Other types
of federal loans a borrower might have include the Parent PLUS loan, which is aimed at helping parents; the Perkins loan; and the graduate PLUS loan, which is designed to assist graduate students.
Trump's plan would involve increasing the mandated payment amount from 10 percent to 12.5 percent
of a federal loan borrower's yearly income, a 2.5 - percent increase that will make your monthly student loan payments higher — and that's not taking interest rates into account.
Not exact matches
Borrowers with
loans from the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs, the
Federal Housing Administration or the Rural Housing Service will feel the most direct impact because furloughed workers are involved in processing those
loans.
Borrowers with
loans from the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs, the
Federal Housing Administration or the Rural Housing Service will feel the most direct impact.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Wednesday it is suing
federal and private student
loan servicer Navient, saying the company has been «systematically and illegally failing
borrowers at every stage
of repayment.»
Federal borrowers facing periods
of low or no income can also file for Income Based Repayment (IBR) or Pay As You Earn (PAYE), which cap your monthly payments to a percentage
of what you earn, not what you owe, according to Gary Carpenter, CPA and Executive Director
of National College Advocacy Group, which supplies information regarding student
loans.
According to the
Federal Reserve, there are 6.8 million student
loan borrowers between the ages
of 40 and 49 who collectively hold $ 229.6 billion in debt.
But nearly half
of borrowers thought variable - rate student
loans are indexed to the
federal funds rate (27 percent
of respondents) or 10 - year Treasury yields (19 percent).
Borrowers who are out
of college or are attending classes less than half - time can consolidate their
federal student
loans.
In this scenario,
Borrower A consolidates all the
federal loans together with a weighted interest rate
of 4.75 %.
Borrowers who refinance
federal student
loans with private lenders lose access to
borrower benefits like access to income - driven repayment programs and the potential to qualify for
loan forgiveness after 10, 20 or 25 years
of payments.
There are other factors to consider (the side benefits
of federal consolidation
loans for example), and there are additional strategies not covered in this scenario that some
borrowers may be able to utilize.
Although the Department
of Education allows
borrowers to consolidate multiple
federal student
loans into a single
loan to simplify monthly payments,
federal loan consolidation does not provide
borrowers with a lower interest rate.
Nearly two - thirds
of borrowers believe that rates on
federal student loans are set by the Department of Education (36 percent of borrowers surveyed) or the Federal Reserve (30 percent of respon
federal student
loans are set by the Department
of Education (36 percent
of borrowers surveyed) or the
Federal Reserve (30 percent of respon
Federal Reserve (30 percent
of respondents).
The interest rate on a
federal consolidation
loan is a weighted average
of the
borrower's existing
loans, rounded up to the nearest one - eighth
of a percent.
Although rates on
federal student
loans are fixed for life, rates for new
borrowers are reset annually, based on the outcome
of an auction
of 10 - year Treasury notes held in July.
Only one in four
borrowers (26 percent) knew that rates on
federal student
loans issued today are fixed for the life
of the
loan.
Currently,
federal student
loans account for 90 %
of the $ 1.4 trillion outstanding student
loan debt across more than 43 million
borrowers.
However, because private student
loan lenders do not offer any respite to
borrowers by way
of loan forgiveness over time, individuals should carefully consider their options with their
federal student
loans before opting to refinance with a private lender.
Keep in mind that if a
borrower chooses to refinance
federal student
loans through a private lender, they will lose the protection and benefits
of federal student
loan programs.
Nearly all
federal student
loans are eligible for consolidation, and
borrowers do not have to provide evidence
of a strong credit history to qualify.
Certain
borrowers who show an exceptional financial need at the time
of applying for
federal financial aid may qualify for Federal Perkins
federal financial aid may qualify for
Federal Perkins
Federal Perkins
Loans.
There are several different types
of federal student
loans available to a variety
of borrowers.
The interest rate offered on consolidated
federal student
loans is fixed but varies for each
borrower because it is the weighted average
of the interest rates on outstanding
loans included in the consolidation, rounded up to the nearest one - eighth percent.
