Student loan providers brace for impact. What to do if you can't access your loan website.

If you're one of the nearly 44 million Americans saddled with student loan debt, you've probably faced a common frustration. You finally build up the courage to check your balance only to find that you can't access your account. Maybe the website is down completely, or the phone lines are so jammed up you can't get through to anyone to help troubleshoot.

It isn't uncommon for websites like Nelnet to experience technical difficulties, especially now as more visitors rush to figure out what they'll need to do when loan payments resume on Oct. 1. Last year, the announcement of Biden's since-defeated loan forgiveness plan caused multiple websites, including Nelnet, Aidvantage and the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid, to struggle, slow down or crash completely.

Earlier this week, Nelnet experienced technical difficulties that shut down its website and call center. While the issue was resolved not too long after, social media saw multiple posts of people expressing their concern for the functionality of these websites as repayments begin.

Prepare to pay: The pause is over. As student loan payments resume, how to make sure you're prepared

What to expect from student loan websites

Similar to any platform facing a sudden and major spike in activity, student loan websites and customer service lines are likely to feel the pressure on their systems, Scott Buchanan, Executive Director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance told USA TODAY.

"The systems were never designed to handle 35 million people going into repayment all at once," he said. "This is unprecedented, we've never done it before. Coupled with the fact that the department and administration have been making all sorts of changes.... all things that are normally done over the course of a multi-year process."

All of these pauses, amendments, plans and changes have happened much more quickly than they usually would, he said, which makes it harder for systems to keep up. The time people on the back end would like to use on validating and beta testing new features and updates simply isn't there, so some hiccups are to be expected.

Most of these, he said, will be short-lived and quickly resolved without any real consequences for borrowers. However, getting things done in advance can help prevent adding stress on the system.

Find your servicer: Student loan repayments start in October: Know your servicer sooner rather than later

What to do before payments resume

"We've been advising for months to talk to your servicer in advance of this resumption," said Buchanan. "We anticipate if we have everyone calling all at once, then it's going to create pressure again."

The best thing you can do to both avoid contributing to another crash and becoming frustrated by one is to get everything set up well in advance. Borrowers should ensure they know who their provider is, as multiple servicers have consolidated or transferred accounts to others since the pause began.

This means some borrowers may have to access new websites they haven't used before or create new accounts. It's best to get your accounts set up or to log in to your existing ones as soon as possible, Buchanan said, so that you can more easily contact customer support and troubleshoot if issues arise.

Once you've gotten into your account, find out what, if any, documentation you may need to submit, where you can review and select repayment plans and set up things like auto-debit and notification settings in advance. This way, you'll be a step ahead as others scramble to get things together last moment.

What to do if you run into a crash or technical errors

Start by taking a breath and reminding yourself not to panic, Buchanan said. If you have trouble accessing your account right now, the issue will likely resolve soon.

"I think the other important thing for borrowers to remember as well is that, while systems go down, most of these issues are not critical, time sensitive things that people need to address right away," he said. "They're going to have plenty of time to get into new repayment plans or things like that."

Buchanan also said he expects it will realistically be a multi-month process getting people fully back on board and changes may continue to come, so while the providers behind these websites anticipate occasional disruptions, they are expected to be short-lived and won't result in negative consequences for borrowers.

As of right now, the government does not charge late fees or implement other immediate penalties when federal student loan payments come late, so having to come back later when the website is back up and running isn't the end of the world.

"We do wish people would have heeded our advice to talk to us early and not wait for the mad rush," Buchanan said. "But if you didn't heed that advice, don't panic because we can resolve any of these issues and we can take our time to get you in the right repayment plan."

One thing everyone should be on the lookout for, he said, are scammers using the confusion and anxiety produced by these situations to rip people off. Where there's confusion, Buchanan said, there are people ready to take advantage.

It's important to remember that the only people who can give you access to any sort of repayment plan or assistance is your provider themselves or the government. People who may contact you asking for money in exchange for getting you a lower annual payment or getting you back into the website are not telling you the truth.

If there is any doubt who you may be talking to, Buchanan said, hang up and contact your provider using the information on their official channels. Even caller ID can't always be trusted, as spoofing has become an issue with these scams.

"You always want to make sure that you're talking to who you think you're talking to," he said. "These scammers prey on these moments of confusion and concern."

Watch out for student loan scams: Officials warn against expected uptick in student loan forgiveness scams. Here's what to look for.

Student loans resume

Student loan repayments will resume for nearly 44 million borrowers in October, and interest on those loans is set to begin accruing starting Friday. Despite several postponements, this restart is part of a debt ceiling bill Congress approved in June to avoid default, USA TODAY previously reported.

Student loan debt totaled more than $1.77 trillion by the end of March, with 92% of that amount tied to federal student loans.

President Joe Biden recently launched a student loan repayment plan called Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE). Under this program, participating borrowers could see their payments cut in half, while some will see their amounts zero out.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Website crash? What to do if Nelnet, Aidvantage, other loan sites go down