7 Tips for Parents Paying A Child’s Student Loans

February 5, 2020

By Tracey Suhr

$233,610. This is the amount of money today’s average American family can expect to spend raising one child. If this seems like a lot, get ready for more sticker shock since this doesn’t include the cost of college. The average tuition at a public in-state school for the 2019-2020 school year is $10,116. Multiply that by four years (plus student loan interest), and you’re adding another $50,000+ to the total cost of raising a child.

If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely well aware of the cost of college, and you might now be looking for ways to help your son or daughter pay their college debt. Your recent graduate likely has a student loan (and if they’re lucky, parents who offered to make payments toward that loan). Or you might have taken out a parent loan* to fully cover the cost of college for your child. Either way, those loans are staring you in the face, begging to be paid.

Luckily, there are no rules against helping your son or daughter pay off student loan debt. Here are some tips for parents who are paying a child’s student loans.

Set Up Automatic Payments

The easiest way to help manage your child’s student loan debt is by setting up automatic payments from your checking or savings account. We all get busy and forget items on our to-do list. And while one or two missed payments might not make a difference, several can result in late fee charges and dings on your credit, especially if the loan is in your name or if you were a co-signer for the loan.

Play By the Rules (Tax Rules)

If you help pay your child’s student loan debt, you might need to pay gift tax and file a gift tax return during tax season. A gift tax applies to the giver (that’s you) and to any contributions more than $15,000, as of 2020. Tuition is excluded from gift tax but, unfortunately, loan payments are not. Double-check current IRS regulations around loan payments before making the decision to help pay your child’s student loan debt. Here is a current FAQ list around gift tax.

Focus on Loans with High-Interest Rates

Look at all your loans—car loans, mortgage loans, credit card debt—and focus on those with the highest interest rate. If you have a credit card with an 18% interest rate, and the interest on your child’s student loan is just 8%, it would be wiser to focus on paying your card first. Even adding an extra $50 or $100 per paycheck to those higher rate loans can help in the long run.

Prepay the Loan

If you receive a bonus or a cushy tax return, allocate those extra funds toward the student loan debt. By paying down your child’s student loan faster, you can reduce the total amount of interest paid over the life of the loan by paying less monthly interest.

You can also allocate extra funds toward paying your child’s student loans by rearranging other existing finances. For example, if you have multiple credit cards, consolidate the balances into one loan. A single loan with a fixed interest rate that’s lower than the APR on your credit card will help you simplify and save.

Refinance Student Loans

Refinancing student loans is another way to simplify payments and readjust finances. Whether the loan is a parent loan or student loan, reducing the interest rate lowers monthly and total loan payments. You can also change the term of the loan to 5, 7, or 10 years to help lower monthly payments, allowing you to reallocate funds to other expenses or debts (refer back to our tip about paying off debts with high-interest rates first).

ELFI offers student loan refinancing options for both parents and students, with some of the lowest student loan refinancing rates available and flexible terms. We also have no application fees, no loan origination fees, and no penalty of paying off your student loan early. See how much you could save with ELFI Student Loan Refinancing*.

Set Up Biweekly vs. Monthly Payments

You might have noticed that some months, you get an extra paycheck. This is because the 52 weeks in a year don’t evenly divide into four weeks for every 12 months. You can take advantage of these extra four weeks by setting up biweekly loan payments. If your monthly payment is $300, and you readjust to paying $150 every other week, you pay the same amount each paycheck, but end up with an extra loan payment paid over the course of a year. This pays your student loan debt faster. Another bonus? This tip works for paying off any loans, not just student loans.

Fully Understand Your Offer

Paying your child’s student loans, whether partially or in full, is a generous offer. It can help your new graduate get on his or her feet in the working world. It can also help free up money for dealing with other debts or life’s unexpected surprises. Since your offer also impacts your financial situation, be sure you fully understand the pros and cons. Consider how close you are to retirement, and if your 401k or other funds will suffer. Be aware of the balances and interest rates in your other debts.

Whether or not you chose to help your child pay their loan, student loan refinancing (or even refinancing your parent loan) can help avoid the hassle of multiple payments and get a more affordable rate and flexible terms. See if you qualify for student loan refinancing*.

*Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply.

Notice About Third Party Websites: Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the websites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – the bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

GOP Concerns Over Costs Could Limit Student Loan Relief In Next Stimulus

GOP Senate leaders are showing increasing concern about the costs of additional economic relief, particularly when it comes to student loan relief, as they weigh a second stimulus bill.

Source: Forbes

Democrats Fail to Override Trump Veto on Student Loan Policy

This Friday, House Democrats were unable to override the Trump Administration's veto on a proposal to reverse the Education Department's strict policy on loan forgiveness for students misled by for-profit colleges. The House voted 238-173 in support of the override measure, coming up short of the two-thirds majority needed to send it to the Senate.

Source: ABC News

Study Finds Gen Z Borrowers Are Unaware of COVID-19 Student Loan Relief Programs

While the CARES Act allowed those with federal student loans to pause payments until September, a recent survey from Student Debt Crisis shows that Gen Z borrowers, in particular, were the least aware of the relief program.

Source: CNBC

Author Shares Her Big 'Wake Up Call' That Led Her to Pay Off $81,00 in Student Debt

35-year-old Melanie Lockert, the author of "Dear Debt," shared with CNBS the story of how she was able to pay off $81,000 in student loan debt over 9 years, with her big wake up call coming five years into repayment.

Source: CNBC

That wraps things up for this week! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn for more news about student loans, refinancing, and achieving financial freedom.

2020-07-08

Dash Through the Debt: How a Shorter Student Loan Term Adds Up

If you’re like most college graduates, you’re sick of your student loans. If you want to get rid of your debt once and for all, refinancing your loans and opting for a shorter student loan term is a smart strategy. You can secure a lower rate and pay off your loans years ahead of schedule while saving thousands. Here’s what you need to know about shortening your loan term, as well as how much shortening your student loan term could save you.

How long does the average graduate take to repay their student loans?

When you graduate from college, you likely expect to pay off your student loans quickly. However, life often gets in the way of your plans, even if you make a good salary. While the Standard Repayment Plan for federal student loans is ten years, many students extend their repayment terms with income-driven repayment plans, forbearance or deferment periods, or by missing payments altogether. According to the One Wisconsin Institute, the average length of repayment for graduates with bachelor’s degrees is 19.7 years. If you have graduate student loans, the average repayment period is even longer. With such a longer repayment term, you’ll pay thousands of dollars in interest charges on top of what you initially borrowed, adding to your loan's total cost. And, carrying such a heavy financial burden for decades can force you to put off other goals, like buying a house, starting a business, or even getting married.

How to get a shorter student loan term

When you take out a student loan, you sign a loan agreement or promissory note where you promise to pay the loan back according to set repayment terms. The agreement will outline the loan’s interest rate, payments, and loan term. Many borrowers don’t realize that you’re not stuck with those terms forever. If you’re unhappy with your current loan’s repayment terms or your finances improve, there is a way to change them: student loan refinancing.* When you refinance your debt, you apply for a loan from a lender like Education Loan Finance for the amount of your total existing student loan debt. If you have both federal and private student loans, you can combine them so you’ll have just one loan to manage and one monthly payment to remember.* The new loan will have different terms than your old ones, including the interest rate and monthly payment. When you apply for the loan, you can choose your own loan term that works for your goals and budget. For example, if you currently have a ten-year loan term, you can select a five or seven-year loan if you'd prefer a shorter term.

Benefits of a shorter student loan term

Instead of making payments for 20 years or more, it’s a good idea to select a shorter loan term, if you can afford it. Opting for a shorter student loan term has many advantages:

1. You can get a lower interest rate

When you have a long loan term, lenders consider you to be a riskier borrower and they charge you a higher interest rate. You’ll have a lower monthly payment, but the longer loan term will cost you more money in interest charges over time. By contrast, lenders reserve their lowest interest rates for credit-worthy borrowers who choose the shortest loan terms. If you want the best possible rate, opting for a shorter loan term will allow you to save money. You’re probably wondering, “How much can I save by shortening my loan term?” Let’s look at an example. Pretend you had $30,000 in student loans with a ten-year loan term at 5% interest. By the end of your repayment term, you would repay a total of $38,184; interest charges would cost you $8,184. If you refinanced your loans and chose a five-year loan and qualified for a 3.19% interest rate, you’d repay just $32,496 over the life of your loan. By refinancing your debt and selecting a shorter loan term, you’d save $5,688.

