Student loan forgiveness is, in effect, a large stimulus package. That's likely to, in turn, bolster banks' liquidity like other waves of relief to consumers did throughout the pandemic. In the last few years, pandemic-era stimulus checks helped fuel a rise in deposits at banks.
The researchers' model posits that cancelling student loan debt won't cause an astronomical amount of inflation. To be specific, there would be a very modest uptick as a result, perhaps 1.8-1.9 percent. In fact, the policy of debt cancellation could boost the GDP by an average of $86 billion to $106 billion per year.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Forgiveness would boost the economy, benefiting everyone. Read More. Con 1: Student loan forgiveness is an abuse of the loan system. People must be held responsible for their personal economic choices.
By forgoing nearly $5 billion a month in interest, the federal student loan program swung from a profit to a loss even in the most optimistic of projections. Let's take a tour of how the federal government's budget calculates the subsidy rates for various federal programs.
Myth: Student loan forgiveness is the fair way to help Americans escape massive amounts of debt. Fact: Borrowers signed on the dotted line for their loans. Erasing these loans does not teach borrowers to manage their debts. Moreover, the cancelation is an insult to those who diligently paid off their loans.
While the president's debt forgiveness plan was struck down in court, calls to forgive student loan debt will continue to be part of the broader policy and political debate. In addition to increasing the national debt and potentially worsening inflation. The same paycheck covers less goods, services, and bills.
It penalizes hard-working Americans
We've already discussed how the poor and working classes are treated unfairly by this plan. But the unfairness extends to many middle class families as well who worked hard to pay off their student loans or their children's student loans.
Some who oppose student loan forgiveness view education as a private commodity that benefits the person who purchases it."
If the debt forgiveness program is permitted to move forward, at a time when consumer spending already is high, it could lead to more inflation, Jones said.
Student loan debt slows new business growth and limits consumer spending. Broad student loan debt forgiveness may help boost the national economy by making it more affordable for borrowers to participate in it.
Student Debt vs Income by Age Groups
Among the age groups, adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are the most likely to have student loan debt. Meanwhile, adults between the ages of 35 and 49 years old on average owe the most student loan debt.
Another concern of forgiving student debt is “moral hazard,” the idea that students might make riskier choices if they think their debt will end up being forgiven, Jones said.
Your credit mix will change
If you're one of those borrowers, you might see your credit score fall a little bit — at least in the short term and especially if you don't have other kinds of debt. That's because student loans contribute to what's known as your credit mix.
Most lenders care about the size of your monthly student loan payments, not the total amount of student loan debt you have. Lenders also want to see whether you're a responsible borrower.
Student loan debt cancellation is essential to the financial wellness of millions of Americans. With student debt cancellations, people will be able to pay off other debts, purchase homes, and invest in their communities, futures, and the American economy.
1 Forgiveness is fundamentally unfair because it will ultimately be paid by taxpayers—many who have faithfully paid off their student loans, worked hard to pay for college, or chose not to go to college at all.
Con: Forgiving debt is not fair to people who have already made their payments. Forgiving student debt would be a "great gift" to graduates, said the Boston Herald editorial board — but so would having your "mortgages, car loans, and … credit card debt" forgiven.
Key Takeaways. Carrying student debt can affect your ability to buy a home if your debt-to-income ratio is too high. If you have too much student loan debt, you won't be able to save as much for retirement. Student loan debt can lower your credit score, especially if you fail to make on-time payments.
Black adults are more than twice as likely than white adults to have student loan debt. The following graph includes federal and private student loan debt among all adults. On average, Black adults in the U.S. also hold higher student loan debt balances than borrowers of other races.
As of mid-July 2023, approximately 662,000 borrowers have qualified for forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver.
The Qualtrics/Intuit Credit Karma report found 20 percent of borrowers hadn't made any payments on their loans. The percentage was even higher, at 27 percent, for borrowers who made less than $50,000 a year.
If your monthly payment does not cover the accrued interest, your loan balance will go up, even though you're making payments. Unpaid interest will also capitalize each year until your total balance is 10% higher than the original balance. This means you will pay interest on your interest.
According to the IRS, student loan amounts forgiven under PSLF are not considered income for tax purposes. Learn more about the PSLF process. You won't be taxed by the federal government, but your state may tax you. Any debt forgiven as a result of PSLF won't create a federal tax liability for you.
The average federal student loan debt is $37,853 per borrower. Outstanding private student loan debt totals $128.8 billion. The average student borrows over $30,000 to pursue a bachelor's degree.