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Higher education can be incredibly expensive. Many students find themselves facing the anxiety of student loan debt and can potentially shoulder that burden for over a decade. It’s important to carefully consider and determine the best options for swift student loan repayment options. Here are some strategies to help clear the way to financial freedom.
The advantage of a graduated repayment plan is that it gives you an opportunity to use your education to earn more money over time. This plan works by providing lower monthly payments at the beginning of the policy and gradually increasing them over time.
Therefore, you are provided with an opportunity to make increasing amounts of money to handle your loan while enjoying lower payments until you have a chance to get on your financial feet.
This plan creates a payment cap of 10% of your money remaining after necessary expenses and gives you an option for loan forgiveness after twenty years of payment on the loan.
It is a good choice if you don’t expect your income to change much over time, are married with two incomes, and is especially beneficial if you have grad school loans.
The REPAYE plan is similar to the PAYE plan, except it works best if you are single and expecting your income to improve in the future, and is an option if you do not qualify for the other plan.
A spouse’s income is taken into account even if taxes are filed separately. This plan provides an additional five years to repay the loan if there are also graduate loans involved.
If you have high debt in relation to your income, an income-based plan is something to consider. This plan is best if you are married, do not expect your income to improve, and if you do not qualify for PAYE.
This plan takes payments of 10% of your non-essential income, much like the other plans, and is another good option if you are interested in receiving loan forgiveness.
If you have private student loans, you will most likely not be able to do an income-based repayment plan. Your best option would be to negotiate the refinancing of your loan to lower your interest rate.
If your finances are stable and you have a credit score of at least six hundred, you could possibly refinance your student loan. There are some benefits to negotiating this strategy.
If you decide to pursue this option, make sure that you shop around to see which lenders will give you the best rate.
If you are unable to afford the standard student loan repayment monthly fees, but you can handle more than the other options in this category, this may be the strategy for you.
Monthly payments with this plan consist of 20% of your non-essential income or optionally a fixed rate over twelve years instead of the standard ten-year plan.
However, if you are married and within a higher tax bracket, this may not be as viable an option.
Whatever plan you choose, there’s always the possibility of running into trouble making a payment.
There is an option for a payday loan, which allows you to take a small loan against your paycheck to help you meet a payment deadline, and the amount plus an interest fee will be taken from your next paycheck. It can help you in a pinch but be careful because if not used responsibly, this type of loan can cause greater problems.
Typically, only income-based plans are eligible for student loan forgiveness because the standard repayment method results in the loan being completely paid off before it becomes eligible for SLF.
This program is federal and called Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Eligibility includes government employees and some who are non-profit.
If you are eligible and make a majority of your payments by the loan forgiveness minimum time period (usually around twenty years), the program can eliminate the rest of your loan tax-free.
