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Get Uncle Sam to Pay Your Student Loans

Income-Based Repayment

On July 1st, the government will introduce the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program, a new payment option for individuals that have high student debt and lower-income.

As the name suggests, monthly payments will be calculated based on income and family size. For most people, payments are around 10% of your monthly income. The government will even pick up the interest on your subsidized student loans for the three years. If you have a balance after making payments for the next 25 years, the government will forgive the remainder of your student loan.

Resources on the Web:

Sallie Mae
You can find more information about the Income-Based Repayment plan and calculate your estimated monthly payment
IBRinfo.org
An independent and non-profit source of information about the Income-Based Repayment program.

Public-Service Loan Forgiveness

The Public-Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is targeted for people who currently work in “public service” jobs in the government or non-profit organizations. The program will forgive remaining student loan debt after the 10 years working for an eligible employer while making student loan payments. The PSLF program covers federal Stafford, Grad PLUS, or consolidated loans as long as they are a part of the Direct Loan program.

The definition of an eligible job is pretty wide. You job is considered eligible for the PSLF program if you: 1. Work for any nonprofit, tax-exempt 501©(3) organization;
2. Are employees by the federal, state, local, or tribal government (including the military, public schools, and colleges); or
3. Serve with AmeriCorps or Peace Corps full-time.

If you don’t meet these criteria, don’t worry; the Department of Education created a two-part test to check for eligibility:

1. Your employer is not “a business organized for profit, a labor union, a partisan political organization, or an organization engaged in religious activities, unless the qualifying activities are unrelated to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing;” and
2. Your employer provides any of the following public services: emergency management; military service; public safety; law enforcement; public interest law services; early childhood education; public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly; public health; public education; public library services; and school library or other school-based services.

You can also find more information about these student loan programs, and others, at the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website

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