> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faq.universalaccountservicing.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# If you are having trouble paying

> What can be arranged when a payment is hard to make, what each option costs you, and when to call.

Call before you miss a payment if you can. More can be arranged on an account that is current than
on one that is months behind, and the call is not the difficult conversation people expect it to be.

<Card title="Contact us" icon="phone" href="/getting-help/contacting-uas">
  Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM Central. Or open a request under **I Have a Hardship**.
</Card>

## Changing your due date

If your due date falls at the wrong point in your month — before payday rather than after — it can
be moved.

|                    |                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **What changes**   | The date your payment is due                                        |
| **What does not**  | The amount. Payments stay monthly, and the figure stays the same    |
| **When it starts** | The month after you ask                                             |
| **Who can**        | Accounts that are current, where you have made at least one payment |
| **How often**      | Once, for the life of the account                                   |

Because it is a one-time change, it is worth picking the right date rather than the nearest one.

## If you need more than a date change

Depending on your account and your circumstances, there may be other options — a short pause in
payments, a longer term with a smaller monthly payment, or bringing a past-due account back to
current. What is available depends on your program, how your account stands, and in some cases on
the lender that funded it, so the only way to find out is to ask.

Two things to understand before you agree to anything:

<Warning>
  **Pausing payments does not pause interest.** Payments that are postponed are not forgiven — they
  move to the end of your term, and interest keeps accruing the whole time. You end up paying more
  in total than if you had not needed the pause.
</Warning>

<Warning>
  **A longer term costs more.** If your monthly payment is reduced by stretching the term, the total
  interest goes up, and so does the total you will have paid by the end. The finance charge and
  total of payments quoted in your original agreement no longer apply — the real figures are higher.

  Ask what the new total is before you accept. It is a fair question and we should answer it.
</Warning>

Neither of those makes these options a bad idea. A pause that keeps you out of default is usually
worth the extra interest. But you should choose it knowing the price.

## If you have a promotional offer

<Warning>
  Say so on the call. A [promotional offer](/promotional-offers) can end early if a payment is
  missed, and the interest that has been accumulating is then owed — an amount that is often far
  larger than the payment you are struggling with.

  Anything arranged needs to account for the promotional deadline as well as the monthly payment.
</Warning>

## Free help with debt

Every statement prints a **credit counseling** referral number. It is free, independent, and we
receive nothing from it.

If you are already working with a credit counselor, tell us. We review what they propose case by
case.

## What happens if nothing is arranged

An account that stays past due accrues interest and late fees, may be reported to the credit
bureaus, and eventually stops being serviced by UAS. At that point it goes back to the lender or is placed
elsewhere, and your options narrow considerably.

That outcome takes months, and every one of those months is a chance to arrange something instead.