Do I have to work with a collection agency for a student loan debt that is unpaid since 1994?

In answer to your question, yes, I am pretty sure you have to work with them. Who else would you work with?

A few years ago, I relocated for a new job and neglected to change the address where my student loan bills were forwarded. I had recently graduated, so the loans were still in deferment and I had never paid them. Once I had been in my new city for about 6 months, I realized my error and called the lender to give them my new address. They informed me that my loans had come out of deferment and because they hadn’t heard from me, they were actually in default!

They had sent them to a collection agency who told me that I had to start paying them some astronomical sum each month and immediately. They put a lot of pressure on me to pay them.

What I found out was that (at that time, and this may still exist) there is a loan rehabilitation program whereby the collection agency HAS to give you a chance to pay WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD. I submitted a bunch of documents including pay stubs and expenses and I was able to get the astronomical amount down to $100 per month.

Once I paid this on time for 12 consecutive months, the loan was considered rehabilitated and I started over with a new lender (plus collection costs and interest, of course).

There used to be a guy named Nick Percival who would do email consultations for a fee, and he was VERY helpful. A quick search of Google didn’t not turn him up anymore, but he was great because he was a former loan officer in Education and knew most of the ins and outs. Failing that, this book on Amazon also has some useful information in it. (But if you can find Nick, he REALLY knows his stuff.)

If the student loan was from a private company then the debt is probably past the statute of limitations and you have the legal right to inform the collector of that fact.

If the loan was a government backed loan then there is no statute of limitations. If that is the case then you should request written validation of the debt to be sure the collector actually has the debt and that the amount they are claiming is the correct amount. Then you might try to get them to settle for a portion of the debt as payment in full. Be sure to get it in writing.

I've had this problem over the years with other types of bills. There are several people in this area with the same name, and I have often had to deal with 'their' debts. I do not bother contacting the collectors. I write a brief note to the company explaining the situation, and ask them to please correct their records and notify the collection agencies of their error. I also make it perfectly clear that I will not be paying the amount owed, so unless they find the correct person, they may never be reimbursed, and I may be forced to seek legal advice about the harassment. It has worked every time. Best wishes..

You have an obligation to pay your debt, even student loan debt. You proabably want to work with a collection agency now rather than later. They may be able to garnish your wages.

You do not have to "work with" the collection agency. You do have to pay the debt, unless there is a law that says otherwise.

Student loan debt last forever. Contact the original lender & pay the bill.

if you have no idea what is going on then give the "collection agency" a call and try to get as much info as you can without giving any info about yourself, what you can also do is say i dont know who you are talking about i dont know who this person is and if they keep contacting you bring some of this down to your local police station and ask them about it they may have some insight for you

Yes, if they were assigned your debt. The fact that you managed to still the original lender for 17 years does not mean that you do not still LEGALLY owe that debt. You owe that and need to work with them until the day you die, if necessary.

you don't have to work with them but you should still pay your debt