Can I Pay Back Student Loan Early

Avail Of The Public Service Loan Forgiveness

One difference between federal and private loans is that only the former may qualify you for the PSLF. This program is one of the best ways to lessen or get rid of student loans fast. In essence, you can be eligible for up to 100% loan forgiveness by working in public service at the federal, state, or local government agency.

Student Loan Hero has an excellent list of student loan forgiveness programs that you can review.

Pay More Than The Minimum

One of the most straightforward ways to pay off student loans early is to bump up your payments. Say you have $40,000 in student loans with a 5 percent interest rate. Using a student loan calculator, you can see that under the standard 10-year repayment plan, your monthly payment would be $424.

If you add $100 to each payment, youd shave two years off of your plan. If you add another $100, you take off an additional two years.

This also decreases the amount of interest youll pay. Under the standard plan, youd pay $10,911 total in interest. Adding $100 to each monthly payment brings the total interest down to $8,239, and adding $200 to each payment brings interest down to $6,630.

Last Step Comparing Rates Has No Impact On Your Credit

All data is fully encrypted with the best technology available . Your SSN and date of birth are only used to correctly locate your credit information.

Comparing Rates Doesnt Impact Credit

Comparing rates through Purefy results in a soft check on your credit meaning there is no impact on your credit score or credit history.

Your Data Is Not For Sale

Purefy does not believe in profiting from your personal information. Your data will never be sold in any way.

**************

At Purefy, we do our best to keep all information, including rates, as up to date as possible. Keep in mind that each private student loan refinancing lender has different eligibility criteria. Your actual rate, payment and savings may be different based on credit history, actual interest rate, loan amount, and term, including your co-signer . If applying with a co-signer, lenders typically use the higher credit score between the borrower and the co-signer for approval purposes. All loans are subject to credit approval by the lender.

Purefys comparison platform is not offered or endorsed by any college or university. Purefy is not affiliated with and does not endorse any college or university listed on this website.

Purefy reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice.

Don’t Miss: Does Va Loan Work For Manufactured Homes

Should You Pay Off Student Loans Early

David Weliver|

Modified date: Jul. 8, 2021

If youve graduated from college or graduate school in the last decade, I dont need to tell you that college tuition is rising at an unsustainable level or that we are graduating with monstrous student loan debtsto the point that Americans total student loan debt has surpassed our credit card debt for the first time in history.

Theres lots of talk about the calculus of return on investment in education. I get plenty of emails from readers with six-figure student loans for degrees in social work who have a very difficult financial road ahead.

Sure, if youre 18 and have the foresight to choose a reasonably priced college and an in-demand field of study, great. But if youre older, wiser, and deeper in debt, how do you attack those student loans?

Specifically, if you find yourself with extra cash, should you pay down student loans early?

In most cases, I dont think so. I recorded this video to very quickly answer why:

Were going to get into the pros and cons of repaying student loans early versus hanging onto that money for things like an emergency fund, retirement, a home, or even just having fun. But first things first: When youre starting down a big student loan balance, you want to be sure to do two things:

Where Can You Find On

After the College Cost Reduction and Access Act diverted subsidies away from student loan companies, federal loan servicers and private lenders gradually phased out discounts for prompt payments.

These programs were once quite robust:

• Federal Stafford Loans used to come with a 2.00% rate decrease following four years of prompt payments.
• The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, as another example, offered borrowers three rate reductions of 0.50% each after timely payments for 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively.

Lenders also offered these discounts in the form of principal balance reductions, account credit, cash and rebates. A rate reduction, however, is the most valuable because its a permanent change to your account. It yields continued savings.

Nowadays, its more difficult to find this perk among lenders. MPower Financing is an exception, offering a 0.50% reduction on your interest rate after six months of prompt payments. From your seventh monthly payment on, your rate falls, creating potentially significant savings.

Whether youre seeking a private student loan or are considering student loan refinancing, ask lenders about whether they offer on-time payment discounts. It could be one factor that helps you choose the best lender for your repayment.

Read Also: Mortgage Commitment Fee

Is It Better To Pay Off Student Loans Early

Yes, paying off your student loans early is a good idea. Paying off your private or federal loans early can help you save thousands over the length of your loan since youll be paying less interest. If you do have high-interest debt, you can make your money work harder for you by refinancing your student loans.

