Good Question: How can you pay off federal student loans?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — How can you pay off federal student loans now that the pandemic-era loan payment pause has ended?

Tens of millions of borrowers have outstanding federal student loans. Loan repayments were paused for three and a half years but that has ended. Several you have asked how to pay off and check on the status of the loans.

First, go to StudentAid.Gov to check how much you owe. On the homepage, you’ll see the total amount and then click on “view details” and you’ll see each individual loan.

You’ll also see when your next payment is due and a button to make a payment. Everyone’s date will be different. 

If you are unable to make payments starting this week, you can apply for an income driven repayment (IDR) plan. The newest of those plans, the Biden Administration’s SAVE Plan announced in August, requires the lowest monthly payments of any of the IDR plans. Under the SAVE Plan, “a single borrower who makes about $15 an hour will not have to make any monthly payments” according to WhiteHouse.Gov.

The pandemic also paused interest on federal loans but as of September 1, it started accruing again. There are a number of repayment plans to chose from, which you can explore here.

If you have a question you’d like answered, send us an email to GoodQuestion@whec.com.