How to File a Complaint Against a Student Loan Servicer

Start with your servicer

Before filing a formal complaint, contact your loan servicer directly and ask them to fix the problem. Write down the date, the name of the representative, and what they told you. Most servicer errors, like a misapplied payment or a wrong balance, get corrected at this stage without needing to escalate further.

If your servicer does not respond, denies an error you can document, or takes weeks to resolve something simple, you have two escalation paths depending on your loan type.

File with the FSA Ombudsman for federal loans

The Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group handles disputes tied to federal student loans only. You can submit a complaint online at studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman, call 1-877-557-2575, or mail a written complaint to FSA Ombudsman Group, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid, P.O. Box 1854, Monticello, KY 42633.

The Ombudsman Group reviews issues such as an incorrect balance, misapplied payments, denied forgiveness applications, wrong payment counts toward income-driven repayment or Public Service Loan Forgiveness, unauthorized withdrawals, credit reporting errors, and a servicer that will not respond to you.

The office cannot override federal eligibility rules, decide a forgiveness application in your favor, represent you in court, or handle disputes involving a private loan. If your issue falls into one of those categories, the CFPB or a consumer attorney is the better route.

File with the CFPB for federal or private loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints against both federal and private student loan servicers. Submit online at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call 1-855-411-2372.

Once you submit, the CFPB forwards your complaint to the company and the company generally has 15 days to respond to you directly through the CFPB portal. You can track your complaint status online and add documents after you submit. Complaints also feed into the CFPB's public Consumer Complaint Database , which regulators and researchers use to spot patterns across servicers.

What to include in your complaint

A complaint moves faster when you give the reviewer everything they need on the first pass. Include the following before you submit.

• A clear description of the problem and why you believe it is an error

• The outcome you want, such as a corrected balance or a fixed payment count

• A timeline of what you already did to resolve it with the servicer

• Supporting documents: account statements, screenshots, emails, and notes from phone calls

• Your loan account number and servicer name

State-level options

Some states run their own student loan ombudsman office that handles complaints against servicers licensed in that state, including some private lenders. Check your state attorney general's office or state banking regulator to see if this option exists where you live, since it can run alongside a federal complaint rather than replace it.

Choosing between the two offices

You do not have to pick one. Filing with both is common when a federal loan issue involves a large balance error or a pattern you believe affects other borrowers, since each office tracks complaints separately and serves a different oversight function.

If your loan is private

Private student loans fall outside the FSA Ombudsman's authority, so the CFPB is your primary federal option. Many private loan servicers are also licensed and regulated at the state level, so your state attorney general's consumer protection division or state banking regulator is worth checking alongside a CFPB complaint. Some private loan contracts include an arbitration clause that limits your ability to sue in court, so read your loan agreement before assuming litigation is an option.

What happens after you file

With the CFPB, expect an acknowledgment within 15 days and a company response, which you can view in your online CFPB account. With the FSA Ombudsman, a case worker generally reviews your documentation and contacts your servicer directly, though processing volume affects how quickly you hear back. Respond promptly if either office asks for more documentation, since delays on your end slow down the review.

Following up

Note the date you filed and check back if you have not heard anything within the timeframe the office gave you. Both the CFPB and FSA Ombudsman let you log back into your submission to check status and add new information, so use that instead of filing a duplicate complaint, which can slow down review on both cases. If your servicer contacts you directly to resolve the issue after you filed, confirm the fix in writing and note it on your open complaint so the record reflects that it was resolved.

If the complaint does not resolve the issue

Keep a copy of your complaint number and any responses you receive. If the problem involves a large financial loss or you suspect a pattern of illegal conduct, an attorney who focuses on consumer or student loan law can advise on next steps, including small claims court for smaller disputes.