10 years is the ideal timeline for paying off student loan debt according to financial experts and the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In practice, it takes borrowers closer to 20 years to pay off their student loans. 45% of student loan borrowers decrease their balance in the first five years of repayment.
There are many benefits to paying off your student debt early. You will save on student loan interest and get out of debt faster while improving your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. With a higher DTI ratio and more disposable income, you could pursue other financial goals, such as buying a house or saving for retirement.
For federal student loans, the standard repayment plan expects borrowers to pay off their debt in less than 10 years. For many, however, it can take twice as long. Research from Citizens Financial Group suggests that 60 percent of student debt borrowers expect to pay off their loans in their 40s.
If those monthly payments look low compared to what most borrowers pay, it's because most borrowers carry a lot more than $20,000 in student loan debt. As of March 2023, the average federal student loan debt in the United States was about $37,720, according to a BestColleges analysis of Education Department data.
If you want to attend college and are committed to doing the work and succeeding, then $10,000 total debt for four years is pretty trivial. Most such loans are subsidized federal direct (aka Stafford) loans, and you don't pay interest on those until six months after leaving school.
PSLF allows qualifying federal student loans to be forgiven after 120 qualifying payments (10 years), while working for a qualifying public service employer.
Paying off student loans early should come second to having an emergency fund and retirement savings. You lose the opportunity to get some of your balance forgiven through a student loan forgiveness program if you pay off your loans early.
Average Student Loan Debt by Age
Those aged between 50 to 61 have the highest average student loan debt at $45,600. 6.05% of federal student loan debt belongs to adults under the age of 25. Adults aged 25 to 34 years old hold 30.2% of the federal student loan debt; 38.9% belongs to 35- to 49-year-olds.
Student loan debt negotiation may free you from some or all of your debt, but it comes at a price. That price used to include having to pay tax on the cancelled amount, but that's no longer the case through 2025, thanks to the student loan stimulus relief passed by Congress in March 2021.
You're investing your extra money
In fact, it may be that you're earning a higher return in your IRA or 401(k) plan than the interest rate you're paying on your student loans. If that's the case, then it makes sense to keep investing your extra money.
Experts said paying off student loans won't tank your credit score. But it can cause a temporary dip in the number because the effect of that is closing out what is likely one of your oldest credit accounts.
For example, if you had $70,000 in federal student loans and made payments under the standard 10-year repayment plan with a 6.22% interest rate, you'd end up with a monthly payment of $785 and a total repayment cost of $94,188. Thankfully, several strategies could help you more easily manage $70,000 in student loans.
Say, for example, you borrow $20,000 in student loans with an interest rate of 5%. Your monthly payment on a standard 10-year term would be $212. By the end of the loan, you'll have paid $5,456 in interest.
Many of them are finding that stress, grief and regret are waiting for them at the end of the road. Nearly a quarter of Americans with student loan debt (24 percent) say borrowing too much for their education is their biggest financial regret, according to a Bankrate survey conducted in June.
If you have federal student loans, they may be either subsidized or unsubsidized loans. It's typically best to focus on your unsubsidized loans first since they accrue interest during school and your grace period.
About 92 percent of student loan debt is federal, with interest rates ranging from 5.50 percent to 8.05 percent. Average private student loan interest rates, on the other hand, can range from around 4.50 percent to almost 17 percent.
The remaining unpaid balance of loans is forgiven after 20 or 25 years. Pay As You Earn (PAYE)—Payments are generally 10% of your discretionary income, but never more than the 10 year Standard repayment plan amount. The remaining unpaid balance of loans is forgiven after 20 years.
You can get your federal student loans forgiven after 25 years — but only if you pay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan. You can request entry into one of the four IDR plans by applying online, but contact your federal loan servicer if you need help. This forgiveness program was broken for many years.
Which Student Loans Should You Pay First: Subsidized or Unsubsidized? It's a good idea to start paying back unsubsidized student loans first, since you're more likely to have a higher balance that accrues interest much faster.
The rule of thumb about too much student debt
Higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz recently explained this good rule of thumb in an interview with CNBC News: “If your total student loan debt at graduation is less than your annual starting salary, you should be able to repay your loans in 10 years or less,” he said.
The fastest way to pay off your student loans is to increase your monthly payment. Decreasing your spending and increasing your income will help you pay more than your minimum payment. Refinancing your student loans may help—but it's not for everyone. Income-driven repayment plans are not your best option.
The average federal student loan debt in the U.S. is about $37,090. In 2019-2020, the average student loan amount borrowed for a four-year bachelor's degree was $30,500. Today's total federal student loan debt balance is just over $1.6 trillion.