Can You Pay Off Your Loans While In Deferment

Yes, you are permitted to repay your loans even when they are in deferment. If interest is accruing on your loans while in deferment, making payments will eliminate some of that interest and lower the overall cost of the loan. Even if interest is not accruing while your loans are in deferment, making payments will help to lower your total loan debt.

If you’re beginning loan repayment soon, or already in the thick of it, we recommend you watch our recent webinar, Managing Student Loan Repayment for Graduating College Seniors. It reviews everything you need to know about repaying your student loans. And if you have further repayment questions, feel free to give us a call at 449-MEFA .

Read Also: How Can I Get An Rv Loan With Bad Credit

Refinance Your Student Loans

To get rid of your loans as quickly as possible, consider student loan refinancing. If you have good credit, you could qualify for a lower interest rate. More of your payment will go toward the principal instead of interest charges, so youll pay off the debt sooner.

Should you pay off student loans early? The answer to that question is dependent on you and your goals. By evaluating the pros and cons and thinking about what your aspirations are, you can come up with a repayment strategy that works for you.

If you want to move forward with student loan refinancing, use Purefys Compare Rates tool to get quotes from a variety of student loan refinance lenders in one convenient location.

Get A Loan Out Of Default

Learn how you could be eligible for financial relief and how the deferral may apply to your debt.

Also Check: What Bank Has The Lowest Home Equity Loan Rates

Can I Set Up A Monthly Auto

Yes, most loan servicers will provide the option for you to set up automatic payments from your bank account so that you’re sure to make your loan payment on time each month. It’s a great idea to do this! Check your servicer’s website or give them a call if you can’t find this information online. Just make sure to update your servicer if your bank information ever changes.

Am I Contributing To My Retirement

Retirement is a major expense that takes years to save for. Its important to start building your retirement savings as soon as possible.

If you are still in your 20s, you have the added opportunity to take advantage of the effects of compound interest. Compounding takes your retirement account to the next level.

Are you not saving for retirement yet? Then its smart to focus on building up your retirement plan before tackling all of your student loans. Once you have a retirement plan in place, you can decide if paying off your student loans early fits into the big plan.

Read Also: Average Loan Officer Income

Ways You Can Successfully Pay Off Student Loans Early

How will you feel when you finally pay off all your ? Just imagine the relief of seeing your student loan balance hit zero!

If youre strategic about student loan repayment, that glorious day could be sooner than you think. By paying off your debt early, you could save thousands of dollars in interest.

So how can you take a more effective approach to repaying your student loans? Consider these six tips for paying off your student loans early.

1. Pay more than the minimum

When you first choose a student loan repayment plan, you agree to a set number of years and monthly payment. But theres no limit to how much you can pay per month and most loan servicers dont charge any fees for paying off your loans early.

Lets say you took out $30,000 in student loans at a 5.7% interest rate. If you chose a 10-year repayment plan with no deferment period, youd have a monthly payment of $328.

Heres what would happen if you paid just $40 more a month. Youd pay your loans off in 8.7 years and save approximately $1,400 in interest. You can estimate on your own with our, . Not bad for setting aside only an extra $10 a week.

What if you could manage to pay $100 more a month? Youre looking at 7.2 years of repayment and approximately $2,800 saved in interest.

To stick to your prepayment goals, set up automatic payments. Not only will you never miss a payment, but most lenders also offer a 0.25% interest rate discount for it.

2. Consider refinancing

3. Slash your cost of living

Should I Pay Off My Student Loans Early

Whether or not you should pay off your student loans early depends a lot on your specific circumstances. On the one hand, the longer you spend paying off your loans, the more youll be paying in interest. On the other hand, making extra payments could detract from other savings goals. Here are some of the benefits and drawbacks of paying back your loan early.

Don’t Miss: Does Va Loan Work For Manufactured Homes

Extend Your Grace Period By Another Six Months If You:

When You Need To Lower Your Debt

Your debt-to-income ratio is the sum of your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income, expressed as a percentage . A low DTI signals to lenders that you can likely make timely monthly payments and are able to handle debt responsibly. Paying off student loans early can help you lower your DTI and take on other debt more easily, such as a mortgage or practice loan.

Recommended Reading: What Credit Score Is Needed For Usaa Auto Loan

Repaying Federal Student Loans

A federal student loan is a financial aid program backed by the US Government. There are several types of federal student loans, including both subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

With a subsidized loan, the government pays interest on your behalf while your loans are in deferment, either an in-school deferment, economic hardship deferment, or unemployment deferment.

