On June 30, 2023, Congress announced the end of the student loan payment pause.

From the Federal Student Aid website:

This pause included the following relief measures for eligible loans*: 

• Suspended loan payments 
• 0% interest rate 
• Paused collections on defaulted loans 

*All loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) including Direct Loans, as well as Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans held by ED. Please note that some FFEL Program loans are owned by commercial lenders, and some Perkins Loans are held by the institution you attended, and these loans were ineligible.

Source: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/

Start preparing now for repayment to begin with the steps below: 

• Log in to your loan servicer’s website or mobile app to make sure your contact information is current.
  • Don’t know who your loan servicer is? To find out, visit your account dashboard by logging in to StudentAid.gov/login.
    • Find the “My Aid” section and select “View loan servicer details.”
    • You can also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). 
• Use Loan Simulator to make sure you’re on the best repayment plan.
  • The best plan for you may be different now if your financial situation has changed during the COVID-19 emergency. 
  • Visit the Loan Simulator webpage, select your current situation and log in to begin.
• Contact your loan servicer to restart auto-debit.
  • Sign up for auto-debit for the first time, or find out the easiest way to make a payment.
    • Direct Loan borrowers who use auto-debit get a 0.25% interest rate reduction on their loans. 
• Check your email and postal mail for student loan payment updates.
  • Watch for updates from your loan servicer and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • The updates could include your monthly payment amount and due date. 
• Learn how to avoid student aid scams.
  • Visit StudentAid.gov/scams.
  • Your servicer will also provide free help with your questions or concerns about loan payments. 

Visit StudentAid.gov/coronavirus for more information about your federal student loan payments restarting. 

If you have questions, you can contact the office of Federal Student Aid at StudentAid.gov/contact or by calling FSAIC at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). 

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