If you have been impacted by a federally declared natural disaster (such as wildfire, hurricane, flood, or tornado), you may be eligible for assistance with your federal student loans by postponing your payments for up to 90 days while you recover.

If you have been affected by a federally declared natural disaster in the area where you live or work, and are having difficulty making a payment, you can request to pause or reduce your loan payments for 90 days through a Natural Disaster Forbearance. When the initial 90 day forbearance period ends, you may request additional forbearance in 30-day increments, up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of the disaster. During this payment pause (forbearance), daily interest continues to accrue on your loans.

MOHELA regularly checks the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website to identify areas affected by disaster declarations. However, if you live in a federally declared disaster area, you may contact MOHELA to request a Natural Disaster Forbearance.

Additional resources may also be helpful to you during this challenging time:

• Disaster Assistance Information from Federal Student Aid   this link will open in a new window
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)   this link will open in a new window
• DisasterAssistance.gov   this link will open in a new window
• American Red Cross   this link will open in a new window
• The National Hurricane Center   this link will open in a new window
• Disaster Distress Helpline   this link will open in a new window