Student loan payments resume on the date your loan servicer sets, which depends on what type of pause ended and what your loan terms say

If your federal student loans were paused under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Limited Waiver, the payment pause ended on October 31, 2023. If your loans were paused under the COVID-19 payment pause, payments were set to resume on September 1, 2023, though some borrowers received extensions. If you have private student loans, the pause date depends entirely on your lender's policy — there is no federal rule.

Your loan servicer will send you a notice 15 days before payments are due to restart. This notice tells you the exact date, your new payment amount (if it changed), and how to make your first payment. If you do not receive this notice, contact your servicer directly using the phone number on your loan statement or at StudentAid.gov, where you can find your servicer's name.

Payments do not restart automatically just because a pause ends. You must make your first payment by the due date shown in your notice, or your loan will be considered delinquent. Missing a payment can damage your credit score and trigger collection activity.

Key Takeaways

  • The federal COVID-19 payment pause ended September 1, 2023; the PSLF Limited Waiver pause ended October 31, 2023; private loan pause dates vary by lender.
  • Your loan servicer sends a notice 15 days before your first payment is due, stating the exact date and your new payment amount.
  • You must make your payment by the due date — payments do not restart on their own, and missing a payment marks your loan as delinquent.
  • If you cannot afford your payment when it restarts, you can request an income-driven repayment plan or a temporary forbearance before the due date.

How to find your exact restart date

Log into your account at StudentAid.gov using your FSA ID. Under "My Loans," you will see each loan listed with its status. If a loan shows "In Grace Period" or "In Deferment," payments have not yet restarted. If it shows "Repayment," payments are active or about to become active.

Your loan servicer's name appears on StudentAid.gov. Call that servicer directly — the phone number is on your loan statement — and ask for your restart date and new payment amount. Servicers are required to provide this information. Write down the date and the name of the person you spoke with.

If you have private loans, log into your lender's website or call the number on your statement. Private lenders have no uniform restart date, so you must check each one separately.

What happens if you miss your restart date

If your payment is not received by the due date, your loan enters delinquency. After 90 days of delinquency, the missed payment is reported to the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — and your credit score drops. After 270 days (nine months) of delinquency, the loan is in default and the federal government or your private lender can begin collection action.

Collection action can include wage garnishment (taking money directly from your paycheck), tax refund offset (the government keeping your refund to pay the debt), and lawsuits. Once a loan is in default, it is much harder to bring current because you owe collection costs and interest on top of the original debt.

If you know you cannot pay by the due date, contact your servicer before the date arrives. Do not wait until you are late. Servicers can place your loan in forbearance (a temporary pause) or move you to an income-driven repayment plan with a lower payment, but only if you request it before you miss a payment.

Income-driven repayment plans if your payment is too high

If your new payment amount is more than you can afford, you can switch to an income-driven repayment plan. These plans calculate your payment based on your income and family size, not on how much you borrowed. Your payment can be as low as $0 per month if your income is below the poverty line.

Four income-driven plans exist: Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). Each has different income thresholds and payment formulas. You can switch plans once per year or whenever your income changes significantly.

To request an income-driven plan, go to StudentAid.gov, log in, and select "Repayment Plans." You will be asked to provide your most recent tax return or to certify your current income. The servicer will calculate your new payment and send you a notice. This process usually takes two to four weeks.

Forbearance as a short-term option

Forbearance is a temporary pause on payments, usually lasting three to six months. During forbearance, you do not have to make payments, but interest continues to accrue on unsubsidized loans. This means your loan balance grows even though you are not paying.

You can request forbearance if you are experiencing financial hardship, are unemployed, or have a medical emergency. You do not have to prove hardship — servicers are required to grant forbearance for up to three months if you ask. After three months, you can request an extension, though servicers may ask for documentation.

Forbearance is not a permanent solution. When it ends, your payment resumes at the full amount (or higher, because interest has accrued). Use forbearance only if you expect your financial situation to improve within a few months. If your hardship is longer-term, an income-driven plan is usually a better choice.

What changed about your payment amount

When payments restarted after the COVID-19 pause, many borrowers found their payment amount had changed. This happened for several reasons: interest accrued during the pause and was added to the principal balance; some borrowers moved to a different repayment plan; some borrowers' income changed and triggered a recalculation under an income-driven plan.

If you were on an income-driven plan before the pause, your payment was recalculated based on your income as of the restart date. If you did not update your income information with your servicer, the servicer used your previous year's tax return. If your income dropped during the pause, your payment may be higher than it should be. You can recertify your income at any time to lower your payment.

If you switched to a standard 10-year repayment plan during the pause, your payment will be higher than it was before because the remaining balance is spread over fewer years. You can switch back to an income-driven plan at no cost.

Private student loans and restart dates

Private lenders are not required to follow federal rules about payment pauses or restart dates. During the federal pause, some private lenders paused payments voluntarily; others did not. When the federal pause ended, private lenders set their own restart dates.

Check your loan documents or call your lender to find out when your private loan payments restart. Some lenders restarted payments immediately when the federal pause ended; others gave borrowers a grace period of 30 to 90 days. A few lenders allowed borrowers to request a voluntary pause, though this is rare.

Private loans do not have income-driven repayment plans, but many lenders offer forbearance or deferment if you are in financial hardship. Call your lender and ask what options are available before your payment is due.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I did not receive a notice from my servicer?

Contact your servicer immediately using the phone number on your loan statement or by logging into StudentAid.gov to find your servicer's contact information. Servicers are required to send a notice 15 days before payments restart, but notices sometimes get lost in the mail or go to an old address. Your servicer can tell you your restart date and payment amount over the phone.

Can I defer my loans instead of paying when they restart?

Deferment is available only in specific circumstances: you are in school at least half-time, you are in a residency program for a medical or dental degree, you are unemployed or unable to find full-time work, or you are experiencing economic hardship. You must request deferment from your servicer and provide documentation. An income-driven plan is usually easier to get and keeps you making progress toward forgiveness.

If I make extra payments now, will they go toward future payments or the principal?

Extra payments go toward the principal (the amount you borrowed), not toward future payments. This reduces the total interest you pay over the life of the loan. Tell your servicer in writing that you want extra payments applied to principal, not held as a credit toward future payments.

What if my income is lower now than when I last certified it?

You can recertify your income with your servicer at any time. If you are on an income-driven plan, recertifying usually lowers your payment. Bring your most recent tax return or a recent pay stub showing your current income. The recertification process takes two to four weeks.

Do I have to make a payment on the exact due date, or do I have a grace period?

Your payment must be received by the due date shown in your servicer's notice. There is no grace period. If your payment arrives after that date, it is considered late and can be reported to credit bureaus. Set up automatic payments a few days before the due date to avoid missing the deadline.