Aidvantage Customer Service: What It Can Do and How to Contact

Aidvantage is a company that services federal student loans by collecting and tracking payments. Operating under the government contractor Maximus, Aidvantage's portfolio now includes millions of loan accounts once held by a servicer called Navient. If Aidvantage is your federal student loan servicer, here’s what it can help you do:

• Register for online access to your account. Once you set this up, you can contact Aidvantage online, find your monthly billing statements and pay bills.

• Enroll in autopay. Aidvantage can deduct your payments automatically from your bank account. Signing up for autopay will reduce your interest by 0.25 percentage point.

• Sign up for income-driven repayment. You can request income-driven repayment, which limits your student loan payments to a percentage of your income, by completing a paper form with Aidvantage. (You can also apply for an IDR plan online on studentaid.gov.)

• Apply for deferment and forbearance requests. Aidvantage can help you temporarily stop making payments or reduce your payment amount if you qualify. This helps you stay in good standing to avoid default. But during any periods of deferment or forbearance, interest can continue to build.

• Track monthly payments and extra payments. Aidvantage will track and collect your payments. If you want to make additional payments, you can instruct Aidvantage (online, by phone or by mail) to apply extra payments to your current balance. Otherwise, it may apply the additional amount to next month’s payment instead.

» MORE: Federal student loan servicers: Who are they and what do they do?

Your loan servicer is assigned by the U.S. Department of Education when your loan is disbursed to your college for the first time. The name of the company sending you a federal loan bill every month is your servicer.

If your loan payments haven’t begun or you’re not sure which company is your servicer, log in to My Federal Student Aid to find out. You can also get in touch with any of the loan servicer contact centers by calling 800-4-FED-AID.

Servicers are there to help you, but they may offer choices that are best for the company, not the borrower. That means they can’t change how payments are processed and may not suggest the most beneficial repayment option for you. It’s most important to know your repayment options so you can know the right questions to ask.

» MORE: Calling your servicer? It pays to prepare

Am I stuck with Aidvantage until my loans are paid off?

Your federal student loan servicer could change at some point in the future, depending on government contracts. You’ll be notified when a loan servicing transfer happens, and you’ll manage payments with the new servicer. All servicers deliver the same options and programs, but customer service may differ from one to another.

Prior to servicing contracts ending, borrowers should do the following:

• Download and save your payment history from your online account or request a copy from your servicer.

• Update your contact information with your most recent address, phone number and email address.

Otherwise, you are likely to remain with Aidvantage unless you act to switch student loan servicers. Use this tool to find out what might work for you.

How to reach Aidvantage customer service

Aidvantage phone number number: 800-722-1300.

Aidvantage hours of operation: Monday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET; Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET; Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET.

Aidvantage address for loan payments:

Aidvantage — Federal Student Aid Loan Servicing

P.O. Box 4450

Portland, OR 97208-4450

Aidvantage address for general correspondence:

Aidvantage — Federal Student Aid Loan Servicing

P.O. Box 300001

Greenville, TX 75403-3001

Be sure to provide your account number and enough detail for Aidvantage to address your inquiry.

Aidvantage website: aidvantage.studentaid.gov

Aidvantage email address: Log in to your account to access the Email Us feature in the Help Center.

Aidvantage social channels: Aidvantage does not post to social media at this time.

How to complain about Aidvantage

If you’re having an issue with Aidvantage that you have been unable to resolve, start by filing a complaint directly with Aidvantage's customer service department.

If your issue remains unresolved, you can also make complaints about Aidvantage to:

• The Federal Student Aid Feedback System.

• Your state attorney general's office.

• Your state consumer protection office.

• Your congressional representative.

Make sure to keep records of conversations you have, including the day, time and customer service representative you spoke with. Keep copies of any letters, bills or emails about your account.

How to settle a dispute with Aidvantage

If a complaint doesn’t help, you can contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. This method should be used only as a last resort, says the federal student aid office. When you’re ready to reach out, here’s how to get in touch:

Phone: 877-557-2575

By mail: U.S. Department of Education

FSA Ombudsman Group

P.O. Box 1854

Monticello, KY 42633

You can also reach out to a student loan nonprofit such as The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, which provides free dispute resolution.

The federal student loan servicers

Learn more about each of the federal loan servicers, including what they can do and how to contact them.