Original Loan

Balance: $30,000 Interest Rate: 5% Loan Term: 10 Years Minimum Payment: $318 Total Interest: $8,184 Total Repaid: $38,184

Refinanced Loan

Balance: $30,000 Interest Rate: 3.19% Minimum Payment: $542 Total Interest: $2,496 Total Repaid: $32,496

2. You’ll pay off your debt earlier

When you choose a shorter loan term, you’ll be able to pay off your debt years ahead of schedule. Not only will you save a significant amount of money in interest charges, but you’ll also have the psychological benefit of not having to worry about debt any longer. If your student loan balance was causing you stress, that’s a significant advantage, and a huge weight off your shoulders.

3. You’ll free up cash flow

Once you’ve paid off your student loans, you’ll free up extra cash flow. You’ll no longer have to make your monthly loan payment, so you can instead direct that money toward other goals, such as saving for retirement, boosting your emergency fund, or buying a home. If you use the above example, you’d have $542 per month you could use to fund your financial goals. To put that in perspective, let’s say you paid off your loans by the time you turned 27. After that, you invested the $542 you were paying toward your student loans into your retirement nest egg. If you contributed $542 every month into your retirement fund and earned an 8% annual return, on average, your account would be worth over $1.8 million by the time you reached the age of 67.

The bottom line

While extending your loan term may seem like a good idea to get a lower monthly payment, that can be a costly mistake. You’ll have to pay a higher interest rate and, over time, the longer loan term will cause you to pay back far more in interest charges. Instead, consider refinancing your loans and selecting a shorter student loan term. You’ll be debt-free sooner, and you may save a substantial amount of money. To find out how much you can save, use the student loan refinance calculator.*

*Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. Notice About Third Party Websites: Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the websites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – the bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

2020-07-02

Should You Keep Paying Federal Student Loans During CARES Act Suspensions?

You probably already know that the CARES Act has suspended Federal student loan payments for the time being. Until September 30th, you aren’t required to make payments, and the interest rate of your loans is set to 0%. This is primarily to help those with student loans who are struggling during these uncertain times. If your student loans are in forbearance due to the CARES Act suspensions, you have several repayment options based on your financial goals.

Option 1: Take Advantage of That 0% Interest

Normally, when making extra payments on student loans, your money is first attributed to any collections charges or late fees, then to accrued interest, then to the principal itself.

With the current 0% interest rates, however, if your account doesn’t have any fees or charges, you’ll save some money at that step. The more you can reduce your principal balance, the more money you’ll save over time in interest.

For example, let’s say you have $25,000 in student loans at a 4% interest rate and you want to pay it off in the next 10 years. Over that period, you accrue $5,373.54 in interest. However, if you take advantage of the CARES Act 0% interest, you can change the course of your repayment.

For instance, if you continue to pay your student loans during this period, the payments will be attributed straight to principal and will save you about $300 in accrued interest over the course of your repayment.

Option 2: Wait Until September And Resume Payments

If the coronavirus has affected your finances, don’t worry about paying down your student loans too quickly. Instead, use this time to get your other debts under control. Focus on paying back higher interest rate debt, like credit card debt, which will impact your long-term financial health.

Option 3: Refinance and Take Advantage of Low Interest Rates

During this time, many student loan refinancing companies are offering low interest rates. If you’re locked into an unfavorable rate, this would be a great time to consider refinancing student loans to save on interest costs.

This is an especially great option for borrowers with private loans, as these types of loans aren’t currently receiving any type of federal forbearance benefit. For a personalized look at how refinancing could improve your financial health, check out the ELFI Student Loan Refinancing Calculator.*

So, should you keep paying federal student loans during the CARES Act suspensions? The answer depends on your unique goals. Whether you choose to pay your federal loans, take care of other expenses, or refinance your student loans, this is a great opportunity to eliminate some additional debt before the September 30 deadline. Happy saving!