Get Temporary Relief 
Sometimes , you just need to suspend your student loan payments for a short period. If you re in a short - term financial bind , you may qualify for a deferment or a forbearance. With either of these options , you can temporarily suspend your payments. NEW : Automatic Suspension of Monthly Payments as a Result of the COVID-19 National Emergency To provide relief to student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency , federal student loan borrowers are automatically being placed in an administrative forbearance, which allows you to temporarily stop making your monthly loan payments. This suspension of payments will last from March 13 , 2020, through Sept. 30 , 2020 , but you can still make payments if you choose. Have questions? Find out what loans qualify and get additional information about this forbearance and other student loan flexibilities due to the COVID-19 national emergency. When it comes to deferment and forbearance , however , there are two important things to consider : In most cases , interest will accrue during your period of deferment or forbearance except in the case of certain forbearances, such as the one offered as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency. This means your balance will increase and you ll pay more over the life of your loan. If you re pursuing loan forgiveness , any period of deferment or forbearance likely will not count toward your forgiveness requirements. This means you ll stop making progress toward forgiveness until you resume repayment. Consider Another Repayment Plan First Because of the impact on interest and potential loan forgiveness , it might be worth exploring another repayment plan before you consider deferment or forbearance. For example , your payments could be more affordable if you change to an income - driven repayment plan. Contact your loan servicer to find out if another repayment plan might be the best option for you. Discuss obtaining a deferment or forbearance with you

user: Tell about the Temporary Relief, please

assistant: Sometimes, you need to suspend your student loan payments for a short period

assistant: Are you in a short-term financial bind?

user: Not at all

user: What if I don't pay any interest?

assistant: If you don't pay that interest, it will be capitalized and added to your principal balance.

user: Why will that interest be capitalized?

assistant: that's because interest accrues on your principal balance, capitalization will cause more interest to accrue over time than if you had paid the interest. It will also increase your monthly payment on most payment plans

user: How to relieve student loan borrowers during the national COVID-19 emergency?

assistant: Federal student loan borrowers are automatically being placed in an administrative forbearance, which allow to temporarily stop making monthly loan payments. This suspension of payments will last from March 13, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2020,but you can still make payments if you choose.

user: How can I get relief with lower payments on an income-driven repayment plan?

assistant: It would be better to consider a different payment plan, such as an income-driven repayment plan. These plans base your monthly student loan payments on your income and family size. In some cases, the payment could be as low as $0 per month