Fill Out Economic Hardship Deferment Request Online
Economic Hardship Deferment Request (HRD)
Federal Student Aid
Requests postponement of federal student loan payments during a period of economic hardship.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
- 1
Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
- 2
Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
- 3
Download your PDF. Save the completed form, ready to print or submit.
The Economic Hardship Deferment Request (HRD) asks your loan holder to postpone payments on Direct Loans, FFEL Program loans, or Perkins Loans while your income is low or you are receiving public assistance. Maximum cumulative eligibility is 36 months per loan program.
The form is borrower-only, with no employer or school certification section, so you can complete the whole thing in the Universal PDF editor, download it, sign it, and mail it to your loan servicer with your income documentation.
What the economic hardship deferment is used for
A deferment is a period during which you are entitled to postpone repayment. Interest is not charged to you on subsidized loans during the deferment, while unsubsidized loans keep accruing interest that may capitalize afterward. Perkins Loan borrowers also receive a six month post-deferment grace period.
Except for Peace Corps volunteers, the deferment is granted one year at a time, and you can reapply each year until you reach the 36 month cumulative maximum for that loan program. The form itself suggests also weighing an income-driven repayment plan, which can produce a low payment without using up deferment time; check StudentAid.gov/idr for the plans currently open.
Who qualifies
Section 2 walks through the qualifying routes in order. You qualify if any one of these applies:
- You already have an economic hardship deferment on a loan under another federal loan program for the same period, with documentation attached
- You receive payments under a federal or state public assistance program such as TANF, SSI, SNAP, or state general public assistance
- You are serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, with documentation of your service period
- You work full time, meaning 30 or more hours per week in a position expected to last at least three consecutive months, and your monthly income is less than 150 percent of the poverty guideline for your family size and state
How to fill out the form
Complete Section 1 with your identifying information, then answer the numbered eligibility items in Section 2, following the skip logic until you either qualify or the form tells you that you do not. For the income route, you report your monthly income, either gross taxable income from all sources or one-twelfth of the AGI on your most recent federal tax return, and your family size, then compare against the poverty guideline table printed in the form.
In Section 3 you choose your requested deferment start date, optionally check a box to make interest payments during the deferment, and sign. Attach documentation of your monthly income or benefits, labeled with your name and account number.
How to submit it
Send the completed form and documentation to the address shown in Section 6 of your copy; if no address is printed, return it to your loan servicer. If your loans are held by different loan holders, each one needs its own request.
Your loan holder may grant a forbearance while it processes the form or to cover any delinquency that exists when you submit it, and you must notify it immediately if your eligibility ends early.
Frequently asked questions
Up to 36 cumulative months per loan program. Outside of Peace Corps service it is approved in one year increments, so you reapply annually with fresh documentation until you reach the maximum.
Not on subsidized loans. Unsubsidized loans continue to accrue interest, and unpaid interest may capitalize when the deferment ends, though interest never capitalizes on Perkins Loans. The form includes a checkbox to make interest payments during the deferment if you want to prevent that.
You choose one of two measures: your gross taxable income from all sources, or one-twelfth of the adjusted gross income from your most recent federal income tax return. Either way you must attach documentation of the amount.
No. Receiving federal or state public assistance such as TANF, SSI, SNAP, or state general public assistance qualifies you directly. Attach documentation of the benefit payments and skip the income and family size items.
It begins on the later of the date you became eligible or the start date you request on the form. It ends when you exhaust your maximum eligibility, reach the certified end date, or stop meeting the criteria, whichever comes first.
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