Posted Date:October 26, 2018
| Author: | Federal Student Aid |
Subject: OUTAGE ALERT – Federal Student Aid Website and System Outages November 3-4 and November 11-12, 2018 (Updated November 1, 2018)
Note: On November 1, 2018, we updated this announcement to reflect new outage information for the IRS DRT, to include an outage period for November 3-4, 2018. Additionally, the announcement now indicates that the StudentLoans.gov outage will conclude at 6 p.m. ET on November 4, 2018 (rather than at Noon, as originally described). Refer to the information below for complete details about the upcoming outages.
During the period November 3-4, 2018, we plan to complete important system work that will impact several Federal Student Aid websites and systems. This work is in addition to the regular weekly maintenance that occurs each weekend.
Additionally, during the periods November 3-4 and November 11-12, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) will be unavailable as the IRS completes critical system upgrades.
Information about the specific outage periods as well as the impacted websites and systems is provided below. Please have the appropriate individuals at your school or organization review the information in advance of the outage periods.
November 3-4, 2018 FSA ID Outage
From 11 p.m. Eastern time (ET) on Saturday, November 3, 2018, until 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 4, 2018, users will be unable to access functionality that requires an FSA ID on the websites and systems listed below. Users attempting to access an impacted website or system during this outage period will receive an error message informing them that the page cannot be found or that the site is unavailable due to maintenance.
Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment (customers may submit applications at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense during the outage but will be unable to sign in with an FSA ID)
fafsa.gov (users of the myStudentAid mobile app will also be unable to sign in with an FSA ID)
Federal Student Aid Feedback System (customers may submit feedback directly at feedback.studentaid.ed.gov during the outage but will be unable to sign in with an FSA ID)
FSA ID
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) Student Access
StudentAid.gov My Federal Student Aid functionality
StudentLoans.gov, including the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory (until 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 4, 2018)
November 3-4 and November 11-12, 2018 IRS DRT Outages
The IRS DRT will be unavailable beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 3, 2018 until Noon ET on Sunday, November 4, 2018, as the IRS completes critical system upgrades. During this outage period, actions can be completed on fafsa.gov, using the myStudentAid mobile app, and on StudentLoans.gov. However, if an action requires entry of federal tax information, the tax information will need to be provided manually. Applicants may wish to complete the application after the outage is over.
The IRS DRT will be also be unavailable from 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 11, 2018 until 6 p.m. ET on Monday, November 12, 2018 as the IRS continues its work on these critical system upgrades.
In the event the IRS is unable to complete its upgrades during the outage periods described above, an additional outage will be scheduled for the weekend of November 17-18, 2018. Monitor the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website for an Electronic Announcement that will provide details about this additional IRS DRT outage, if needed.
We apologize for the inconvenience these outages may cause and appreciate your patience as we complete these important upgrades.