After a one-year pause due to the coronavirus epidemic, federal student loans payments will resume in May.

However, it is possible for borrowers to not be able to make new payments. fall behind on their loansAccording to recent research, blog postThe Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Lowell Ricketts is a data scientist for Bank Institute for Economic Equity. He wrote the post.

Resuming payments will affect many borrowers differently and place the most pressure on those with the heaviest burdens — often low-income workers and people of color, the blog post said.

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According to the 2016 class, the average student loan amount was $42,746 for Black graduates one year after graduation. This compares with the $34,622 that white students had. data from the National Center for Economic StatisticsRicketts said. “Resumption in student loan repayments will increase debt on Black students’ finances more than for whites,” Ricketts wrote.

Others are concerned that the resumption of payments may increase delinquencies because people are no longer in the habit of repaying their student loans. They are also dealing with increased inflation which is squeezing their budgets.

Betsy Mayotte is president of The Institute of Student Loan AdvisorsThe nonprofit nonprofit

How borrowers can help now

The current suspension of federal student loan interest and payments may continue into May, but it is possible that the pause will not be lifted. Ron Klain (White House chief of staff) stated in an interview that the Biden administration was looking into the student loan situation. considering further extending the pause.

Borrowers should be prepared for the possibility of their payments being rescheduled sooner than expected. They can also use this time to review their finances and contact their lenders. According to Mayotte, these are the four most important things that all borrowers need to do right now.

1. You should be familiar with your loan provider: Some major loan servicers decided to terminate their federal contracts. so some borrowers could have a differentMayotte said that they are more service-oriented than before the pandemic. Logging into your account is the best way to verify that this applies to you. Studentaid.gov. It will show you the servicer of your federal student loan.
2. Send mail to your service provider and verify your email. Mayotte stated that many service providers have sent reminders about payment resuming. These messages could include emails or letters.

   It is important that borrowers open all correspondence to make sure they aren’t missing any information regarding payment deadlines, or what to do if the borrower wants to switch to a different payment plan.

3. What is your payment? Mayotte said that borrowers need to be aware of the monthly payment requirements for their loans. Because their personal financial situation may have dramatically changed in the wake of the pandemic, they should ensure the monthly payment suits their needs.

   Some people may find it easier to pay less now than in the past. This is an excellent way to make sure you pay as little money over time to your loan payments, according to Mayotte. She said that there is no penalty for you paying more than what you are expected to each month.

4. You can adjust accordingly However, there are some who may be unable to make the same monthly payments that they did before the pandemic. If this is the case, then borrowers need to first find out how much their payments would be. an income-driven repayment plan. Many people will find that it lowers their monthly amount and sometimes even zero. Mayotte stated that this is a much better alternative to deferring loans or putting them into forbearance.

   Mayotte stated that you need to send paperwork immediately if you have to make a change in your plans. The system could be overwhelmed by the fact that 45 million student loan borrowers will all enter repayment simultaneously.

   She stated, “I expect longer wait times for calls or longer periods of paperwork.”

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