When Should I Apply For Hardship Waiver

A hardship letter fee waiver is a formal written request in which you are requesting an entity to which you owe money to forego of a fee, penalty, or other form of restriction that has been imposed on you. There are different types of fees, some of which are included as standard but many of which are charged as a type of penalty. For instance, if you let a check bounce or if you miss a payment on your credit card, you may be charged a late payment fee. Unfortunately, these fees often make the financial difficulties you are experiencing even worse, which is why you may want to write a hardship letter.

Before looking at what should be included in the letter, it is important that you understand that there are no guarantees. Fees are charged as part of the terms and conditions that you signed up to when you agreed to a certain service. Hence, although some entities may be understanding of your situation, they are under no obligation to grant your request.

What the Hardship Letter Fee Waiver Must Contain

A hardship letter fee waiver is a formal letter and should be treated as such. This means that it has to be addressed to the right person in the right format. This includes a proper address, and an explanation of what is happening. A good letter is one that fits on a single page, and it can be difficult to convey all the information that you want to pass on in such a small space. However, this demonstrates the importance of focusing on facts.

What the Hardship Letter Must Indicate

What your letter should indicate is why you were charged a fee and why you are requesting that they waive it. You should explain that you are in financial hardship due to specific events and provide evidence of this hardship to the entity to which you are writing. Anything you claim should be supported by evidence, of which you should attach copies. These should include things, such as termination of employment, an unexpected reduction in hours, medical bills, the death of a loved one, etc.

You should also explain why you ended up in the situation in which the entity had to charge a fee. Do not, however, blame them for this. Again, the fee is part of the terms and conditions that you have agreed to. However, you can state that the fee would be impossible for you to pay right now as you are already experiencing hardship.

The letter should also include your solution. For instance, if you have been charged a late payment fee for your cellphone bill, make sure that you have paid the bill to which the fee was attached before you ask them to waive the fee. Creditors can be understanding so long as the hardship is genuine and properly explained. This means that you have to be straight to the point and present them with facts. They are not interested in hearing how those facts have made you feel.

Hardship Letter Fee Waiver Example

{Your Name}
{Your Address}
{Your Phone #}

{Date}

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this hardship letter to request that my application fee be waived in light of my financial circumstances.

My family and I are hard workers, but this expense would be an undue hardship upon our situation. My parents' total income is {amount} per year, but in addition to that they are supporting {number} dependents and paying {amount} for schooling between {number} of their children. Furthermore, recently {illness, natural disaster, family death} has cost them {rough amount} in {hospital bills, fees, etc.} I hope it is clear to you that, while I am both ambitious and determined concerning my education, I cannot hope to be considered without this waiver. It would mean a lot with regards to my future.

I am attaching my parents' income reports and expense worksheets as well as their returns from the past year. I am also attaching my transcript, as proof of my hard work and enthusiasm in apply to this {institution}.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

{Sender Name}

About the author

Frederick Schmitt