GFB General Forbearance Request Form

GENERAL FORBEARANCE REQUEST
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program / Federal Family
Education Loan (FFEL) Program / Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program
GFB

OMB No. 1845-0031
DRAFT FORM
Exp. Date x/xx/xxxx

WARNING: Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or misrepresentation on this form or on
any accompanying document is subject to penalties that may include fines, imprisonment, or both, under
the U.S. Criminal Code and 20 U.S.C. 1097.

SECTION 1: BORROWER INFORMATION
Please enter or correct the following information.
Check this box if any of your information has changed.
SSN
Name
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Telephone - Primary
Telephone - Alternate
Email (Optional)
SECTION 2: FORBEARANCE REQUEST
Carefully read the entire form before completing it. Answer all questions in Section 2. Your loan holder has sole
discretion in whether to grant your general forbearance request, and, if granted, for what period your forbearance
will be applied. Instead of forbearance, consider requesting a deferment (which has an interest benefit
for some loan types) or changing to a repayment plan that determines your monthly payment amount based on your
income. Visit StudentAid.gov/IDR for more information.
1. I am requesting a forbearance because I am
experiencing a temporary hardship related to one of
the following situations (check one):

2. If approved for a forbearance, I would like to:
Temporarily stop making payments.
Temporarily make smaller payments of

Financial difficulties

per month.

Change in employment
3. I would like my forbearance to begin with the
monthly payment that is due in the month and year
below:

Medical expenses
Other (explain the situation below)

4. If approved for forbearance, I would like my
forbearance to end in the month and year below,
and begin making payments the following month:

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Borrower Name

Borrower SSN

SECTION 3: BORROWER/ENDORSER UNDERSTANDINGS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND AUTHORIZATION
I understand that:
• I am not required to make payments of loan principal or interest during my forbearance, but interest will continue to
be charged on all my loans.
• Interest may capitalize on my loans during or at the expiration of my forbearance, but interest never capitalizes on
Perkins Loans. Interest capitalization usually increases the amount of interest I will pay, and may increase my monthly
payment.
• My loan holder has sole discretion in whether to grant my general forbearance request and for what dates it will be
granted.
• For Perkins Loans, there is a cumulative limit on general forbearance of 3 years. For Direct Loans and FFEL Program
loans, my loan holder may set a limit on general forbearance.
• My forbearance will end on the earlier of the end date that I requested, 12 months from the date my forbearance
begins, or when I exhaust any limit that my loan holder has on forbearance.
• I can request another forbearance after my forbearance ends if I am still experiencing financial hardship.
• Any payment I make during forbearance will not count towards forgiveness under income-driven repayment plans or
Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
I certify that:
• The information I have provided on this form is true and correct.
• I will provide additional documentation to my loan holder, if requested, to support my general forbearance request.
• I will repay my loans according to the terms of my promissory note, even if my request is not granted.
I authorize the entity to which I submit this request and its agents to contact me regarding my request or my loans at any
cellular telephone number that I provide now or in the future using automated telephone dialing equipment or artificial or
prerecorded voice or text messages.
Date

Borrower's/Endorser's Signature
SECTION 4: INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE FORBEARANCE REQUEST

Type or print using dark ink. Enter dates as month-day-year (mm-dd-yyyy) or (mm-yyyy) as appropriate. Example: March 14,
2019 = 03-14-2019. Include your name and account number on any documentation that you may be requested to submit
with this form. If you want to apply for a forbearance on loans that are held by different loan holders, you must submit a
separate forbearance request to each loan holder. Return the completed form and any requested documentation to the
address shown in Section 6.
If you are an endorser, you may request forbearance only when you are required to repay the loan because the borrower is
not making payments. If you have a loan made jointly with another borrower (as co-makers), you must both individually meet
the requirements for a forbearance and each of you must request forbearance.

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SECTION 5: DEFINITIONS
Capitalization is the addition of unpaid interest to the
principal balance of your loan. Capitalization causes more
interest to accrue over the life of your loan and may cause
your monthly payment amount to increase. Interest never
capitalizes on Perkins Loans. Table 1 (below) provides an
example of the monthly payments and the total amount
repaid for a $30,000 unsubsidized loan. The example loan
has a 6% interest rate and the example deferment or
forbearance lasts for 12 months and begins when the loan
entered repayment. The example compares the effects of
paying the interest as it accrues or allowing it to be
capitalized.
A co-maker is one of the two individuals who are joint
borrowers on a Direct or Federal Consolidation Loan or a
Federal PLUS Loan. Both co-makers are equally responsible
for repaying the full amount of the loan.
A deferment is a period during which you are entitled
to postpone repayment of your loans. Interest is not
generally charged to you during a deferment on your
subsidized loans. Interest is always charged to you during a
deferment on your unsubsidized loans. On loans made
under the Perkins Loan Program, all deferments are
followed by a post-deferment grace period of 6 months,
during which time you are not required to make payments.
An endorser is an individual who signs a promissory
note and agrees to pay the loan if the borrower does not.
The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program
includes Federal Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal
Consolidation Loans, and Federal Supplemental Loans for
Students (SLS).
The Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program
includes Federal Perkins Loans, National Direct Student
Loans (NDSL), and National Defense Student Loans (Defense
Loans).

