-0178
• AES – 1-717-720-3916
• EdFinancial – 1- 800-887-6130
• Great Lakes – 1-800-375-5288
• MOHELA –  1-888-866-4352
• Navient – 1-800-848-1949
• Nelnet – 1-877-402-5816
• OSLA – 1-855-813-2224

What to gather before applying?

Before you complete the IDR request form, take time to gather a few documents. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Your phone number, email, and mailing address.
• Your income information and proof of your spouse’s income, depending on your marital status.

You’ll also want to check the type of loans you have so you know which IDR plan to choose. For example, if you have a Parent PLUS Loan, you can’t repay it under the Income-Based Repayment, Pay As You Earn, or Revised Pay As You Earn plans. Your only option is the Income-Contingent RepaymentIncome-Contingent Repayment (ICR)The oldest federal income-driven repayment plan, with payments generally set at 20% of discretionary income or a fixed 12-year amount, whichever is lower. It is the only IDR plan available to Parent PLUS borrowers after consolidation. Plan.

Note: You’ll need to consolidate your Parent PLUS Loans before you meet the eligibility requirements for ICR.

Similarly, if you have FFEL Loans, the REPAYERevised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE)A former federal income-driven repayment plan that capped payments at 10% of discretionary income, with forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. REPAYE was replaced by the SAVE Plan in 2023. and PAYEPay As You Earn (PAYE)A federal income-driven repayment plan that caps monthly payments at 10% of discretionary income and forgives remaining debt after 20 years. It is only available to borrowers who took out their first federal loans on or after October 1, 2007. plans are off-limits, but you can switch to the IBRIncome-Based Repayment (IBR)A federal income-driven repayment plan that caps monthly payments at 10% or 15% of discretionary income, depending on when the loans were taken out. Remaining debt is forgiven after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments. plan.

Related: What Increases Your Total Student Loan Balance?

What documents are needed for income-driven repayment?

You can use your most recent federal income tax return from the past two years or a pay stub or letter from your employer listing your gross pay. Write on your income documentation how often you get paid, for example, “twice per month” or “every week.”

If you’re a 1099 contractor or are self-employed, you can write a letter listing your gross income for the current month.

Most people won’t need to recertify until late 2023

Recertification is on hold for Ed-owned student loans until six months after the payment pause ends. If you want to recertify before then — say to get a lower monthly payment amount to buy a home — you can self-report your current income. This means you can just call your student loan servicer, tell them your taxable income from all sources, and avoid having to submit proof of income from your tax return, pay stub, and so on.

Related: When to Recertify Income-Based Repayment

If you have privately-held federal student loans — i.e., loans you had to keep paying throughout the pandemic — you’ll need to submit your income information and family size before your recertification deadline. If you miss that date, your payment amount will no longer be based on your discretionary income. Instead, it will increase to what it would be under the Standard Repayment PlanStandard Repayment PlanThe default federal repayment plan, which spreads loan payments evenly over 10 years — or up to 30 years for consolidation loans. It usually results in the lowest total interest paid among federal plans., which, depending on your total student loan debt, could stick you with a four-figure bill.

Related: When Do Student Loan Payments Start Again?

Contact your servicer if you need help applying

Your servicer can help you complete the IDR form. You can also contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 or check the Education Department’s FAQ page.

If you have privately-held FFEL Loans, reach out to your servicer, lender, or guaranty agencyGuaranty AgencyA state or nonprofit agency that administers defaulted FFELP loans and acts on behalf of the federal government in collecting those debts..

Bottom Line

IDR plans are a terrific long-term student loan repayment program that delivers affordable payments and loan cancellation after 20-25 years. You can complete an IDR Request Form online or submit a paper application to your loan servicer.

UP NEXT:

• Pros and Cons of Income-Driven Repayment
• Types of Income-Driven Repayment Plans
• Income-Driven Repayment for Private Student Loans