--- title: Some Student Loan Borrowers Are Getting $2,000 'Surprise Checks' From an Old Navient Lawsuit description: Some student loan borrowers are receiving Navient settlement checks tied to a CFPB lawsuit. Here's who qualifies for payments up to $2,000. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 501 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere has been covering the intersection of college and personal finance since 2015. She enjoys breaking down the complexities of college costs and financial aid, and she also runs Money’s Best Colleges. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2026-03-16T20:34:13.000Z' modified: '2026-03-17T14:46:28.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - News word_count: 664 canonical: https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Navient building](https://img.money.com/2026/03/News-Student-Loan-Borrowers-Navient-Settlement-Checks.jpg) Some federal student loan borrowers are getting checks in the mail of up to $2,000, seemingly out of the blue. But it’s no mistake. The payments are part of a years-old lawsuit between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the student loan servicer Navient. In a 2024 settlement, the CFPB under former President Joe Biden ordered Navient — formerly known as Sallie Mae — to pay $120 million for [alleged misconduct that harmed borrowers](https://money.com/navient-student-loans-settlement-payments/). The settlement also banned the company from servicing most federal student loans, though by that time the company had voluntarily pulled back on servicing. Of that penalty, $100 million is earmarked for direct redress to impacted borrowers. The CFPB, now under President Donald Trump, began sending out settlement checks from Navient as early as Feb. 13, according to an [update](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/payments-harmed-consumers/payments-by-case/navient/) on the agency's website. ## Take control of your student loans today! ### Refinancing your Student Loans could save you money on interest, help pay off your loan faster and even free up extra cash in your budget. Why wait? Click on your state to get started today! [See Details](https://money.com/pr/z75814e16c7f?ap_referrer=%2Fcfpb-navient-settlement-checks%2F&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) “Affected consumers are receiving a check because of a settlement in this lawsuit,” the CFPB update states. “The payments do not change or reduce any student loans affected consumers may have, and they should continue to work with their student loan servicers.” The CFPB did not respond to Money's request for comment. The settlement administrator, Rust Consulting, declined to comment, saying it is not permitted to speak to the media. ## What to know about the Navient lawsuit The CFPB v. Navient lawsuit was initiated in January 2017 and settled in September 2024, but the redress payments have just started going out. In the lawsuit, the CFPB alleged that Navient “illegally steered borrowers into forbearance, instead of income-driven repayment plans.” During the forbearances, borrowers’ payments were paused, but they racked up interest on their loans and did not receive any benefits they would have gotten under an income-driven repayment plan. Most notably, they missed out on making accruing payments that could have counted toward forgiveness under the income-driven plans, which allow for borrowers' remaining balances to be canceled after completing a couple decades of payments. “This practice was cheaper and simpler for Navient, but detrimental to borrowers,” the CFPB said at the time. The agency also alleged that a Navient subsidiary provided incorrect credit reporting information on some borrowers, hurting their credit in the process. Navient denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement and fines. Payouts through the CFPB's consumer redress fund are not class-action, and affected borrowers retain the right to to pursue independent legal action against Navient. ## How to get the Navient settlement payment Borrowers potentially eligible for relief include those whose loans were serviced by Navient or Sallie Mae in 2017 or earlier. (Note that Sallie Mae split into two companies in 2014, after which Sallie Mae focused on new private student loan originations, while Navient focused on servicing loans.) The CFPB did not respond to Money’s request for how many borrowers are expected to receive settlement payments. However, when the settlement was announced in 2024, Biden officials said that hundreds of thousands of borrowers would receive checks. In most cases, borrowers are identified automatically and won’t have to act to receive the payment, which could range from $50 to $2,000. While the automatic payment method helps ensure eligible borrowers are paid, it’s also causing [several](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1rfqxtw/navient_classaction_how_do_we_know_if_we_are_or/) [borrowers](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1r7dwkd/refund_check_from_cfpb_v_navient/) to [question](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1r7ie2r/cfpb_vs_navient/) the "surprise checks” on social media, skeptical of the check’s legitimacy as well as the lack of information from the CFPB about eligibility. For questions about the settlement, the CFPB is directing borrowers to the settlement administrator, Rust Consulting, and a toll free number: - **Call:**1-800-711-8418 (toll-free) - **Email:** navient\_info@rustcfpbconsumerprotection.org - **Write:** CFPB v Navient P.O. Box 2561 Faribault, MN 55021-9561 The automated phone service states that it is currently only accepting calls from borrowers who have received a check. For borrowers looking to check their eligibility, the operator says to call back starting March 30. ## Compare Student Loan Refinance rates today ### Get pre-approved in 2 minutes ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/26621/medium_18b55bcd-82cd-4d73-b404-97711fd4a5e7.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/55b2267964c5?bidid=4111887338&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670510281&ptoken=e5e5f45017f645c8d531034296d8dd94&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ### Compare multiple lenders ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38966/medium_752a1e55-4e21-4d57-a49f-43d51659e66b.webp) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/12ca161e10fd?bidid=4111887336&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670510281&ptoken=e96cb70047a7c3bf85f99124ce02a13f&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ### Low-interest rates & a variety of repayment options ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28522/medium_d9060e39-6dbd-420c-9b34-621585e2f2ac.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/b575c3fd4a65?bidid=4111887346&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670510281&ptoken=3c79808a2e1460890c5fd7599256e3e8&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ### Consolidate federal & private loans ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22270/medium_29794957-e55c-4470-9680-6dee519667e1.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/889a9e016388?bidid=4111887344&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670510281&ptoken=548c7da3f9114c00cb29f81337d1c913&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38975/medium_fada6d3e-7950-482c-b365-f29d6aee9f01.webp) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/c97d328aa8e1?bidid=4111887350&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670510281&ptoken=8518a26c5a50b178136fd8828929b09b&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/26621/medium_18b55bcd-82cd-4d73-b404-97711fd4a5e7.png) Refinance your Student Loan with SoFi today! [See Details](https://money.com/pr/odc45b263191?ap_referrer=%2Fcfpb-navient-settlement-checks%2F&apxa1=student-loan-changes-obbba-2026) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Student Loan Debt", "item": "https://money.com/student-loan-debt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Some Student Loan Borrowers Are Getting $2,000 'Surprise Checks' From an Old Navient Lawsuit" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/", "name": "Some Student Loan Borrowers Are Getting $2,000 'Surprise Checks' From an Old Navient Lawsuit", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-03-16T20:34:13.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/cfpb-navient-settlement-checks/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2026-03-17T14:46:28.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Some Student Loan Borrowers Are Getting $2,000 'Surprise Checks' From an Old Navient Lawsuit", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/03/News-Student-Loan-Borrowers-Navient-Settlement-Checks.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Student-Loan-Borrowers-Navient-Settlement-Checks" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Hardy", "url": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/#author", "description": "Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. 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