Federal student loan payments to resume in October after more than three year pause

Federal student loan repayments resume Sunday after the COVID-19 pandemic paused interest and payments for more than three years. The U.S. Department of Education has guidance online for making first-time payments and looking up information about loans.

The Federal Student Aid website tells borrowers which company manages their loans, how much they owe and what repayment options are available.

Phil Schuman, Indiana University senior director of financial literacy, said borrowers should visit the Federal Student Aid website for more information.

“That's really going to be the only place that you can go to," he said. "It's going to tell you exactly what your information is, and what you're going to need to be doing.”

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Payments begin in October, but the exact due date depends on the service provider. Schuman said providers are required to reach out to borrowers at least 21 days before payments start.

“So in theory, most people should have heard by now what the requirements are for making those loan payments,” he said.

Schuman said people should reach out to their provider if they think they have federal student loan payments but have not heard from their provider yet.

Interest resumed in September.

Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair. Contact WFIU/WTIU's Aubrey Wright on Twitter at @aubreymwright or email her at aubmwrig@iu.edu.

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