Why is deferment an important?

Asked by: Aubrey Kuhlman  |  Last update: December 1, 2025
Score: 4.8/5 (43 votes)

Under certain circumstances, borrowers may receive a deferment or forbearance that temporarily postpones or reduces student loan payments. Postponing or reducing payments may help a borrower avoid defaulting on a student loan. Borrowers must work with their loan servicer to apply for deferment or forbearance.

Why is deferment an important aspect?

Deferment impacts loan repayment plans by providing borrowers with a temporary reprieve from making complete payments, which is essential during financial hardship.

What are the pros and cons of a deferment?

A deferment period is a feasible option for someone facing economic hardship. It gives the borrower breathing room and allows them to get back on their feet by deferring loan and interest payments. However, the overall loan balance is increased due to the deferral.

What are the consequences of deferment?

In most cases, interest will accrue during your period of deferment or forbearance. This means your balance will increase and you'll pay more over the life of your loan. If you're pursuing loan forgiveness, any period of deferment or forbearance may not count toward your forgiveness requirements.

What are the benefits of student loan deferment?

Key Takeaways
  • Student loan deferment allows you to stop making payments on your loan for up to three years but does not cancel the loan.
  • You must apply and qualify for deferment unless you are enrolled in school at least half-time.
  • Interest on federally subsidized loans does not accrue during the deferment.

What Is Loan Deferment? - CreditGuide360.com

22 related questions found

What is the purpose of a deferment?

If you're having trouble repaying your loans, you may consider requesting a loan deferment or forbearance: With a loan deferment, you can temporarily stop making payments. With a loan forbearance, you can stop making payments or reduce your monthly payments for up to 12 months.

Does a deferment hurt your credit?

No, deferred payments generally won't directly hurt your credit. When a creditor defers your payments, it can report your account's new status to the credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.

What are the reasons for deferment?

The most common reasons are: travel or gap year, family commitments, sports or other commitments, bereavement, health etc. In this case, they should contact the admissions office of the college in question and explain clearly their reasons for deferring.

What are the disadvantages of a deferred payment?

Disadvantages of a Deferred Payment Agreement

Interest is usually applied on a compound basis. This means you'll pay interest on interest already incurred, as well as the care fees. This route is likely to reduce the amount of inheritance you can leave.

Is deferral good or bad?

You might feel like you've been rejected if you receive a deferral, but all it means is that your application will be reviewed again in the Regular Decision round. There is nothing wrong with your application, but you may need to submit more information to the admissions committee.

What are the advantages of deferred payments?

A deferred payment option is a right to operationally defer payment on an investment until a later date. Deferring payment often has certain advantages to paying upfront, such as accruing interest or avoiding opportunity costs, which the owner of that option will usually pay for.

Is deferment on loans bad?

If you're having trouble repaying your loan as promised, requesting a loan deferment might help you temporarily pause or reduce payments. Plus, it can help you avoid late fees and damage to your credit. But before you apply for deferment, you should consider potential drawbacks, such as higher total borrowing costs.

Why would a college defer you?

A student is deferred when they've applied through Early Action or Early Decision and college admissions officers decide that there isn't enough information or context to grant them a full acceptance. Rather than reject the student, the application is essentially put on pause until the regular decision admission cycle.

What are good reasons to ask for a deferral?

7 good reasons to defer university admission
  • Take a gap year. Taking a gap year might be one of the most popular reasons to defer university admission. ...
  • Address personal concerns. ...
  • Improve your health. ...
  • Raise additional funds. ...
  • Complete an internship abroad. ...
  • Build your academic skill set. ...
  • Volunteer abroad.

How long does deferment last?

Unemployment or part-time employment deferment

If you're looking for a job, but can't get full-time employment, you may defer your payments for up to three years. Full-time employment is defined as at least 30 hours of work a week, with the expectation that the job will last at least three months.

What is an example of a deferred payment?

Examples of a deferred payment agreement

A credit card that offers zero interest rates is an example of a deferred payment arrangement, since the bank that supplies the line of credit will collect the monthly payments without the revenue that would normally be guaranteed by the interest added.

What are the benefits of a deferred?

Deferred compensation plans provide a stable income to people after they retire. The money received through retirement plans provides financial stability. Beneficiaries can also invest their money in mutual funds or other investment options later so that they can earn interest income.

What is payment deferment risk?

Deferred payment plans can be highly beneficial for borrowers. However, they also bring on a level of risk. Borrowers may overestimate their ability to pay back a loan over time or unforeseen circumstances may bring about a tough time repaying a loan.

What is the risk of deferral?

Project deferral risk is the potential for a project to be delayed or postponed due to external factors. This type of risk can arise from a variety of sources, including changes in customer requirements, delays in obtaining necessary resources, or unexpected events that require additional time and effort to address.

Why is deferment important?

A deferment is a temporary pause to your student loan payments for specific situations such as active duty military service and reenrollment in school. You can apply for a deferment with your loan servicer, and you must continue to make payments until you've been notified that your deferment was approved.

What to do after deferment?

5 Things to Do After Getting Deferred By Your First-Choice...
  1. Write a letter. ...
  2. Solicit another letter of recommendation. ...
  3. Take more standardized tests. ...
  4. Add to Your Resume. ...
  5. Get straight A's. ...
  6. What are my chances of being accepted after a deferral? ...
  7. There are plenty of other great schools…

What is the legal definition of deferment?

Definition: Deferment refers to the act of delaying or postponing something. Example 1: A judicial decision can be deferred, which means that the decision is delayed until a later time.

What are the disadvantages of deferment?

One of the primary disadvantages of loan deferment is the accrual of interest on certain types of loans. For unsubsidized loans, interest continues to accrue during the deferment period.

Are deferred payments a good idea?

Key takeaways

Deferred interest offers can be beneficial for making large purchases if the balance is paid off in full before the promotional period ends, but they can also be risky and result in high interest charges if the balance is not paid off in time.

Why is deferment a better choice than forbearance?

Both deferment and forbearance allow you to temporarily postpone or reduce your federal student loan payments. The difference has to do with interest accrual (accumulation). During a deferment, interest doesn't accrue on some types of Direct Loans. During a forbearance, interest accrues on all types of Direct Loans.