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If you recently logged into MOHELA to retrieve your 1098-E Tax Form and noticed a gap in your payment history, you are witnessing the “Migration Hangover.”
While the major platform transition concluded last year, some borrowers have continued to report occasional display inconsistencies. Most display inconsistencies reported during servicing transitions are temporary and do not reflect permanent data loss. As of February 2026, isolated users have described instances where payments made during the transition period did not immediately reflect on the new dashboard or tax documentation.
With repayment plan rules continuing to evolve in 2026, maintaining an accurate payment history is critical. If your records are incomplete, resolving discrepancies early can prevent complications in future repayment calculations.
You need to archive your own data immediately. Here is the emergency kit to prove your payments if gaps occur.
The Ghost Data Risk
The migration was a system overhaul, not a simple copy-paste. Reports from early 2026 indicate that when accounts moved to the new mohela.studentaid.gov server, the Financial Transaction Summary sometimes showed temporary gaps.
Some borrowers have reported that pre-transition payments may not immediately appear in the new interface. If a discrepancy appears in your payment record in the future, having your own archived documentation can help resolve it more quickly.
The Emergency Download Kit (Do This Now)
Do not wait for the tax deadline. Secure your proof now.
Tool 1: The “Financial Transaction Summary” (Your Legal Proof) This is the holy grail of your student loan life. It lists every penny you have ever sent them. Log in and navigate to Payment History or Financial Transaction Summary. The trick is to avoid the default view; you must select the date range “All Time” to capture the full picture. Once it loads, click “Print” and “Save as PDF.” Do not rely on screenshots, which are often rejected by the CFPB as insufficient proof because they lack metadata.
Tool 2: The “Inbox” Correspondence Archive Your inbox is evidence. Every time MOHELA confirmed a payment plan change or recertified your income, they sent a letter to your secure Messages or Documents tab. Go there and download every single PDF available. It feels tedious to click “download” on fifty different files, but treating this like a digital scavenger hunt now is better than fighting a customer service rep later. Specifically, look for “PSLF Qualifying Payment Update” letters. These are your golden tickets for forgiveness.
Tool 3: The “Mortgage Verification” Letter (The Balance Lock) Even if you aren’t buying a house, you need this document. Go to Loan Details and generate the Mortgage Verification letter. This serves as an official, dated affidavit from MOHELA stating your current balance and status as of today. If the new system displays an incorrect balance next week (a temporary display issue some borrowers have previously reported during servicing transitions), this letter proves what you owed before the error.
If Your History Is Already Missing
If you logged in today and found your history missing from the display, you are in “Post-Migration Limbo.”
- Do not panic. This is often a display error, not a data loss.
- Verify via StudentAid.gov. The federal database is the “master” record. Log in there to see if your payment count is accurate.
- The 30-Day Rule: If your data remains missing for more than 30 days, then file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Attach the PDFs you downloaded above as proof.
Treat these downloads like an insurance policy.
You hope you never need that PDF. But if the system glitches next year, or if you need to prove a payment count for forgiveness in 2030, that file could be the difference between a quick fix and a bureaucratic nightmare.
Take the ten minutes. Future You will thank you.
Sarah Johnson is an education policy researcher and student-aid specialist who writes clear, practical guides on financial assistance programs, grants, and career opportunities. She focuses on simplifying complex information for parents, students, and families.
