What to do if your payment went up

Calm, practical first steps if your federal student loan payment went up, with links to the free official tools and your servicer.

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2 official sources

Researched and written by RepayKit team

Draft: this guide is still being written and checked against official sources.

TODO: short intro written by the owner. Acknowledge the stress, then give clear first steps.

First, read your letter

TODO: explain what to look for in a letter from your servicer, without stating rules.

Plans you can look at

Compare your options for free

Use the Loan Simulator on StudentAid.gov (opens an official site in a new tab) to compare plans with your own loan details. You can also call your loan servicer. Both are free.

Not sure which steps fit you?

Answer 8 short questions to see the free steps for your situation. No account numbers or exact income needed.

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Sources

StudentAid.gov: Income-driven repayment plans (opens an official site in a new tab)studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven
StudentAid.gov: Loan Simulator (opens an official site in a new tab)studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/

About this guide

Researched and written by RepayKit team. We are not financial advisors, and this is not advice. Every rule on this page links to the official page it comes from, and the date above is when we last checked it. Read how we check facts or see what has changed.

How to find out which loans you haveWhere to look up your federal student loan types and servicer on StudentAid.gov, so you know which steps apply to you.
PSLF and SAVE: what changesWhat borrowers working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness should know as SAVE ends, with every rule linked to its official source.
What SAVE ending means for youA plain-language look at what the end of the SAVE plan means for federal student loan borrowers, with every rule linked to its official source.