The fine print may be a real pain regarding student loans. Interest accumulates, fees are added, and rates rise. So we’ll look at how to flip the tables today by looking at some exciting and little-known student loan loopholes.
These measures aren’t going to make your college debt go away overnight. Instead, this list highlights ways to save money on student loan repayment. Not all borrowers will be able to use all of the strategies.
On the other hand, you should look for something to aid you in your particular situation. With that said, let’s begin.
Student Loan Loopholes: How To Cut Your Parent PLUS Repayments In Half
Parent PLUS loans, which are federal loans that parents can use to help their undergraduate offspring pay for college, are among the fastest-growing categories of higher education debt.
Parents had $105 billion in PLUS loans at the end of 2021, a 35 percent increase from five years earlier. However, because these parent loans do not have the same borrowing limits as student loans, they can be dangerous.
It’s possible to borrow up to the total cost of attendance, but parents frequently find the payments prohibitive, especially near the end of their working years.
And that’s because parents don’t have accessibility to the same range of low-cost repayment options that student borrowers do unless they use the student loan loopholes known as double consolidation, which can help them reduce their monthly payments.
But it won’t be easy. The procedure of double consolidation is complex, and it’s not appropriate for all parent borrowers. However, it can reduce monthly payments by more than half for some people. This is how it works.
What Is The Purpose Of Double Consolidation?
Double consolidation is an unexpected flaw in student loan legislation that allows parents to have extra repayment alternatives based on their income.
According to the guidelines, the ICR plan is the only income-driven repayment plan available to parent borrowers, and parents can only use it after consolidating PLUS loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan.
Monthly payments are capped at 20% of your “discretionary income,” and the balance is forgiven after 25 years of payments.
When you consolidate twice, though, you effectively eliminate that the direct student loans were parent loans. You obtain access to income-driven repayment programs for student borrowers as a result.
What Is An Expert Suggests About Student Loan Loopholes
According to Meagan Landress, a certified student loan specialist, these programs, known as IBR, PAYE, and REPAYE, set payments based on 10% or 15% of your discretionary income.
The strategy also describes discretionary income, allowing you to deduct a larger portion of your wages from the payment calculation. So your monthly bills will be 10% or 15% of your income, and that percentage will be dependent on a lower fraction of your take-home pay.
After 25 years, the government forgives any leftover balance, just as it does with income-contingent repayment.
Who Can Benefit From This Student Loan Loopholes Strategy
Double consolidation is complicated and takes time, so it’s not appropriate for many borrowers. For example, when you consolidate, the time on your payment credits is reset.
Assume you’ve been making monthly payments for some years and have been working toward your loan forgiveness on the ICR plan after 25 years. Double consolidation could reduce your payments every month, but it would also mean you’d have to pay for a lot longer because you’d have to start over on your forgiveness timeline.
If your loan load exceeds your salary, it may bring significant relief. Depending on your age, 25 years could mean making loan payments well into retirement, but it might be your only option
if you have a lot of debt.
If you become disabled or die before paying off your federal loans, you will be discharged. It’s a dismal concept, but at least the debt will not be passed along to future generations.
Student Loan Loopholes: How to Make the Most of Your Federal Student Loans
1. Make The Government Pay The Interest on Student Loans
The REPAYE, the newest student loan repayment plan, was created to reduce payments for borrowers who did not qualify for PAYE. The government covers half of the interest that the student loan payment does not cover, which is a unique benefit of REPAYE. Borrowers with massive amounts but tiny payments can save a lot of money.
2. Save For Retirement While Reducing Student Loan Payments
Income-driven repayment programs like IBR, PAYE, and REPAYE are excellent since student loan payments are based on what borrowers can afford to pay, not what they owe.
Money put into a 401(k) or another pre-tax retirement plan is not counted as income for monthly computing payments.
3. Calculate Student Loan Payments Without Including Spouse Income
When the government determines a borrower’s ability to pay back student loans, they usually include them in their spouse’s income. On the other hand, borrowers on IBR or PAYE can subtract spousal income from their student loan calculations, provided they submit their taxes separately.
