Federal student loan repayments have remained suspended for nearly two years since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, Naivent, formerly one of the largest student loan servicing companies in the United States, shifted its workload of 5.6 million student loans to Maximus, a global administrator of government programs. Maximus is a federal student loan servicer and services former Navient student loans under the name Aidvantage.

If you have federal student loans, they remain suspended until May 1, 2022 — meaning there are no mandatory payments, accrued interest, or loan collections until then. The Biden administration is also considering another expansion of the federal student loan break.

That said, if you haven’t logged into your federal student loan account recently, you might have questions, especially if your loan officer has changed. Here’s everything you need to know about removing Navient and how to log into your Aidvantage account.

Why did Navient exit the student loan business?

Navient has long been under fire from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which sued the loan manager in 2017, saying the company pushed borrowers into expensive and risky private loans that they would be unable to repay. In January, Navient canceled $1.7 billion in private student loans for nearly 66,000 borrowers after coming under scrutiny for engaging in abusive and deceptive practices, including targeting students whose company knew they could not repay their loans.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education announced loan servicing changes in an effort to modernize the federal student loan system. As part of the Next Gen initiative, the Department of Education expanded its partnership with five of the current 10 loan servicers, who would continue to service federal student loans, but under stricter government regulations. Navient, along with FedLoan and Granite State, have elected to end their participation in the federal student loan service at the end of 2021.

Michael Lux, student loan expert, attorney and founder of The Student Loan Sherpa, said “increased federal regulation and government scrutiny of federal loan servicing is almost certainly to blame for Navient’s departure.” .

What does Navient’s departure mean for borrowers?

If your loans were managed by Navient, here’s what you need to know:

1. Aidvantage is your new loan manager

By now you should have been notified of this change by post or email from Navient, Aidvantage and the Department of Education. If you did not receive a notification, you should log into your existing Navient account and double-check your contact information to make sure it is correct. Even if your address was outdated, you should be able to log in to your new account.

2. You can login to your Aidvantage account with your Navient credentials

If you try to log into Navient, you will find a balance of $0 – this balance simply indicates that your loans have been purchased by Aidvantage. To log in to your new account, go to www.aidvantage.com and enter your Navient login information.

The process is almost identical to that of Navient. Once you have entered your username and password, you will be prompted to enter your social security number or account number and date of birth to confirm your identity. From there, you will be taken to the Aidvantage account homepage, which looks like the Navient homepage, down to the left navigation options.

If you don’t remember your login information, select “Forgot User ID” or “Forgot Password” and confirm a personal challenge question to receive a new one by email. If you still cannot enter or you no longer have access to the registered email, contact Aidvantage for assistance at 800-722-1300.

3. Your repayment preferences must be the same

Any payment terms you have set up with Navient (auto-pay, deferral, income-based repayment plans) should have been seamlessly transferred to Aidvantage. Of course, since federal student loan payments have been suspended for more than 20 months, you may need to revisit the payment details, especially as you approach the end of the forbearance. And, if your work situation has changed since you last looked at your loan repayment options, you can apply for income-contingent repayment or other repayment options through Aidvantage now, so you’re good to go. when repayment begins in May 2022.

So, after logging into Aidvantage, you should find that your preferred payment method and automatic payment selection have been transferred, along with payment history and a record of fully repaid loans.

4. Prepare for repayment in 2022

Currently, federal student loan repayment is on pause until May 2022. However, this the refund freeze could be extended.

If you haven’t repaid your loans during the forbearance period, be sure to review your payment options now so you’re ready to go in May. Check your payment method, make sure you know your minimum monthly payment, and explore repayment options if you need further assistance. If you would like to explore other deferral or forbearance options, you can do so through your online account under “Refund Options”. You can also speak directly to Aidvantage at 800-722-1300.

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