What to do when a Earnest account holder dies
Contact Earnest — 6-step process, 4 required documents, and earnest places a 60-day administrative forbearance on the account when it is notified of the death of the primary borrower or student. death notices are typically processed within about five business days of earnest receiving a death certificate with the information needed to review the request.
Earnest Client Happiness
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Earnest Client Happiness
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Earnest Client Happiness (death and discharge reporting)
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Earnest balances do not pass to anyone at death — they are settled. The executor reports the death to the Earnest Client Happiness (death and discharge reporting) (1-888-601-2801), gets the date-of-death balance in writing, and resolves it through the estate's creditor process.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Earnest. A certified death certificate is the primary document required to start any claim.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Earnest:
Filing a claim
- A death certificate for the deceased borrower, or other reliable documentation Earnest accepts
- The deceased borrower's name and account number noted on the documentation
- A copy of the loan agreement if the survivor has one — the discharge terms sit in Section H (Deferment, Forbearance, and Loan Discharge)
Required Documents
- Death certificate for the deceased borrower or cosigner, or other reliable documentation Earnest accepts
- The deceased borrower's name and account number noted on the documentation
- Contact information for the person reporting the death
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration only if Earnest asks the estate representative to act on the account (Earnest discharges qualifying student loans on the death certificate alone)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Earnest is an online lender with no branches — every death report goes through the help portal (https://help.earnest.com/hc/en-us/requests/new), the phone line (888-601-2801), or the Wilkes-Barre correspondence address. There is nothing here to designate a beneficiary on or retitle to a trust; the estate question is the debt. Private student loan death treatment is set by the lender's policy, not by federal law. Earnest publicly states that it discharges all of its private student loans on the death or total and permanent disability of the primary borrower or student, and its help center places the discharge terms in Section H of the Earnest loan agreement (Deferment, Forbearance, and Loan Discharge). If the primary borrower dies and the loan is discharged, any cosigner is released. If a cosigner dies, the loan remains the primary borrower's responsibility and Earnest may remove the deceased cosigner from the remainder of the loan following a review. Earnest publishes no equivalent discharge statement for its personal loan, so a personal loan balance is handled as a debt of the estate. Loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC (NMLS #1204917) with servicing support from MOHELA (NMLS #1442770) since October 21, 2024; Earnest remains the servicer of record, so a death is reported to Earnest, not to MOHELA. Earnest publishes no death-claim form: death is reported by phone or the help portal and verified with a death certificate.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Earnest
Earnest accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Earnest's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Earnest: Earnest places a 60-day Administrative Forbearance on the account when it is notified of the death of the primary borrower or student. Death notices are typically processed within about five business days of Earnest receiving a death certificate with the information needed to review the request. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
To process a claim, Earnest needs Death certificate for the deceased borrower or cosigner, or other reliable documentation Earnest accepts, The deceased borrower's name and account number noted on the documentation, Contact information for the person reporting the death, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration only if Earnest asks the estate representative to act on the account (Earnest discharges qualifying student loans on the death certificate alone). Death certificates and court documents must be certified copies—photocopies are not accepted.
Frequently asked questions
Earnest states that it discharges all of its private student loans on the death or total and permanent disability of the primary borrower or student. Once Earnest is notified and receives a death certificate (or other reliable documentation) verifying the death, the loan is discharged rather than passed to the estate; Earnest's help center places the discharge terms in Section H of the Earnest loan agreement (Deferment, Forbearance, and Loan Discharge). This is different from many private lenders, whose loans simply become a debt of the estate. Report the death at 888-601-2801 or through the Earnest help portal at https://help.earnest.com/hc/en-us/requests/new.
Earnest is online-only — there are no branches. Notify it as soon as possible by calling 888-601-2801 (6 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT, Monday - Friday, excluding holidays), emailing hello@earnest.com, or submitting a request at https://help.earnest.com/hc/en-us/requests/new; documents can also be mailed to Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address). Earnest places a 60-day Administrative Forbearance on the account when it is notified of the death of the primary borrower or student, which pauses payment demands while it verifies the death. Death notices are typically processed within about five business days of Earnest receiving a death certificate carrying the information it needs. Earnest Operations LLC remains the servicer even though MOHELA provides servicing support, so report the death to Earnest, not to MOHELA.
Yes. If a cosigner dies, the loan is not discharged — it remains the responsibility of the primary borrower. Earnest states a deceased cosigner may be removed from the remainder of the loan if the criteria are met following a review. Some private student loans include an auto-default clause that a cosigner's death can trigger; where a loan has no such clause, the payments, rate, and terms stay the same. The reverse case works differently: if the primary borrower or student dies and Earnest discharges the loan under its policy, the cosigner is released from the obligation.
Yes. Federal student loans are discharged on the borrower's death under federal rule. Refinancing federal loans into an Earnest private loan replaces that federal rule with Earnest's private-loan policy, which is set by the loan agreement rather than by law. Earnest states that it discharges its private student loans on the death or total and permanent disability of the primary borrower or student, so an Earnest refinance loan carries Earnest's discharge policy. The same is true of a Parent PLUS refinance: the balance sits with the refinancing borrower, and Earnest's discharge policy is what governs it.
No. Earnest's published death-discharge statement covers its private student loans; Earnest publishes no equivalent discharge policy for its personal loan (https://www.earnest.com/personal-loans). An unpaid personal loan balance is therefore handled as a debt of the estate, to be presented and paid through the estate rather than out of an heir's own pocket. Report the death at 888-601-2801 and ask Earnest to confirm in writing how the specific loan agreement treats death before the estate pays anything.
Earnest's Earnest Client Happiness (death and discharge reporting) can be reached by phone at 1-888-601-2801 and email at hello@earnest.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Earnest student loans may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Earnest Client Happiness (death and discharge reporting) to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Earnest primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Earnest Client Happiness
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Earnest Client Happiness
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Earnest Client Happiness (death and discharge reporting)
Earnest, PO Box 9250, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-9250 (correspondence only, not a payment address)
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Earnest accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
More tools for handling this estate
Calculators and checklists for executors and trustees.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.
What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
Find out what's fair compensation for serving as trustee. Compare family, professional, and corporate trustee rates based on your situation.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.
