With interest rates favorable to student loan borrowers, right now can be a great time to refinance. But not all loans are created equal. In fact, it may be better to wait to refinance certain types of loans. Keep reading to find out which student loans you should refinance in 2020.
Refinancing Rates at All-Time Lows. Should You Refinance?
Refinancing interest rates for student loans are at an all-time low in history. This is due to the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates, this impacts rates that lenders will use on loans that you borrow. This change affects private student loans with variable interest rates and any new loan that you want to take out, including refinancing rates. This makes it an ideal time to refinance if you have certain loans.
As of September 8, 2020, student loan refinancing rates are as low as 2.39% for a variable interest rate loan and 2.79% for a fixed interest rate loan. If you refinance now you could potentially be saving thousands of dollars over the loan term because you will be able to lock in a low interest rate. This will also save you on your monthly payment.
Example of Savings When Refinancing
Here is an example of how much can be saved by lowering your interest rate:
If you have $60,000 in student loans and an interest rate of 9% with 10 years remaining on your loan term, your estimated monthly payment would be $760.00. If you took advantage of the low interest rates now and qualified for a fixed rate of 3.76% you could save as much as $159.00 per month and over $19,000 in interest over the remaining 10 years.
To find out your possible savings, use our Student Loan Refinance Calculator* where you can put in your specific loan numbers to obtain an estimate of the amount of savings for your specific situation.
So now that you see how beneficial it can be to refinance student loans, which ones should you try to refinance in 2020?
Considerations for Refinancing Federal Student Loans
Federal student loans are currently benefiting from the protections provided by the CARES Act and the subsequent Executive Order signed on August 8, 2020. The benefits provided include:
- 0% interest – Right now federal loans are not accruing any interest because of the lowered interest rate. This means the loans are not increasing and can actually be paid off faster if payments are made while the interest rate is 0%.
- Administrative forbearance – This means no payments are due during forbearance. Payments are set to resume in January 2021.
- During the administrative forbearance, payments that you would have made during this time but are not required to make, still count towards forgiveness for loans in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
All of these benefits are set through December 31, 2020, making it more ideal to wait until 2021 if you want to refinance any federal student loans. If you have federal loans and were to refinance them now, you would lose these federal benefits. During this time if you have a federal student loan it is best to use the money that you would normally be paying on your loans to save for an emergency fund, pay off other high interest debt, or use it to make a lump sum payment on your loans when payments resume.
Best Student Loans to Refinance in 2020
The loans that would be best to refinance now in 2020 include:
Private Student Loans
If you obtained private student loans in the early 2000s you could have an interest rate as high as 9%. Refinancing older student loans would greatly benefit from the much lower interest rates. Even if you have newer student loans with a lower interest rate than 9%, with rates so low you may be able to refinance with a shorter term length and still be able to see savings and cut time off your student loan.
Here is how that could work: with a student loan balance of $60,000 with 18 years remaining at 7% interest you would be paying approximately $489 per month. But if you refinance the loan and qualify for a rate of 4.07% you could save an estimated $43 per month, over $25,000 in interest, and cut your loan term down to 15 years. That’s saving you time and money on your student loans!
Variable Interest Loans
If you have a variable interest rate loan, you may also be experiencing the benefits of the interest rates being lowered. However, just as rates can be lowered, they can be raised. If you want the security of knowing your rate cannot go up, now would be a good time to lock in a low fixed interest rate.
Bottom Line
Refinancing is a great way to save money on your loans. Knowing the current student loan environment is helpful to determine the best financial move for you now. With the current CARES Act, refinancing only your private student loans and not your federal student loans may be the most financially savvy move you can make this year.
*Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply.
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