President Biden announced on January 20 that most federal student loan payments would be suspended without interest until September 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
Once the suspension is lifted, however, a payment of $ 0 may still be a necessity for some borrowers.
According to an October 2020 NerdWallet survey conducted by The Harris Poll, 45% of Americans with their own federal student loans were not convinced they would be able to pay their loan repayments when the payment freeze was to end last December.
Borrowers will hopefully be better off financially by September. But if you need to keep paying less, here are your options.
SIGN UP FOR THE INCOME-BASED REFUND
For a manageable payment, start with an income-based repayment plan.
“Look at income-based repayment first, because it offers the most benefits,” says Persis Yu, director of the nonprofit National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Assistance Project.
These benefits can include a rebate after 20 or 25 years of payments, partial interest subsidies, and monthly bills as low as $ 0.
Payments are based on adjusted gross income, family size, and federal poverty guidelines. For example, if you had an AGI of $ 19,000, were single, and lived in the lower 48 states, you would pay $ 0 for 12 months under most income-oriented plans.
If you’re already using one of these plans and your income has gone down, so can your payments.
“It’s important for borrowers to know that they can request recertification of their plans at any time,” says Yu.
You can estimate payments under different income driven plans with Ministry of Education loan calculator.
DEPOSIT THE PAYMENT OF STUDENT LOANS
Federal student loan payments can be suspended through deferral and forbearance.
The adjournment is linked to events such as the loss of your job or treatment for cancer. If you are eligible, this option can keep payments at $ 0.
For example, deferral of unemployment may be possible if you work less than 30 hours per week. If your hours have been reduced, but your household income is too high for an income-driven plan, the deferral may make sense.
The government also bears all interest accrued on subsidized loans during the deferral.
“There are grants on income-driven plans, but they’re more generous with the deferral,” says Betsy Mayotte, president and founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit that offers free advice to students. borrowers.
The deferral is often available for up to three years, but you must reapply periodically. For a stay of unemployment, the duration is six months.
PLACE LOANS IN ABSENCE
Payments are currently suspended without interest via a special administrative forbearance. At the end of this break, your service agent can grant you discretionary forbearance, potentially without paperwork.
But in addition to the absence of invoices, this type of abstention offers few advantages.
“Tolerance is a last resort,” says Mayotte. “It’s either that or you will become delinquent or by default.”
Interest generally accrues during abstention. In the end, this interest can be added to the amount you owe, which means that future interest increases on a larger balance.
With any $ 0 payment strategy, you may be able to pay off more globally.
“If you can afford it, I would always recommend paying rather than not paying,” Mayotte says.
PREPARE
The most important thing to do now is to understand your options, says Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a nonprofit organization that represents student loan managers.
Part of the reason is that providers can’t change your payments yet.
“It’s a matter of regulation and process,” says Buchanan. “We can’t actually put you on (a) plan right now because you’re not on a refund. “
But you can do the following:
– CHECK YOUR INFORMATION. Log on to your provider’s website to verify your details and payment amount. If you are unsure who your agent is, visit the Federal Student Aid website. Mayotte says to be wary of companies that reach out and offer help for a fee; your repairman will never charge you.
– GATHER THE PAPERS. Claims may require documents such as pay stubs, which Buchanan says must be within the past three or four months when you submit your forms. If you are applying now, you will probably have to do it again with more recent information. But you can get a head start by figuring out what you’ll need and filling in what you can.
– SET A REMINDER. With payments set to resume in October, plan to submit your claims during the summer.
“If you wait until the day before your due date in the month when 30 million people are going to start paying off,” Buchanan says, “the appeal times are going to be long.
RELATED LINKS
NerdWallet: Is Income Based Reimbursement Right For You? https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-repayment
Department of Education Loan Simulator https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/
Federal student aid: identification of your loan officer https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers#your-servicer
