That means you’ll have to startpaying back your student loans, along with any interest they’ve accrued.
“There have been several years of uncommon repayment rules, and now we are returning the new normal.
Here’s what you better know as you prepare torepay your student loans.
Read more:Student Loan Forgiveness on Hold Again.
This means you may not recall how many loans you took out or know who your loan servicer is.
You should get started by tracking down your student loans.
You’ll also see who your loan servicers are, which are the companies that handle repayment.
What you won’t see are any private student loans you borrowed from a bank or online private lender.
It won’t be listed in your Federal Student Aid account, though.
Read more:it’s possible for you to Now Get a Free Credit Report Every Week.
If you have a plan in place for repayment, consider opting into automatic payments.
The default is the standard plan, which involves fixed payments over 10 years.
If you don’t choose an alternative, your loans will automatically be placed on the standard plan.
These include:
Income-driven repayment plansIncome-driven plans adjust your monthly payments to a percentage of your discretionary income.
They also extend your repayment terms to 20 or 25 years and can end in loan forgiveness.
The government recently reopened online applications for IDR plans, but loan servicers aren’t currently processing applications.
you might still apply, but your loans may be placed in forbearance while you wait.
Extended repaymentExtended repayment spans 25 years, and your payments may be fixed or graduated.
Graduated repaymentThis plan spans 10 years, but your payments will start smaller and increase every two years.
Private student loans are not eligible for these federal repayment options.
If you’re having trouble affording payments, reach out to your loan servicer about your options.
You could also explorerefinancing student loansfor new terms and a potentially lower interest rate.
Can I apply for the SAVE repayment plan?
One such initiative is theSAVE repayment plan, a more generous income-driven repayment plan that replaced the REPAYE plan.
This hold is expected to last for another six months or longer.
“It is possible to choose the SAVE Plan as a repayment plan option,” said Rubin.
Some companies also offer student loan benefits to their employees.
If your payments are unaffordable, look into lowering your expenses if that’s possible.
“The sooner you pay the loans off, the less they will cost you.”
Reducing or pausing payments could increase your borrowing costs in the long run, though.
Depending on your federal loan throw in, interest may still accrue.
More student loan advice:
