Consumer complaint received 2025-09-22 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: EdFinancial Services
State: KY

Complaint narrative:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I am writing to file an official and formal complaint against EdFinancial Services, which is my student loan servicer. I am aware that they were sanctioned by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in XXXX for unfair lending practices toward those seeking relief through XXXX, and I feel they are repeating that behavior with my XXXX  repayment account. My employer, the XXXX XXXX XXXX through the Department XXXX XXXX XXXX, made a lump sum payment in the amount of {$8400.00} ( after taxes ) to EdFinancial on XX/XX/XXXX. My monthly payment to EdFinancial is {$220.00}. This lump sum payment of {$8400.00} should have satisfied at least 12 months of payments toward my PSLF payment count, but I have only been given credit for : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX According to Federal Student Aid, this is because EdFinancial has NOT reported payment credit to them for : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX In both XXXX and XXXX, my employer made the exact same {$8400.00} lump sum payment to XXXX, which satisfied my payments for over XXXX years. XXXX also reported those months to XXXX XXXX XXXX as counting toward my XXXX  payment count. But EdFinancial is refusing to report that {$8400.00} payment as 12 months of payments ( at least ) to XXXX XXXX XXXX. Because of the lump sum payment made by my employer in XXXX of XXXX, my EdFinancial account was in a paid-ahead status until the end of XX/XX/XXXX. For multiple months, my billing statements from XXXX said that my next payment was not due until XX/XX/XXXX ( I made this payment on XX/XX/XXXX ). So Im completely baffled at why XXXX XXXX XXXX is saying that Im missing XXXX payments when my account was not only in good standing, but it was in a paid-ahead status with EdFinancial. Why is EdFinancial reporting that lump sum payment as covering XXXX months, instead of all 12 months beginning in XX/XX/XXXX? Of the XXXX times that I have called EdFinancial, they have said things like they have no record of the XXXX missing months being paid with a monthly payment. But they wouldnt have a record of monthly payments, because only a lump sum payment was made. And if missing monthly payments were the reason, then I should have no credit for any months at all, other than XX/XX/XXXX. So why then do I have credit for XXXX months when a monthly payment was not made in those months? This answer makes no sense whatsoever. They also said on a separate phone call, that YES they did report all XXXX payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX, but XXXX XXXX XXXX must have chosen not to count those XXXX particular months toward my XXXX  because, they ( meaning XXXX XXXX XXXX ) can do that and they dont have to give a reason why. When I called XXXX XXXX XXXX and asked them if they could pick and choose which months they can give credit for, they very strongly said no. XXXX XXXX XXXX said that the ONLY reasons a reported payment would not count toward XXXX, would be if a borrower were not employed by an eligible government agency or if the borrower was delinquent on reporting their income for their XXXX plan. But I have been continuously employed by the same eligible, non-profit government organization since XX/XX/XXXX. I also received a letter from EdFinancial in XXXX of XXXX stating, As a result of a court action affecting income driven repayment, Edfinancial Services at the direction of the Department of Education, has changed the date by which you need to recertify your current XXXX plan to XX/XX/XXXX. This proves that Im not delinquent on reporting my income for my XXXX plan. 
When told all of this, XXXX XXXX XXXX said that there is absolutely no reason why any reported payments for my account would not qualify. XXXX XXXX XXXX said that because payments arent made to them directly, they can only give credit toward XXXX for the months that servicers report to them as being paid and that EdFinancial simply has not reported those XXXX months as being paid months. 

So this, I believe, is where the behavior that caused the XXXX sanction by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of unfair lending practices toward those seeking relief through XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, is now being done with my attempt at XXXX relief. 
Those XXXX missing payments are severely hindering my progress toward my XXXX payment with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX program. My XXXX ( and final ) payment will be made in XX/XX/XXXX, but if XXXX XXXX XXXX is still under the impression that I have missed XXXX payments, I will be forced to continue making payments that I should not have to make. So please, see what can be done about getting EdFinancial to report to XXXX XXXX XXXX that all payments from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX have been satisfied and should be counted toward my PSLF count. Again, XXXX never had an issue reporting the exact same lump-sum payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX as 12 monthly payments, but EdFinancial refuses to do so. WHY?? How are the XXXX months that Im not receiving XXXX credit, different from the XXXX months that I am receiving XXXX credit?? According to XXXX XXXX XXXX there is NO difference between those months and I should be getting XXXX  credit for all 12 months from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. As of the date of this letter, XX/XX/XXXX, I should have a payment count of XXXX payments. My most recent Employment Recertification form was completed by my employer on XX/XX/XXXX, and was processed and completed by XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. On that form, it is documented by my supervisor that I have been employed by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX continuously and uninterrupted since XX/XX/XXXX. So there has been no interruption in my employment with a non-profit government organization, and there is absolutely no reason that I should be missing XXXX credit. 
In short, I am asking that EdFinancial be required to report to XXXX XXXX XXXX that the {$8400.00} payment on XX/XX/XXXX qualifies as payment for all 12 months from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, which will result in my payment count towards XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, being the correct amount of XXXX payments, as of XX/XX/XXXX. I am including documentation showing my employment has been continuous and uninterrupted since XX/XX/XXXX, that my XXXX  is not due for recertification until XX/XX/XXXX, and documentation from the Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX showing that payments were made in the amount of {$8400.00} in XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. And if you believe that I should also file a congressional inquiry with my congressman, please let me know. I will do anything suggested to get my payment count corrected.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation