Student loan delinquency vs default.

In plain English

Delinquency and default are two stages of falling behind on a federal student loan. Delinquency begins the first day after you miss a payment and continues for as long as the account is past due. Default is the later, more serious stage that happens after your loan has gone unpaid for a long period (for most federal Direct loans, 270 days, roughly nine months). Delinquency is reported to credit bureaus and hurts your credit; default adds harsher consequences like the full balance becoming due, collection costs, and possible wage garnishment or tax-refund offset. The first constructive step at either stage is to contact your servicer or studentaid.gov, because options exist before and after default.

01Why it matters

Knowing which stage you are in tells you how much time you have to act and which fixes are still on the table, and acting during delinquency is far easier than digging out of default.

02The math, step by step

You miss a payment. The day after the due date, your loan is delinquent. If it stays unpaid and crosses about 90 days late, the late status is reported to the credit bureaus and your credit score drops. If it reaches 270 days unpaid, the loan goes into default, which can trigger the entire balance coming due, added collection costs, and tools like wage garnishment or having a tax refund taken. At any point, calling your servicer to ask about an income-driven plan, deferment, or forbearance can stop the slide.

03What this is NOT

04Receipts

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