With an unsubsidized loan, interest is not subsidized, so it will continue to accrue.

Repayment plans for federal student loans are divided into two main categories: traditional repayment plans and four different income-driven repayment plans, which are based on your household income and family size.

Should I Pay Off My Student Loan Early

Why pay off your student loan early?Student Loans Company websiteHow much do you repay?

• You will start repaying your student loan from the April after you finish your course.
• If you earn more than £17,335, 9% of what you earn above this will go towards paying off your student loan.
• This threshold will rise to £17,495 in April 2016.
• Your repayments will be automatically deducted from your pay if you work for an employer.

• You start paying the loan back the April four years after the start of your course, or the April after you finish or leave your course.
• You will begin to pay your loan when/if your salary is £21,000 a year, or £1,750 a month, or £404 a week.
• Your repayments will be automatically deducted from your pay if you work for an employer.
• If you earn more than £21,000, 9% of what you earn above this will go towards paying off your student loan.

What if you have other debts?

• an outstanding credit card balance
• an overdraft that is not interest-free
• a loan with a higher interest rate than your student loan

What if you have no other debts?

• pay off your student loan in one go
• use as a deposit for buying a house
• buy a new car without needing a costly loan

You May Like: What To Do If Your Lender Rejects Your Loan Application

When Youre Taking Advantage Of Federal Loan Repayment Options

Certain federal loan repayment options you may be benefitting from include forgiveness programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness , or Income-Driven Repayment . If these plans afford you the peace of mind to meet your goals and pay your loans at the right pace for you, theres likely no need to change things up. To learn more about the forgiveness benefits from PSLF and IDR go to studentaid.gov

Consolidating Your Student Loans

Consolidating federal student loans allows borrowers to combine multiple federal student loans into one. This means making a single monthly loan payment on all of your student debt instead of multiple payments.

While this can streamline the repayment process, it also can reset the clock to zero, since youre signing up for a new loan with its own new term. That means that consolidation will generally increase the amount of time youve got to spend paying back your loans. If you are working towards student loan forgiveness, either with Public Service Loan Forgiveness or forgiveness offered by income-driven repayment plans, consolidating will reset the clock starting you at day one of repayment.

You May Like: Can I Refinance My Sofi Personal Loan

Should I Pay Off Student Loans Early

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list ofour partnersandhere’s how we make money.

GET INFORMATION ON

You should pay off student loans early only if youve built a solid financial foundation by:

• Saving at least one month of basic expenses for emergencies.

• Setting up automatic contributions to a retirement account like a 401 or Roth IRA.

• Paying off any debt usually credit cards that has a higher interest rate than your student loans.

If youre anxious to pay off student loans fast, pay a little extra while working toward your savings and investment goals. Heres why meeting these goals first is important, and how to pay off student loans early if your financial footing is already strong.

Invest For Retirement Next

Get the company match on a 401 if you have one. If not, save as close to 10% of your income as possible in an individual retirement account.

If you have a 401 with matching dollars, that amounts to a guaranteed return on your own contributions. Even if your federal loans are at 6.8% the highest rate for undergrads in recent years or you have private loans that are even higher, get that match before you begin paying off student loans early.

Once youre on track for retirement, youre free to whale on those student loans all you want. Check your progress with a retirement calculator.

You May Like: How To Refinance An Avant Loan

Paying Student Loans Early Doesnt Always Offer The Best Return

As we learn about personal finance, writers and experts drive home one point again and again: debt is bad. Avoid debt. Get out of debt as soon as possible. However, in an effort to make sure everybody gets it, weve oversimplified the equation. Not all debts are created equal.

I sometimes come across the term good debt and bad debt. Bad debt is bad because it either has a wicked interest rate or is designed to pay for depreciating assets like a car. Good debt is good because its used by appreciating or income-producing assets like a business, real estate, or an education.

I dont like the terms good and bad because its hard to call any debt good. A debt may not be bad, but its never good. Theres bad debt, and theres debt thats OK to keep around because youre using it as leverage to build more wealth than you could without it.

And thats how I view student loans. If held to an answer, I tell most people not to repay student loans early. Instead, take that money and invest it. As long as your student loans have interest rates less than 10% over the long run, your money should do better in the stock market than the interest rate on your loans.

Look at it this way. If I gave you the choice between two investments:

• Investment A pays 10% and is liquid
• Investment B pays 5% and is illiquid

Which one would you pick?