Student-loan borrowers are feeling the Sunday Scaries

Federal student loans will start accruing interest next month for the first time in more than three years. And, once payments officially resume on October 1, a large portion of the 44 million US borrowers are worried about their ability to make ends meet.

According to a new Credit Karma/The Harris Poll survey, more than half of all borrowers (56%) say they’ll soon be forced to choose between making loan payments or covering necessities like rent and groceries. That figure includes 68% of borrowers with household incomes under $50,000, as well as 45% of borrowers with household incomes above $100,000.

Some other findings:

• 45% of borrowers expect their loans to enter delinquency when payments resume (though late penalties won’t be assessed for a one-year period).
• October will mark the first time that 36% of borrowers have ever had to make any payments toward their federal student loans.
• 44% of borrowers do not think the value gained from higher education in the US is worth the cost to attend.

📸 Big picture: The upcoming student-loan restart is projected to have a ripple effect across the US economy, as potentially billions of dollars each month start flowing towards student debt and away from retailers, credit card balances, medical debt, and other sectors, per the WSJ.