The disadvantage is that it will result in a more significant tax bill. But on the other hand, lower student loan payments are an advantage.
4. Take Advantage Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-driven payments are the two most prevalent ways to get rid of student debt. After 20-25 years of income-driven payments, forgiveness, and forgiveness.
These programs can save borrowers hundreds of dollars depending on their debt and income levels. The trick is to read the small print. Borrowers who make mistakes throughout the enrolling procedure may have to start over.
How to Make the Most of Private Lender Opportunities
1. Refinance Your Student Loans Many Times
Unlike refinancing a home, which has hefty transaction charges, refinancing student loans has none. Borrowers with better credit or income can typically refinance at a lower rate.
There is no limit to how many times a borrower can use this method, and there are numerous companies that provide refinancing services.
2. Forbearances, Deferments, And Interest-Only Payments Should All Be Avoided.
All three strategies are designed to boost lender profits while providing little assistance to borrowers. The interest grows with these alternatives, but the principal stays the same.
Interest payments enhance the lender’s earnings, but principal payments reduce the borrower’s debt. These choices may benefit borrowers who are about to boost their income.
These solutions help delay and exacerbate student loan troubles for borrowers who do not expect their financial situation to improve.
3. With Government Influence, Compel Lenders To Answer To Complaints
For registering complaints against student loan lenders and servicers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) provides an outstanding system.
The student loan provider is almost always required to react to the borrower’s complaint. Because of the CFPB complaint process, borrowers have received over $750 million from student loan providers over the last six years.
4. Student Loan Lenders Can Provide Valuable Assistance.
Private student loan lenders have a reputation for being unhelpful. Deferments and forbearances are frequently the only options available to troubled borrowers. Interest continues to accrue throughout this period, and the debt grows.
The borrower’s situation will only get worse as a result of this. But, on the other hand, borrowers who press the issue may be able to persuade some private lenders to cut interest rates, allowing the struggling borrower to pay down the principal on their student loan.
One such example is Navient’s Rate Reduction Program.
Student Loan Loopholes: Legal Ways to Avoid Paying Back Your Student Loans
1. Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Loan forgiveness programs are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about loan forgiveness. Borrowers with federal student loans can apply for various loan forgiveness programs, depending on their eligibility.
These programs may be able to assist you in avoiding paying a portion of your student loan debt by forgiving the balance after a set period.
The eligibility conditions for each forgiveness program vary.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
This program is for those who work in the public sector. Applicants for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) must meet the program’s qualifying standards, which include:
- Working for a qualified entity, such as the federal, state, municipal, or tribal governments of the United States or a qualified nonprofit organization.
- Full-time employment
- You have a Direct Loan or a Direct Consolidation Loan.
- Make 120 eligible payments on a repayment plan based on your income.
Borrowers who want to participate in PSLF must meet strict criteria to qualify and have their loan sums erased.
Participants should validate their employment at least once a year or whenever they change jobs, according to the Federal Student Aid website, which the United States Department of Education runs.
This is done to make whether the borrower is still on track and making timely payments.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Highly qualified teachers might have their student loans canceled under this federal student loan forgiveness program. In addition, teachers who meet the eligibility criteria could receive up to $17,500 or $5,000, depending on the subject area they teach.
After completing five years of employment, teachers can apply for this loan forgiveness program.
2. Disability Discharge Program
If you have a chronic impairment, you may be able to get your federal student debts forgiven. However, obtaining a total and permanent disability discharge remains challenging.
You must fill out documents and demonstrate to the Department of Education that your impairment prevents you from earning an income now or in the future.
You’ll need a doctor’s evaluation, evidence from Veterans Affairs, or proof that you’re getting Social Security Disability Insurance.
However, unless a doctor prepares a document stating that your disability and inability to work will last at least 60 months, you can’t apply for disability discharge until you have been disabled for 60 months.
