If you're having difficulty making your loan payments, your first call should be to your lender or servicer, the organization to which you are supposed to send your loan payments. Your lender or servicer employs trained staff members who can counsel you on your best options. Because lenders and servicers have a financial incentive to avoid defaults, they'll be strongly motivated to work with you. If you don't know your lender or servicer, use the National Student Loan Data System Student Access Web site.

If you are 60 days or more behind in your payments and have been contacted by the Student Assistance Corporation, you may call (800) 635-3743. (Para obtener ayuda en Español, (800) 635-3783.) The Student Assistance Corporation works on behalf of USA Funds^® to help borrowers avoid default. It succeeds in preventing default on more than 90 percent of the accounts referred to its staff.