What To Do If You Can’t Pay Your Student Loans

Payments are back, SAVE is over, and one in five borrowers is already behind. If your payment is unaffordable, or you've been ignoring your loans and want to know what happens next, this episode is for you. We’ll walk through your options before you miss a payment, what deferment and forbearance actually cover now, and the real timeline from delinquency to default. You'll also learn why loan rehabilitation usually beats consolidation, and the new rule that lets you rehabilitate twice starting July 2027. Key moments: (03:17) The latest delinquency and default numbers, and who is already behind (07:36) Income-driven vs. fixed plans when your payment is unaffordable (13:26) Deferment and forbearance options, and how to get them approved faster (20:32) What to do in the first 90 days of missing a payment to protect your credit (27:12) Loan rehabilitation vs. consolidation for getting out of default Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to the newsletter Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show! Mentioned in this episode: Free Student Loan newsletter If you are not already getting our weekly newsletter every Thursday, you are missing out. We break down studio loan news, updates, money tips, all in one helpful newsletter. Sign up for free at https://studentloanplanner.com/newsletter The SLP YouTube Channel If you're more of a visual learner or you like seeing charts, breakdowns, and exploring other topics, check out https://youtube.com/studentloanplanner