What a payment count pause means for your loans
A payment count pause is a period when your federal student loans stop accumulating toward the number of payments you need to make before the loan is forgiven. During a pause, you may still make payments, but those payments do not count toward forgiveness programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or income-driven repayment forgiveness. The pause freezes your progress on the path to forgiveness, even though your loan balance and interest may still be growing.
Payment count pauses happen for specific reasons: usually when the federal government suspends loan payments across the board (as happened from March 2020 through September 2023), or sometimes when you change repayment plans or your income-driven plan recertifies. Understanding when a pause is in effect and how it affects your forgiveness timeline helps you plan whether to keep paying or pause your own payments.
Key Takeaways
- During a payment count pause, payments you make do not count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness or income-driven repayment forgiveness, even though you can still choose to pay.
- The most recent federal pause lasted from March 2020 through September 2023, and during that time, no payments counted toward forgiveness for anyone, whether they paid or not.
- When a pause ends, your payment count resumes from where it left off — you do not lose the months you already counted before the pause began.
- If you are working toward PSLF, you can check your current payment count on the Federal Student Aid website or ask your loan servicer for a payment history report.
- Pauses can also happen when you switch repayment plans or recertify your income, and they typically last a few months while your plan changes process.
The recent federal payment pause and what it meant
From March 2020 through September 2023, the federal government paused student loan payments for all borrowers with federal loans. During this time, no payments counted toward forgiveness programs, even if you chose to keep paying. Interest also did not accrue (grow) on most federal loans during this period, which meant your balance stayed the same whether you paid or not.
This pause affected roughly 43 million borrowers. For people working toward PSLF, the pause meant their forgiveness timeline extended by the length of the pause — someone who needed 120 payments before the pause would now need 120 payments after the pause ended. The Department of Education did credit all borrowers with "payment pause credits" for the months the pause was in effect, so those months did count toward forgiveness even though no actual payments were made.
Regular payments resumed in October 2023. If you made voluntary payments during the pause, those payments did count toward your balance but not toward your forgiveness progress. Some borrowers chose to keep paying anyway to reduce their principal; others paused their own payments to match the federal pause.
How pauses affect your path to forgiveness
The number of payments you need to reach forgiveness depends on your program. Public Service Loan Forgiveness requires 120 payments (ten years of payments on a standard ten-year plan, or longer on income-driven plans). Income-driven repayment forgiveness requires 20 or 25 years of payments depending on the plan. During a pause, your clock stops moving forward.
If you are halfway to PSLF when a pause begins, you stay at that halfway point until the pause ends. Your loan balance does not shrink during the pause (unless you make voluntary payments), and interest may still accrue depending on the type of pause. When the pause ends, you resume counting from where you left off — you do not lose the payments you already made before the pause.
For income-driven repayment forgiveness, a pause can be more costly because interest usually keeps accruing. If you are on an income-driven plan and a pause happens, your monthly payment might drop to zero (if your income is low enough), but your balance could grow while you wait for the pause to end and payments to resume.
Pauses that happen when you change plans or recertify
A payment count pause can also occur when you switch from one repayment plan to another, or when you recertify your income on an income-driven plan. These pauses are usually shorter — typically one to three months — while your loan servicer processes the change.
During a plan-change pause, your payments may stop or your payment amount may change. If you are working toward forgiveness, ask your servicer how long the pause will last and whether the time counts toward your forgiveness total. Some servicers count the pause period; others do not. Getting this in writing before the pause begins protects you if there is a dispute later about your payment count.
Checking your payment count and forgiveness progress
You can see how many payments you have made toward forgiveness by logging into your account on the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.gov). Look for your loan servicer's name and log in with your FSA ID. Your servicer's portal will show your payment history and, if you are on an income-driven plan or pursuing PSLF, your progress toward forgiveness.
If the numbers do not match what you expect, or if you want to know whether a pause is currently in effect on your loans, contact your loan servicer directly. You can find your servicer's name and phone number on your loan statement or on studentaid.gov. Ask for a payment history report that shows which months counted toward forgiveness and which did not. Keep this report in your files — it is your proof of your progress if there is ever a disagreement.
For PSLF specifically, you can also submit a PSLF Help Tool form to the Department of Education, which will review your employment history and payment count and tell you exactly where you stand. This is free and does not require a lawyer or third party.
What to do if you are unsure whether a pause is affecting you
If you are not sure whether a pause is currently in effect on your loans, start by checking your loan servicer's website or your most recent loan statement. The statement will say whether payments are currently being collected and whether they are counting toward forgiveness. If the statement is unclear, call your servicer and ask directly: "Are payments currently counting toward my forgiveness total?"
If a pause is in effect and you want to keep making payments anyway, you can — but understand that those payments will reduce your balance without moving you closer to forgiveness. Some borrowers do this to save on interest; others pause their own payments to match the federal pause and redirect money elsewhere. Both choices are valid depending on your situation.
If you are pursuing PSLF and a pause happens, make sure your employer certification is current before the pause ends. When payments resume, you want to be certain your employer is still registered with the PSLF program and your employment is documented. A gap in certification during a pause can create problems when you explore for forgiveness later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I lose the payments I already made if a pause happens?
No. Payments you made before a pause began stay on your record and count toward forgiveness. The pause only stops new payments from counting. When the pause ends, you resume counting from where you left off.
If I pay during a pause, does that money go toward my balance or my forgiveness count?
It goes toward your balance. Payments made during a pause reduce what you owe but do not count as one of the payments needed for forgiveness. You are paying down principal without moving closer to forgiveness.
Can a pause delay when I reach forgiveness?
Yes, if the pause lasts several months or longer. A one-year pause means you need one more year of payments after the pause ends to reach your forgiveness total. However, some pauses (like the recent federal pause) include "payment pause credits" that count toward forgiveness even though no payments were made.
What should I do with my money if a pause is in effect?
That depends on your situation. If interest is accruing on your loans, paying reduces future interest. If interest is frozen, you could pause payments and use the money elsewhere. If you are close to forgiveness, paying during a pause does not help your timeline, so redirecting money to other debt or savings may make more sense.
How do I know if my payment counts are correct?
Request a payment history report from your loan servicer. This report shows every payment, the date it was received, and whether it counted toward forgiveness. Compare it to your own records. If there is a discrepancy, ask your servicer to investigate and provide a written explanation.