Need to escape payday loan debt? Here’s how

That’s how the 12 million Americans who take out payday loans each year usually feel. That’s understandable, considering they pay out around nine billion dollars in loan fees. But there is hope – you don’t have to be stuck in the payday loan debt cycle forever.

Why it’s so easy to get buried in payday loans

Payday loans are unsecured personal loans targeted at people who need money fast but don’t possess the type of credit or collateral required for a more traditional loan. Usually the only requirements to qualify for a payday loan are an active bank account and a job. Companies like MaxLend, RISE Credit, and CashMax have made an art out of providing high-interest loans to people who feel desperate and out of options.

The very structure of payday loans is set up to keep people on the hook. Here’s a breakdown of what payday loan debt looks like, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts:

• It’s not short-term. Although payday loans are advertised as quick, short-term loans, the average payday loan borrower is in debt for a full five months each year.
• Loan fees are huge. Average loan fees are $55 every other week, and the average borrower pays $520 per year for multiple loans of $375.
• People borrow for the wrong reasons. Most payday loan borrowers – 70% -spend the money on everyday expenses, like groceries, gas, and rent, rather than on emergencies.
• It’s a vicious cycle. To totally pay off a loan, the average borrower would need to fork over $430 the next payday following the loan. Because that’s a big chunk meaningful link of change, most people end up renewing and extending the loan. In fact, 80% of all payday loans are taken out two weeks after another one was paid in full.

What happens if I don’t pay my payday loan?

As with any other loan, if you default on a payday loan, it can result in growing fees, penalties, and possible legal action. Because many payday loans use automatic debit payments to take funds directly out of a bank or prepaid account, you can also end up with overdraft fees on top of everything else. This can leave you without the funds you need to pay for necessities like food, childcare, and utilities. To top it all off, you may also experience a barrage of calls and threats from debt collectors.

How to get out of payday loan debt

As we’ve established, it’s crucial to stop the vicious cycle of payday loan debt. There is payday loan help, but it can be hard to know where to start.

The best way out can depend on where you took out the loan. Laws governing payday loans vary from state to state. Some states, like Colorado, are currently working to change the way payday loans are administered in order to make it easier for customers to pay loans back and avoid the snowball effect of constant loan renewal. Other states require payday lenders to offer borrowers an Extended Payment Plan (EPP), which stops the accrual of fees and interest.

Extended Payment Plans (EPPs): If you borrowed from a lender who is a member of the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), then you may be in luck. CFSA’s Best Practices allow a payday loan customer the option of entering into an EPP. This means you’ll have more time to repay the loan (usually four extra pay periods) without any additional fees or interest added for that service. Best of all, you won’t be turned over to collections as long as you don’t default on the EPP. Here are the steps to follow if you want to apply for an EPP:

• Apply on time. You must apply for the EPP no later than the last business day before the loan is due.
• Sign a new agreement. If you took out your loan through a storefront location, you’ll have to go back to that location to turn in your application. If you took out a loan online, you’ll need to contact your lender for instructions about how to sign your new agreement.

Credit Counseling: If an EPP isn’t an option, you may want to talk with a credit counseling agency. While credit counseling agencies spend their time helping consumers get out of debt, these kinds of loans can present unique challenges. “It’s not a traditional loan with set guidelines in terms of how they work with us,” explains Fox. In spite of those challenges, there are things a credit counseling agency can do to help you get out of payday loan debt:

• Restructure the payback. Fox says that payday lenders who are members of the CFSA “seem to be more lenient” and are “more apt to try to work with people.” Those lenders will often “restructure to pay back (the balance) over six to twelve months when coming through our program.” But he also adds that this applies in only about 40–50% of the payday debt situations clients are dealing with.
• Negotiate a settlement. If restructuring the payback terms isn’t an option, the credit counseling agency will try to work with the lender to determine a settlement amount that will resolve the debt altogether. If you can pay off the loan with a lump-sum payment (this is the time to ask Mom or Dad for help), the agency may be able to settle the debt for a percentage of the outstanding amount.
• Adjust your budget. If no other options are viable, the agency can work with you to come up with a budget that will help you find the money to get the loan paid off. Sometimes that means reducing payments on other debts, consolidating debts, or reprioritizing other expenses.

Bankruptcy: Nobody wants to resort to this option, but sometimes it’s the only way to get out from under this kind of debt. There is a myth out there that you can’t include payday loans in a bankruptcy. However, that is not the case: “For the most part, payday loans aren’t treated any differently in bankruptcy than any other unsecured loan,” writes attorney Dana Wilkinson on the Bankruptcy Law Network blog.

Another unsubstantiated claim is that you may be charged with fraud or arrested if you can’t pay a payday loan back or if you try to discharge the loan. One of the reasons this fear is so widespread is that payday loan debt collection scammers often make these kinds of threats, despite the fact that these threats are illegal.