When there is a loss
of job, disability, or other circumstance causing a financial hardship,
federal student
loan borrowers have the opportunity to request a forbearance or deferment
of their payments for a set period.
There are a total
of eight
federal student
loan repayment programs, including income - driven repayment plans, made available to
borrowers that can help with the management
of paying back
loan balances over time.
Federal student
loans come with several benefits that help
borrowers throughout the life
of the
loan.
Additionally,
borrowers who plan to utilize a
federal student
loan forgiveness program are susceptible to legislative changes that could severely impact their chances
of being released from obligations.
To qualify,
borrowers must have worked in a qualifying field for at least ten years and made payments on their
federal student
loans for at least the same amount
of time.
Applying for
federal student
loans follows a simple process, but
borrowers need to be aware
of what to expect.
However,
borrowers need to be aware
of the caveats
of federal student
loan forgiveness, including tax implications, uncertainty about the viability
of forgiveness programs, and the need to take lower - income positions before relying heavily on a forgiveness program to repay student
loan debt.
At this time, only
federal direct
loans are eligible for PSLF, but a consolidation
of other types
of loans may indirectly provide
loan forgiveness to some qualified
borrowers.
When it comes to
federal student
loans,
borrowers receive the same interest rate, regardless
of income, job status, college major, or creditworthiness.
That means you'll no longer be eligible to receive any
of the benefits that come with a
federal loan; that can spell an inflexible repayment structure for many
borrowers.
Extended repayment and graduated repayment plans can extend the term
of a
borrower's
federal loan between 10 and 25 years.
Variable rates will fluctuate with the life
of the
loan and variable rates are currently at historic lows (2 percent range)-- meaning right now they are below
federal rates (for more on this topic, see «What every
borrower should know about variable - rate student
loans «-RRB-.
Although most
borrowers choose to follow the 10 - year Standard Repayment Plan — a fixed monthly payment
of at least $ 50 over the course
of 10 years which is the default repayment plan for
federal loans — there is an array
of income - based repayment options available to fit everyone's needs.
Federal loan borrowers whose bills are more than 10 %
of discretionary income, and who started borrowing money for school after July 1, 2014.
In general, these Income - Driven Repayment plans are best for
borrowers whose monthly payment on their
federal loans is more than or a sizable portion
of their discretionary income.
Federal loan borrowers whose bills are more than 10 %
of discretionary income; who were new direct
loan borrowers on or after Oct. 1, 2007; and who took out another direct
loan on or after Oct. 1, 2011.
However,
borrowers do have a few more protections in place in case
of default on a
federal student
loan:
While some programs require that people jump through hoops,
borrowers only have to meet one
of four criteria to qualify for economic hardship deferment on
federal loans.
And while
federal loans come with their own set
of challenges and risks, all 1.37 million private
loan borrowers are often subject to fewer protections and less flexible repayment plans than those offered under
federal loan agreements.Less accommodating repayment options and more rigid terms can quickly lead to private student
loan defaults, which is a dangerous financial place to be.
Refinancing student debt is similar to
federal student
loan consolidation in that
borrowers take on a large, single
loan in replacement
of several smaller
loans.
Once
borrowers have an understanding
of the type
of federal or private student
loans they owe, it is necessary to recognize the different repayment plans available.
Unlike a lender, Great Lakes does not initiate any
of the
loans it services, but rather acts as the intermediary and guarantor between the
borrower (you) and lender (the
federal government or a private company, depending on your
loan type) once the
loan enters repayment.
Federal student
loans offer a variety
of repayment programs to help
borrowers afford the cost
of their education long after graduation.
For example,
borrowers with
federal student
loans can take advantage
of federal income - driven repayment programs, or benefits like
loan forgiveness, which
borrowers with private student
loans typically don't have access to.
A new
borrower is one who did not have an outstanding balance on a Direct
Loan or a
Federal Family Education
Loan (FFEL) as
of the date in question.
Borrowers of qualified education
loans may deduct up to $ 2,500 in interest on their
federal income tax returns as an above - the - line exclusion from income.