Don t get discouraged if you're in default on your federal student loan. 
You have multiple options to get out of default. If you failed to make your payments on your federal student loan and now are in default , don t let the consequences of default affect your financial future. Find out how to get out of default. Stopped Collection Activity and Temporary 0% Interest as a Result of the COVID-19 National Emergency To provide relief during the COVID-19 national emergency , the U.S. Department of Education ED has stopped collection activity on defaulted federally owned student loans and/or grant overpayments. In addition , interest is temporarily set at 0% on defaulted federally owned student aid debt. This 0% interest and stopped collections period will last from March 13 , 2020, through Sept. 30 , 2020. You can still make payments if you choose. Have questions? Find out about federal student aid flexibilities due to the COVID-19 national emergency. One way to get out of default is to repay the defaulted loan in full , but that's not a practical option for most borrowers. The two main ways to get out of default are loan rehabilitation and loan consolidation. While loan rehabilitation takes several months to complete , you can quickly apply for loan consolidation. However , loan rehabilitation provides certain benefits that are not available through loan consolidation. Take a look at the chart below to compare the benefits of loan rehabilitation versus the benefits of loan consolidation. Loan Rehabilitation and Consolidation Comparison Chart * NOTE : We previously indicated that loan consolidation would result in removal of the record of default from a borrower s credit history. That cell of the table has now been corrected to indicate that loan consolidation will not result in removal of the record of default from the borrower s credit history. If you rehabilitate a defaulted loan , the record of the default will be removed from your credit history. However , your 

user: Hey there, I need to know a few things about loan consolidation.

assistant: Of course. Another option for getting out of default is to consolidate your defaulted federal student loan into a Direct Consolidation Loan. Loan consolidation allows you to pay off one or more federal student loans with a new consolidation loan.

assistant: Would you like to know how to consolidate a defaulted federal student loan into a new Direct Consolidation Loan?

user: No, thank you.

user: I'd like to know something else. What can you tell me about repayment in full?

assistant: Well, a third option for getting out of default is to repay the full amount of your defaulted student loan.

user: What if I want to consolidate a defaulted plus loan that I got for my son's education?

assistant: The only income-driven plan you can choose is the Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR).

user: Ah, I see. So what do I need to do to reconsolidate a defaulted direct consolidation loan then?

assistant: You must also include at least one other eligible loan in the consolidation in addition to meeting one of two requirements.

user: Makes sense, but how can I rehabilitate a defaulted Federal Perkins Loan?

assistant: For this you must make a full monthly payment each month, within 20 days of the due date, for nine consecutive months. Your required monthly payment amount is determined by your loan holder. We can help you find out where to go for information about your Perkins Loan.