What to do when a Navient account holder dies
Contact Navient's Navient Office of the Customer Advocate (defaulted-loan inquiries) — 5-step process, 3 required documents, and mohela typically applies an administrative forbearance to pause billing while a death discharge request is reviewed. processing time varies for private loans; confirm current timing with mohela at 888-272-5543.
MOHELA (servicing Navient loans)
Phone1-888-272-5543
Mailing Address
MOHELA, P.O. Box 4200, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200
WebsiteLearn more→
Navient Office of the Customer Advocate (defaulted-loan inquiries)
Emailadvocate@navient.com
WebsiteLearn more→
MOHELA (servicing Navient loans) - Discharge / Forgiveness
Phone1-888-272-5543
Mailing Address
MOHELA, P.O. Box 4200, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
After a Navient account holder dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Navient's Navient Office of the Customer Advocate (defaulted-loan inquiries) at 1-888-272-5543 with the proper legal authority documents.
Begin by calling Navient at 1-888-272-5543. You will need the deceased's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate to get the process started.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Navient works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Contact MOHELA at 888-272-5543 to report the borrower's death; MOHELA services Navient-held private and legacy loans
2
Ask MOHELA to review the specific loan for death discharge eligibility and to pause billing while the request is processed
3
For a private loan, MOHELA provides a forgiveness or discharge application to complete and return with supporting documentation:
- A certified copy of the death certificate, or a clear photocopy, for the deceased borrower
- The deceased borrower's name and account number so the documentation can be matched to the account
4
MOHELA reviews the application and documentation and applies the discharge if the loan is eligible under its terms
5
If a specific private loan is not discharged under its agreement, the remaining balance is handled as a debt of the estate, and any cosigner may remain responsible for the balance
Required Documents
- Completed private-loan forgiveness or discharge application (provided by MOHELA)
- Certified copy of the death certificate, or a clear photocopy
- The deceased borrower's name and account number noted on the documentation
What to know at this institution
Private student loan death treatment is set by the loan agreement and holder policy, not by federal law. Navient/MOHELA state that private loans are eligible for discharge on the primary borrower's death. Where a specific loan is not discharged, the remaining balance is a debt of the estate and a cosigner may remain liable. Legacy FFEL federal loans held by Navient are discharged on the borrower's death under federal rules. Navient is the loan holder; MOHELA performs the servicing, so death reporting and documentation intake go through MOHELA. Defaulted-loan questions route to Navient's Office of the Customer Advocate at advocate@navient.com.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Navient
Navient asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Navient requires.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Navient: MOHELA typically applies an administrative forbearance to pause billing while a death discharge request is reviewed. Processing time varies for private loans; confirm current timing with MOHELA at 888-272-5543. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Navient requires Completed private-loan forgiveness or discharge application (provided by MOHELA), Certified copy of the death certificate, or a clear photocopy, and The deceased borrower's name and account number noted on the documentation to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Navient's private and legacy student loans are serviced by MOHELA. Borrowers manage their accounts at servicing.mohela.com and reach servicing by phone at 888-272-5543. Navient continues to hold/own the loans while MOHELA performs the day-to-day servicing, including intake of death and discharge documentation.
Private student loan death treatment is set by the loan agreement, not by federal law. Navient and MOHELA state that private loans are eligible for discharge due to the death of the primary borrower once documentation is submitted. If a specific loan is not discharged under its terms, the remaining balance is handled as a debt of the estate. Reviewing the loan agreement or calling MOHELA at 888-272-5543 confirms how a particular loan is treated.
If the primary borrower dies and the loan is discharged under its terms, the cosigner is released from the obligation. If the loan is not discharged, the cosigner remains responsible for the balance. Navient also offers a separate cosigner-release application for living borrowers who meet its criteria, which is a different process from a death discharge.
Because MOHELA services Navient loans, death is reported to MOHELA at 888-272-5543. MOHELA reviews the loan for death discharge eligibility, provides a forgiveness or discharge application, and confirms where to send the death certificate. MOHELA typically pauses billing with an administrative forbearance while the request is reviewed.
MOHELA confirms the exact submission address when a death is reported. Its general servicing mailing address is MOHELA, P.O. Box 4200, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200. A certified copy of the death certificate or a clear photocopy is submitted with the completed discharge application. Call 888-272-5543 first to confirm the address and request the application.
Yes. Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans are discharged on the borrower's death under federal rules (and PLUS loans on the death of the student on whose behalf they were borrowed) once acceptable proof of death is submitted. The balance is not passed to the estate. This is different from private loans, whose death treatment depends on the loan agreement.
MOHELA typically places an administrative forbearance on the account to pause payment demands while a death discharge request is reviewed. Reporting the death by phone at 888-272-5543 starts that review and pauses billing on the affected loan.
Navient's MOHELA (servicing Navient loans) - Discharge / Forgiveness can be reached by phone at 1-888-272-5543 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Navient primary sources (4 pages reviewed). How we research.
MOHELA (servicing Navient loans)
Phone1-888-272-5543
Mailing Address
MOHELA, P.O. Box 4200, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200
WebsiteLearn more→
Navient Office of the Customer Advocate (defaulted-loan inquiries)
Emailadvocate@navient.com
WebsiteLearn more→
MOHELA (servicing Navient loans) - Discharge / Forgiveness
Phone1-888-272-5543
Mailing Address
MOHELA, P.O. Box 4200, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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