Regrettably, not all private student loans allow you to erase your debt if you become permanently handicapped. You may have to take your lender to court if you’re chronically incapacitated and want to get out of a private loan.
3. Income-Driven Repayment Plans
Income-driven repayment programs tie borrowers’ monthly student loan payments to their income for federal student loans. Depending on your eligibility, they may cap your monthly payments between 10% and 20% of your salary, depending on the income-driven repayment plan.
The repayment time for income-driven repayment plans ranges from 20 to 25 years, depending on the precise plan chosen by the borrower. Borrowers can use income-driven repayment programs to make their loan payments more reasonable.
On the other hand, extending the loan term may result in you paying more interest throughout the life of the loan than you would under a different repayment plan.
Any outstanding loan balance may be forgiven after the loan period. However, keep in mind that the IRS may regard the forgiven amount as taxable income.
4. Student Loan Refinancing
This approach will not eliminate your student loans, but it may help make them more affordable. You may be able to qualify for a reduced interest rate if you refinance your debts, which might cut your monthly payments or save you money on interest over the life of your loan.
You can adjust the term duration on your student loans if you refinance with a private lender. However, while private lenders like SoFi can refinance federal and private student loans, you should be aware that you will lose some federal student loan safeguards, such as income-based repayment plans.
5. Always Look For Methods To Save Money
If borrowers can afford the minimum payment, they rarely seek lower installments. However, borrowers who can secure reduced payments on low-interest loans might put money aside to pay off high-interest obligations.
This does not raise monthly spending, but it accelerates student debt repayment.
6. Benefit From Government Loan Borrower Protections Including Cheap Private Loan Interest Rates.
Borrowing federal student loans during loans is recommended since they give several borrower protections. Student loan forgiveness to income-driven repayment options is among the protections available.
7. Deferment Or Forbearance
This option will not remove student loan debt, but it may be worth considering if you’re having trouble making monthly payments on your federal student loans. If debtors qualify, both forbearance and deferment allow them to put their payments on hold.
Interest may continue to accrue while your loan is in deferment or forbearance, depending on your loan type. Applying for one of these choices, on the other hand, can assist borrowers in avoiding missing payments and defaulting on their student loans.
Private student loans don’t have the same advantages as government student loans. Some, on the other hand, may provide their advantages.
SoFi, for example, offers Unemployment Protection, which allows qualified borrowers to put their loan payments on hold if they lose their job for no reason.
8. Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legitimate way to get out of debt, but student loans are rare to be discharged in bankruptcy. In rare cases, if a borrower can demonstrate “undue hardship,” their student loans may be canceled in bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy is a last resort that can have long-term consequences for an individual’s credit score.
Consider other choices before filing for bankruptcy, such as visiting a credit counselor or talking with a knowledgeable attorney who can provide advice tailored to the individual’s unique circumstances.
What To Make Of The Student Loan Loopholes
Getting out of student loan debt can be a difficult task. But student loan loopholes can help you get out of debt. For example, student loans can only be dismissed in bankruptcy in exceedingly unusual circumstances.
Deferment or forbearance for federal student loans is two alternatives that can help relieve a load of student loan debt for those having trouble repaying their debts in the short term.
Income-driven repayment plans, which connect a borrower’s monthly loan payments to their income and can help make monthly installments more reasonable, are another option to examine.
Another option to consider is refinancing. Qualifying borrowers may obtain a lower interest rate, resulting in less interest accrued throughout the life of the loan.
This option may not be ideal for all borrowers because refinancing federal student loans removes them from government advantages and protections, including income-driven repayment plans, forbearance, and deferment, federal debt forgiveness programs.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this guide will help you use some of the student loan loopholes to assist you in paying off your student loan bills faster. You can start working toward your financial goals once your student loan loans are paid off. Once your debts are paid off, you may find that you have some extra cash each month that was previously utilized to make your loan payments. Given the tax advantages, your first goal in this situation should be to max out your retirement funds. It is recommended that you max out your 401(k) and then max out your IRA.
