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Are you having difficulty repaying your student loans?

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You've come to the right place because the CanLearn site has everything you need to know about what to do when student loan payments become a challenge.

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And we present it in three easy steps.

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Step 1 - Contact Your Loan Providers

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If you have difficulty meeting your student loan payments, you should contact your loan providers immediately.

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That will either be the National Student Loans Service Centre or your provincial loan provider.

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You'll also want to keep your contact information up to date with them so that you'll continue to receive loan information.

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By doing so proactively, you'll reduce the likelihood of falling behind on your loans.

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Step 2 - Review Repayment Help Programs

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The federal, provincial and territorial governments offer measures to help you repay your student loans

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when you're experiencing financial difficulty.

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For example, the federal government has just launched the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP.

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The provinces and territories also have programs. Use the RAP estimator on the CanLearn site and contact your provincial or territorial student assistance office

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 to find out what you might be eligible for.

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RAP is available to help student loan borrowers manage their debt, by ensuring that they can afford their loan payments.

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Under this plan:

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-	No borrower will have a repayment period of more than 15 years (or 10 years if they have a permanent disability).

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-	Loan payments are based on the borrower's income, family size and ability to pay.

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-	The maximum affordable loan payment will not exceed 20 percent of a borrower's income.

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In certain cases where borrowers earn very little income, they would not have to make any loan payments until their income increases.

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Check out the links below for more information on RAP.

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There are also a number of other programs offered by the Government of Canada.

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Check out the CanLearn site to learn more.

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Step 3 - Apply for the Program that Suits Your Situation

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Once you have an idea if a repayment program would suit your needs, speak with your loan providers to apply.

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The large number of programs available means that there is likely one that can help you.

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