Your school or loan servicer mails or emails the 1098-E to you by January 31

The 1098-E form comes from whoever holds your student loan — usually your loan servicer, not your school. If you paid student loan interest during the tax year, the servicer is required to send you a 1098-E by January 31 of the following year. Most servicers mail it, but many now offer electronic delivery through your online account.

You do not request the form or take any action to receive it. The servicer generates it automatically if your account shows interest paid during the year. If you do not see it by early February, the servicer may have an outdated mailing address or email on file.

Key Takeaways

  • Your loan servicer sends the 1098-E by January 31 each year if you paid student loan interest during that tax year.
  • Check your online loan account first — many servicers post the form there before mailing a paper copy.
  • If the servicer has your wrong address or email, you can request a copy or view it through your account login.
  • The IRS does not mail 1098-E forms; you get them only from the servicer that collected your interest payments.
  • If you paid interest but received no form by mid-February, contact your servicer to verify your contact information and request a reissue.

Check your loan servicer's online portal first

Before waiting for mail, log into your student loan account on your servicer's website. Most major servicers — Navient, Nelnet, Great Lakes, Mohela, and others — post the 1098-E in your account dashboard or under a "Documents" or "Tax Forms" section. You can usually read it as a PDF and print it yourself.

This is often faster than waiting for paper mail and confirms the servicer has your correct address on file. If you cannot find the form in your account but know you paid interest, the servicer may not have processed it yet, or your contact information may be wrong.

Request a copy directly from your servicer if you do not receive it

If January 31 has passed and you have not received the form by mail or email, contact your servicer's customer service. You can usually call the number on your loan statement, use the "Contact Us" page on their website, or send a message through your online account. Tell them you did not receive your 1098-E and ask them to reissue it or confirm your mailing address and email.

Have your loan account number ready. The servicer can resend the form when ready in many cases, either by email or mail. If they tell you that you did not receive one because you paid no interest, ask them to confirm the interest amount they recorded for the tax year — sometimes errors occur in how payments are categorized.

Verify you actually paid student loan interest that year

A 1098-E is issued only if you paid at least $600 in student loan interest during the tax year. If you made payments but they all went to principal, or if your loan was in deferment or forbearance for the entire year, no form is generated. Some income-driven repayment plans result in very small interest payments, which may fall below the $600 threshold.

Check your loan statement or account history to see how much interest you actually paid. If the amount is below $600, the servicer will not send a 1098-E, but you may still be able to deduct the interest on your tax return — the $600 threshold is just when the servicer is required to issue the form.

The IRS does not send 1098-E forms — only servicers do

Do not contact the IRS looking for a 1098-E. The IRS does not issue or mail these forms. The servicer that collected your interest payments is the only source. If you believe you paid interest but your servicer says they have no record, you will need to resolve that with the servicer first.

If you lost your 1098-E and cannot get a replacement from the servicer, you can still report the interest on your tax return using your loan statements or account history to calculate the amount. The form is a convenience, not a requirement to claim the deduction.

What to do if your servicer changed during the year

If your loan was transferred from one servicer to another during the tax year, you may receive two 1098-E forms — one from each servicer for the interest they collected while holding your loan. Both are correct. When you file your taxes, add the interest amounts from both forms together and report the total on your return.

If you received a form from only one servicer but know your loan was transferred, contact the servicer that held the loan during the first part of the year. They should have a record of the interest collected before the transfer and can issue a form if the amount was $600 or more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my 1098-E before January 31?

No. Servicers are required to issue the form by January 31, but many do not generate or mail them until mid-January or later. Checking your online account in early January may show it before paper mail arrives, but the servicer will not have it ready much earlier than that.

What if my servicer says I did not pay $600 in interest?

Ask the servicer to break down your payments by principal and interest for the tax year. If they recorded less than $600 in interest, they will not issue a 1098-E. You can still deduct the interest on your return using your payment records, but you will need to calculate it yourself rather than using the form.

Do I need the 1098-E to claim the student loan interest deduction?

No. The form is helpful but not required. If your servicer did not send one, you can report the interest using your loan statements, payment history, or account records. The IRS accepts either the form or your own calculation.

What if I never received mail from my servicer before?

Log into your online account and check your contact information. If the address or email is wrong, update it and request a reissue of the form. If you do not have an online account, call the servicer and ask them to verify your mailing address and email, then request the form be sent again.

Can I get a 1098-E for a year that has already passed?

Yes. Contact your servicer and ask for a copy of the 1098-E from the previous year. They keep records and can reissue it. You will need it if you are amending a past tax return or if you did not receive it when it was originally issued.