A forbearance is a period during which you are allowed
to postpone making payments temporarily, allowed an
extension of time for making payments, or temporarily
allowed to make smaller payments than scheduled. A
forbearance can be a mandatory forbearance, meaning that
your loan holder must grant the forbearance if you qualify
for the forbearance and supply all supporting
documentation. A forbearance can also be a discretionary
forbearance, meaning that your loan holder may grant the
forbearance, but is not required to do so.
The holder of your Direct Loans is the Department. The
holder of your FFEL Program loans may be a lender,
guaranty agency, secondary market, or the Department. The
holder of your Perkins Loans is an institution of higher
education or the Department. Your loan holder may use a
servicer to handle billing and other communications related
to your loans. References to “your loan holder” on this form
mean either your loan holder or your servicer.
A subsidized loan is a Direct Subsidized Loan, a Direct
Subsidized Consolidation Loan, a Federal Subsidized
Stafford Loan, portions of some Federal Consolidation
Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, NDSL, and Defense Loans.
An unsubsidized loan is a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, a
Direct Unsubsidized Consolidation Loan, a Direct PLUS
Loan, a Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, a Federal PLUS
Loan, a Federal SLS, and portions of some Federal
Consolidation Loans.
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)
Program includes Federal Direct Stafford/Ford (Direct
Subsidized) Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/
Ford (Direct Unsubsidized) Loans, Federal Direct PLUS
(Direct PLUS) Loans, and Federal Direct Consolidation
(Direct Consolidation) Loans.

Table 1. Capitalization Chart
Treatment of Interest with
Deferment/Forbearance
Interest is paid

Loan Amt.
$30,000

Capitalized
Interest
$0

Outstanding
Principal
$30,000

Monthly
Payment
$333

Interest is capitalized at the
end
Interest is capitalized
quarterly and at the end

Number of Total Repaid
Payments
120
$41,767

$30,000

$1,800

$31,800

$353

120

$42,365

$30,000

$1,841

$31,841

$354

120

$42,420

SECTION 6: WHERE TO SEND THE COMPLETED FORBEARANCE REQUEST
Return the completed form and any documentation to:
(If no address is shown, return to your loan holder.)

If you need help completing this form, call:
(If no telephone number is shown, call your loan holder.)

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SECTION 7: IMPORTANT NOTICES
Privacy Act Notice. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C.
552a) requires that the following notice be provided to you:
The authorities for collecting the requested information
from and about you are §421 et seq., §451 et seq., or §461 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.
1071 et seq., 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq., or 20 U.S.C. 1087aa et
seq.) and the authorities for collecting and using your Social
Security Number (SSN) are §§428B(f) and 484(a)(4) of the
HEA (20 U.S.C. 1078-2(f) and 1091(a)(4)) and 31 U.S.C.
7701(b). Participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct
Loan (Direct Loan) Program, Federal Family Education Loan
(FFEL) Program, or Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan)
Program and giving us your SSN are voluntary, but you must
provide the requested information, including your SSN, to
participate.
The principal purposes for collecting the information on
this form, including your SSN, are to verify your identity, to
determine your eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a
loan (such as a deferment, forbearance, discharge, or
forgiveness) under the Direct Loan, FFEL, or Federal Perkins
Loan Programs, to permit the servicing of your loans, and, if
it becomes necessary, to locate you and to collect and
report on your loans if your loans become delinquent or
default. We also use your SSN as an account identifier and to
permit you to access your account information
electronically.
The information in your file may be disclosed, on a
case-by-case basis or under a computer matching program,
to third parties as authorized under routine uses in the
appropriate systems of records notices. The routine uses of
this information include, but are not limited to, its disclosure
to federal, state, or local agencies, to private parties such as
relatives, present and former employers, business and
personal associates, to consumer reporting agencies, to
financial and educational institutions, and to guaranty
agencies in order to verify your identity, to determine your
eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a loan, to permit
the servicing or collection of your loans, to enforce the
terms of the loans, to investigate possible fraud and to verify
compliance with federal student financial aid program
regulations, or to locate you if you become delinquent in
your loan payments or if you default. To provide default rate
calculations, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies,
to financial and educational institutions, or to state
agencies. To provide financial aid history information,
disclosures may be made to educational institutions.

To assist program administrators with tracking refunds
and cancellations, disclosures may be made to guaranty
agencies, to financial and educational institutions, or to
federal or state agencies. To provide a standardized method
for educational institutions to efficiently submit student
enrollment statuses, disclosures may be made to guaranty
agencies or to financial and educational institutions. To
counsel you in repayment efforts, disclosures may be made
to guaranty agencies, to financial and educational
institutions, or to federal, state, or local agencies.
In the event of litigation, we may send records to the
Department of Justice, a court, adjudicative body, counsel,
party, or witness if the disclosure is relevant and necessary
to the litigation. If this information, either alone or with
other information, indicates a potential violation of law, we
may send it to the appropriate authority for action. We may
send information to members of Congress if you ask them
to help you with federal student aid questions. In
circumstances involving employment complaints,
grievances, or disciplinary actions, we may disclose relevant
records to adjudicate or investigate the issues. If provided
for by a collective bargaining agreement, we may disclose
records to a labor organization recognized under 5 U.S.C.
Chapter 71. Disclosures may be made to our contractors for
the purpose of performing any programmatic function that
requires disclosure of records. Before making any such
disclosure, we will require the contractor to maintain Privacy
Act safeguards. Disclosures may also be made to qualified
researchers under Privacy Act safeguards.
Paperwork Reduction Notice. According to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required
to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid
OMB control number for this information collection is
1845-0031. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response,
including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed,
and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
The obligation to respond to this collection is required to
obtain a benefit in accordance with 34 CFR 674.33, 682.211,
and 685.205. If you have comments or concerns regarding
the status of your individual submission of this form, please
contact your loan holder directly (see Section 6).

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