Can You Go To Jail For Not Paying Student Loans?

Can someone be arrested for not paying their student loans? You will not be arrested for not paying back your student loans but there are adverse consequences you must face for doing so. There were incidents reported in the news, back in 2016, where a man from Texas claimed he was arrested and forced by a judge to sign a repayment plan for a loan dating back to 1987.

The news stories have students and loan borrowers wondering, ‘Can you go to jail for not paying student loans?’. The U.S. Department of Education assures that you cannot be sent to jail for not paying your student loans. Provided you oblige by the standard procedures after failing to make student loan payments, getting arrested is not a possibility. Cases, like not providing for child support and not paying taxes, Federal Racketeer, hate crimes can be considered a violation of law but failing to make repayments for student loans is not a federal crime.

Table of Contents

What will happen if you don’t pay your student loans
What are the penalties imposed for not paying student loans
What can you do to avoid penalties
Reporting a debt collector
How to avoid a court case

What will happen if you don’t pay your student loans?

If you fail to make payments towards your student loans on the due date for your loans, you will be reminded by your loan servicer via phone calls or emails. Ideally, it is a good choice to keep a track of your loan payment records. If you fail to make your payments for 90 days due to your loans fall in delinquent above 270 days due, your loans will move into default. Loans going to default can harm your credit score and might take up to 10 years to bring up your credit score without which applying for another loan can be impractical.

1 - Student loan delinquency

When your student loan payment is over 90 days due, it is officially declared as ‘delinquent’. It is then reported to all major credit bureaus and your credit score takes a hit. A bad credit rating means new applications on that credit rating might be denied. Sometimes, employers check credit ratings of applicants and can use it as a measure of character. Utility companies may demand a security deposit from customers they do not consider creditworthy, while landlords might reject your applications. As you may have already understood, the credit rating of an individual is extremely important, not only for taking loans but in all walks of life.

2 - Student loan default

When your student loan payment is over 270 days due, it is officially declared as ‘in default’. The financial institution which is owed money shares your account with a collection agency, which tries its best to retrieve payment from you. Debt collectors charge fees to cover the cost of collecting money.

It is after several years that the federal government gets involved. It has considerable powers to retrieve the money from you. It can seize your tax refund and use it to recover your debt. It can also garnish your paycheck, meaning the government can contact your owner and a portion of a salary can be deducted to pay your debt.

The consequences related to student loan default are much severe than in delinquency. They can include:

There will be a significant decline in your credit score and the default remains on your credit report for seven years. This leads to difficulty in receiving favorable terms and better financial plans
For defaulted private loans, private lenders may garnish your income provided they win a lawsuit against you
For defaulted federal student loans, the federal government can seize your tax refund, government benefits and may even garnish your wages. Government benefits such as deferment, forbearance, access to flexible repayment plans, student loan forgiveness might be lost

Debt collectors first attempt to directly contact you for repayment, but if that doesn’t work they can file a suit to set up a repayment plan or garnish your wages. Legal proceedings might require a court appearance.

In case you fail to appear in court, only then a judge might issue a warrant for your arrest.

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What are the penalties imposed for not paying student loans?

Even though you won’t be directly arrested for not paying your student loans, several penalties might be imposed on you.

When falling behind on your payments, the Department of Education loan servicers will try contacting you for almost a year.
Student loans granted under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan Program go into default when payments are not made for at least 270 days.
When a default happens, the Department of Education establishes a repayment plan. If unsuccessful, other collection methods are employed.
If all collection methods fail, the collection agency is required by law to turn your debt over to the Department of Justice. This, however, happens to less than 0.001% of student loans and even then you won’t be arrested.

Options available to you - What can you do to avoid penalties?

The dire consequences of penalties can be avoided but one needs to act before the loan moves into default.

Many federal student loan programs are designed to help borrowers during their repayment phase and are available to all who have federal student loans, such as Stafford or Grad Plus loans.
Similar programs such as Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE), reduce loan payments to an affordable level based on applicant’s income and family size.
The federal government may even contribute a part of the interest on the loan and forgives any remaining debt after payment is made for 20-25 years of payments.
Loan forgiveness has many criteria that an individual needs to fulfill to become eligible.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is specifically designed for people working in public service jobs. There exist many federal programs available to student loan borrowers but it’s important to remember that these loans aren’t available on loans that have gone into default.
It is highly advisable to contact your lender as soon as you realize you have trouble keeping up with your payments. The lender might be able to work out a better repayment plan or guide you with a federal program.

Talking to your loan servicer and explaining your financial difficulties can help. The servicer can provide you forbearance, deferment options, or even reduce your interest rates if you produce proof of your financially challenging situations.

Reporting a debt collector

Repayment of student loans is an important phase where a borrower pays off the total amount of debt they owe. It can be stressful especially if someone is having trouble with keeping up with their payment which can be due to various reasons. As a borrower, you are required to pay your obligated debt, but you are entitled to be treated fairly and with respect throughout the process.

In case you feel you are being harassed by a debt collector, you can report them to the following agencies:

1 - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Anytime you feel treated unfairly by your debt collector you can submit a complaint in the protection bureau's official link.

2 - State attorney general: The top legal officers can be reached who act as people lawyers and protectors.

3 - The Federal Trade Commission: Federal Trade Commission acts as a consumer court where you can file a complaint regarding the same.

Professional behavior is expected from Debt Collectors. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, it is illegal for debt collectors to engage in abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices. Therefore please feel sure to raise a complaint when necessary.

Learn more about repayment plans for student loans

How to avoid a court case?

If you are getting delayed in making payments for your student loans, there are ways to avoid a costly court case.

The most obvious step to take is to make a phone call to your lender. It doesn’t matter how late you are, your best option is to call your student loan servicer and explain your situation before your loan goes into default. It might seem scary at first, but it is better than incurring harsh penalties. The Federal government offers student loan debtors to return a delinquent debt to current.

There might be circumstances due to which a borrower may have missed payments such as financial hardships on losing a job or a case of a medical emergency. In these cases, these options can help you:

Deferment: This option allows you to make payments for an allotted amount of time, but the interest is accrued depending on the type of loans
Forbearance: In this option, your student loan payments are kept on hold for a specific length of time, and interest is accrued regardless of the type of loan
Other options include enrolling in an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plan
Private student loan lenders sometimes offer flexible repayment plans but usually, these plans are not as customer-friendly as an income-driven repayment plan
Always keep a track of your loan records so there is not faulty monetary management in your loans

Student loan debts are reaching higher numbers as time passes. This gives the bank and government an excellent reason for working with people who are facing problems in repaying their loans. They are as anxious to receive the money as you are about repaying it.

If your loans are currently in delinquent, default, or are being handled by a collection agency, you cannot be arrested for outstanding debt on your student loans. However, to prevent future financial problems, you should act quickly and rectify the situation. The best option would be to contact your loan servicer.