How the Student Loan Payment Count Pause Works
What the payment count pause means for your federal loans
The payment count pause is a temporary suspension of the monthly payment requirement for federal student loans. During the pause, you are not required to make payments, and your loans do not accrue interest. The pause has been in effect at different times — most recently from March 2020 through December 2023 — and whether it is currently active depends on federal policy at the moment you are reading this.
The pause does not forgive your debt or reduce what you owe. It simply stops the clock on payments and interest. When the pause ends, your regular payment obligation resumes. The key difference between a pause and forgiveness is that a pause delays your payments; forgiveness erases part or all of your balance.
If you have federal loans — Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, or Stafford Loans — you may be affected. Private student loans are not covered by any federal pause. The pause applies only to loans held by the U.S. Department of Education, not to loans held by private lenders or banks.
Key Takeaways
- During a payment count pause, you do not have to make monthly payments, and your loans do not charge interest, but your debt balance stays the same.
- The pause affects only federal student loans held by the Department of Education, not private loans.
- Months during the pause still count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment forgiveness timelines, even though you are not paying.
- When the pause ends, your regular payment schedule resumes, and you should confirm your repayment plan and monthly amount before payments restart.
- You can continue making voluntary payments during the pause to reduce your balance, though you are not required to do so.
How the pause affects your loan balance and interest
During the pause, no interest accrues on your federal loans. This means your balance does not grow, even though you are not making payments. When the pause ends and payments resume, interest begins accruing again at your loan's stated rate.
If you made payments before the pause began, those payments reduced your principal balance. Any balance remaining when the pause started stays the same throughout the pause period. This is different from a forbearance or deferment, where interest may still accrue and be added to your balance later.
Some borrowers use the pause to pay down their balance voluntarily. Any payment you make during the pause goes directly to reducing what you owe — the lender cannot apply it to future interest because no interest is being charged. This is one reason some people continue paying even when they are not required to.
Payment count pause and loan forgiveness timelines
One of the most important effects of the pause is that months during the pause count toward forgiveness programs. If you are pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), the pause months count as may have access to payments even though you did not pay. The same applies to income-driven repayment forgiveness, where loans are forgiven after 20 or 25 years of payments — pause months count toward that total.
This means the pause accelerates your progress toward forgiveness. If you were on track to reach forgiveness in 2025, and the pause lasted two years, you may reach forgiveness in 2023 instead. The Department of Education has issued PSLF Limited Waiver guidance at different times that clarifies exactly which months count and under what conditions.
To confirm whether pause months are counting toward your forgiveness timeline, log into your account at studentaid.gov or contact your loan servicer. Your servicer can tell you how many may have access to months you have accumulated and when you are projected to reach forgiveness.
What happens when the pause ends
When a payment count pause ends, the Department of Education announces the end date in advance — usually at least 30 days before payments restart. Your loan servicer will send you a notice with your new payment amount and due date. You should receive this notice by mail and email if you have an email on file.
Before your first payment is due, log into studentaid.gov and confirm your repayment plan. The pause does not change your plan, but it is a good time to review whether your current plan still fits your income and circumstances. If you are on an income-driven plan, your payment is based on your most recent tax return, so if your income has changed significantly, you may want to recertify.
If you cannot afford your payment when the pause ends, you have options: you can request a deferment or forbearance, switch to an income-driven repayment plan, or contact your servicer about a temporary payment reduction. Do not ignore the notice or skip your first payment — late payments damage your credit and trigger collection activity.
Voluntary payments during the pause
You are not required to make payments during the pause, but you can choose to. Any payment you make goes entirely toward reducing your principal balance because no interest is accruing. This means 100 percent of your payment reduces what you owe, rather than part of it going to interest.
If you have the money and want to reduce your debt faster, the pause is an efficient time to pay. You avoid interest charges and make direct progress on your balance. However, if you are using the pause to build savings or manage cash flow, you are not penalized for not paying.
To make a voluntary payment, contact your loan servicer or log into your account at studentaid.gov. You can set up a one-time payment or resume automatic payments if you had them set up before the pause began. Make sure your payment is credited to your federal loans and not to any private loans you may have.
Private student loans and the pause
The payment count pause applies only to federal student loans. Private student loans, which are issued by banks, credit unions, and other private lenders, are not covered. If you have private loans, you are still required to make payments on them during any federal pause.
Private loan servicers do not have to follow federal pause rules. Some private lenders may offer their own forbearance or payment relief programs, but these are voluntary and vary by lender. Contact your private loan servicer directly to ask whether they offer any temporary payment relief.
If you have both federal and private loans, make sure you know which is which. Your federal loans are listed on studentaid.gov. Private loans appear on your credit report and statements from the private lender, not on the federal student aid website.
Checking your loan status and servicer information
To find out whether you have federal loans and whether a pause is currently in effect, go to studentaid.gov and log in with your FSA ID. Your dashboard shows all federal loans held by the Department of Education, your current servicer, and your repayment plan. This is the official source for your loan information.
Your loan servicer is the company that collects your payments and manages your account. During a pause, your servicer still holds your loans and maintains your account — they just are not collecting payments. If you need to make a voluntary payment, change your repayment plan, or ask about forgiveness progress, contact your servicer directly. Their phone number is on your loan statement and on studentaid.gov.
If you have not logged into studentaid.gov in a while, do so before the pause ends. Update your contact information, confirm your repayment plan, and check whether you are on track for any forgiveness program you are pursuing. This takes 15 minutes and prevents surprises when payments restart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do pause months count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
Yes. Months during the pause count as may have access to payments toward PSLF, even though you did not make a payment. You must still be employed full-time by a may have access to employer during those months. The Department of Education has issued guidance on which pause periods count and under what employment conditions.
What if I cannot afford to pay when the pause ends?
Contact your servicer before your first payment is due. You can switch to an income-driven repayment plan, which bases your payment on your income and family size. You can also request a deferment or forbearance if you are experiencing financial hardship. Do not wait until you miss a payment to reach out.
Can I pay off my loans completely during the pause?
Yes. You can make voluntary payments at any time, and they go entirely toward your principal because no interest is accruing. If you pay your full balance during the pause, your loans are closed and you owe nothing when the pause ends.
Does the pause affect my credit score?
No. During the pause, your loans are in good standing and do not damage your credit. Your credit score is not affected by the pause itself. However, if you miss a payment after the pause ends, that will hurt your credit.
Are Parent PLUS Loans covered by the pause?
Yes. Parent PLUS Loans are federal loans held by the Department of Education and are covered by any payment count pause. The same rules apply: no payments required, no interest accrues, and pause months count toward forgiveness if you are pursuing it.