Payday loans can be a quick and convenient source of funds for those who need them, but what happens if you cannot repay your payday loan on time?
Missing a repayment can have serious consequences on your credit score and your ability to secure loans in the future. However, there are still options to avoid these negative consequences. Nonetheless, you still have to explore these options early before your lender begins debt collection actions.
Table of Contents
What Happens if You Cannot Repay Your Payday Loan On Time?
Payday loans can be great as they offer access to quick cash when needed. You can get great payday loan offers from WeLoans if you seek payday loans on its platform. However, things can go wrong quickly if you fail to repay the loan or miss the repayment schedule. The various consequences attached to failure to repay payday loans include:
-
Late Fees and Extra Interest Charges
To ensure that borrowers pay on the stipulated repayment date and to prevent default, payday lenders impose penalties in the form of late fees. How late fees work depends mostly on each lender and the laws of the state where you are based.
Nonetheless, late fees may be a percentage of the total amount you borrowed or a fixed amount. These fees and charges can make it even harder to repay the loan, with the risks of putting you in an uncomfortable debt cycle.
-
The Effect on Your Credit Score
The likely reason why you’re accessing a payday loan initially is because you have a not-so-good credit rating and face difficulty getting loans from traditional lenders. Unfortunately, a payday loan may lead to an even poorer credit rating if you fail to manage them properly by missing repayments.
Payday lenders do not typically report to the major credit bureaus when you fail to make payments. However, they may still use third-party debt collection agencies that do. These agencies can report your missed payments to the credit bureaus, which can cause your credit score to drop.
-
Possible Legal Action
In extreme cases, lenders may make good their threat of legal action by filing a court case against you. This can lead to wage garnishment, in which a portion of your income is taken by your employer and sent directly to the lender to gradually pay off your debt.
Other possible outcomes of a legal process include property seizures.
-
Problems Accessing Credit in the Future
Defaulting on a payday loan may reduce your chances of accessing even more loans going forward. This is because your failure to pay indicates that you’re not creditworthy and that you may be a high-risk borrower.
What To Do If You Cannot Repay Your Payday Loan On Time?
If you face challenges with repaying your loan on schedule, there are possible steps to take. However, ignoring the loan and failing to make payments will only make things worse, as the lender may charge additional fees and penalties. This will likely continue to increase the debt burden even further. Also, for every time you fail to pay the loan, your credit score may continue to decline. The options available include:
-
Negotiating With Your Lender
An effective way to reduce the potential burden of the loan on you is to negotiate with your lender. If you cooperate with direct lenders from WeLoans for your payday loans, there are something you need to learn about them. Ask if they are willing to work with you to set up a repayment plan that fits your budget. Be honest about your ability to repay the loan and make sure you fully understand the terms of any new repayment agreement before agreeing to it.
We recommend that you do this as soon as you note your inability to pay back the loan. This will signal to the lender that you’re forthcoming and that your inability to repay is due to genuine financial difficulty.
-
Explore a Debt Consolidation Loan
Debt consolidation entails managing multiple debts by combining them into a single loan with a lower interest rate and a longer repayment term. A debt consolidation loan can help those unable to repay their payday loans by allowing them to combine multiple loans into a single package.
Payday loans typically come with high-interest rates and short repayment terms. However, upon debt consolidation, you have a higher time frame and lower rates, making your monthly payments more manageable.
-
Consider A Community Assistance Program
Some community nonprofits may offer assistance with loan repayment or financial counseling. You can check with your local/county government office or contact your local credit union to get information about such available programs in your area.
Factors You Should Consider Before Taking Out a Payday Loan
Without any doubt, payday loans are a swift, convenient loan option, and it gets even better if you’re expecting a paycheck in the next two to four weeks. That way, your repayment gets easier as you can always use your income source to offset the debt. However, as enticing as payday loans appear on the surface, it is only ideal that you take some precautions before applying.
- Check the Annual Percentage Rate
Payday loans are infamous for being extremely expensive, and if not careful, they could trap borrowers into an unending debt cycle due to their inability to repay. So, make sure you confirm if the APR, consisting of the interest rate and other fees are convenient for you to repay.
- Be Sure Your State Allows Payday Loans
Unfortunately, not all states in the US permit lenders giving out payday loans. This calls for some level of vigilance. Don’t just confirm if your state allows payday loans, ensure you know the maximum borrowing amount and crosscheck if your lender is licensed.
- Assess Other Funding Options
While payday loans present a good way to secure funding on the strength of your incoming salary or wage, you may want to try other options first. You may want to consider taking a loan from your family members or a salary advance from your boss. This loan options do not attract high interest rates and you can repay flexibly by agreeing with the lender. learn more
Final Thoughts
If there are any instances where you find it difficult to repay your payday loan, the best way to handle it is to take action early before the lender starts a debt collection process. You can start by contacting the lenders of WeLoans and negotiating with them. You can also secure assistance from a credit counseling agency or take on debt consolidation.
