Fewer than one-third of student loan borrowers know when payments are set to resume, according to a recent survey by US News & World Report.

But knowledge or not, student loan payments are set to restart soon and there are things you need to do to get ready.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the first student loan payments will be due in October. You will get a bill, along with the payment amount and due date, at least 21 days before the money is due.

You should also:

Update contact info

Update contact information on StudentAid.gov if things have changed since the student loan pause started in March 2020. You can update at StudentAid.gov.

You should also update your contact info on your servicer’s website. You can go here to find your servicer.

If you’re making payments for the first time, you should go here.

SAVE plan

The new Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan is an income-driven repayment plan that calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size as opposed to their loan balances and forgives debt after a certain number of years. The plan will cut many borrowers’ monthly payments to zero and will save other borrowers around $1,000 a year, according to a White House statement.

You can go here to use a student loan repayment calculator to determine the best IDR plan for you.

If you were already on an income-driven plan

If you were already on an IDR plan before the payment pause, you have at least 6 months after the payment pause ends to recertify your income. This typically has to be done every year. The department said you should consider recertifying for a lower payment if your income has decreased or family size has increased. You can see info on recertification here.

Consider autopay

Auto pay is options for student loan repayment but you can save 0.25% on your interest rate if you use the service. You can sign up for auto pay on your servicer’s website.

What will my monthly bill be?

Borrowers will receive a bill in September with their payment amount. If you’re using auto pay, make sure there are sufficient funds in the account by due date.

What about loan forgiveness?

There are still options for loan forgiveness in some circumstances, including those who work in public service, people who are disabled or those who were defrauded by the school. You can see more on that here.

What if I can’t make my payment?

What do you do if you can’t make your payment? First, the department advises applying for an income-driven plan that could lower your monthly amount owed.

For those who can’t make their payments, there’s a temporary 12-month “on ramp” periods. You can also apply for deference and forbearance.

The on-ramp period will protect borrowers from having student loan delinquencies reported to credit agencies, preventing the worst consequences of missed, late or partial payments. However, payments are still due and interest will continue to accrue, you just won’t be reported as delinquent. The department points out it can’t control how credit scoring companies factor in missed or delayed payments so it’s not without risk.

You do not need to request or enroll in the on-ramp period. If your loans were eligible for the payment pause, you are automatically eligible for the on-ramp.