Paying off student loans can be a long and challenging process. The average student loan debt for a bachelor’s degree graduate is around $28,000 in the U.S. With a standard 10-year repayment plan, that would mean paying roughly $300 per month. However, making small payments on your student loans before they are due can help you pay off your debt faster and save money on interest. Here are some of the key benefits of making early student loan payments.

Key Takeaways

• Making extra payments toward your student loans can help you pay off debt years faster and save thousands in interest. Even small amounts make a difference.
• Paying off loans early frees up money in your budget to put toward other financial goals like saving, investing, buying a home, starting a business, and more.
• Staying ahead on payments allows you to target high interest rate debt first and avoid deferment or forbearance.
• Consistent on-time early payments demonstrate responsible borrowing and can boost your credit score.
• Getting rid of student loan debt provides peace of mind and flexibility with your finances. Plan to make payments ahead of schedule whenever possible.

Making early student loan payments can provide several benefits, but it may not be the best choice for everyone. Here are some of the pros of paying off student loans early:

1. Save on interest: Paying off your student loans early can lower the total cost of your loans by reducing the amount of interest you pay over time1.
2. Get out of debt faster: Early repayment can help you become debt-free sooner, allowing you to have more disposable income to spend on other expenses or investments12.
3. Improve your debt-to-income ratio: Paying off your student loans early can improve your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which measures how high your monthly debt payments are compared to your income24.
4. Pursue other financial goals: With a lower DTI ratio and more disposable income, you can pursue other financial goals, such as buying a house or saving for retirement2.
5. Eliminate stress and improve mental well-being: Paying off student loans early can reduce the financial stress and anxiety associated with carrying debt, improving your overall mental well-being3.

However, there are also some cons to consider:

1. Higher monthly payments: Early repayment typically requires higher monthly payments, which could delay saving for other goals or cause financial hardship if not properly budgeted2.
2. Loss of potential benefits: If you have federal student loans and are eligible for income-driven repayment plans or student loan forgiveness programs, paying off your loans early could cause you to miss out on these benefits5.
3. Insufficient savings: If you have not built an emergency fund or saved for retirement, paying off student loans early may not be the best financial decision13.

Before making early student loan payments, it is essential to evaluate your overall financial situation, including your income, other debts, and financial goals. If you are in a strong position to pay off your loans early and have already saved for emergencies and retirement, doing so can provide significant benefits3.

Reduces Your Principal Balance Faster

When you make an extra payment on your student loans, the full amount typically goes directly toward reducing your principal balance. This helps you pay down your overall debt faster compared to just making the standard monthly payments. For example, if you have $20,000 left on your student loans with a 6% interest rate and 10-year term, making an extra $100 payment each month would allow you to pay off your loans almost 3 years faster and save over $5,500 in interest.

Saves You Money on Interest

One of the biggest reasons to make early student loan payments is to reduce the total amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan. Student loans accrue interest every day on the outstanding principal balance. When you make an extra payment, less interest accrues going forward because your principal balance is lower. This can add up to huge interest savings over time. Even small extra payments can make a dent in your interest costs.

Allows You To Pay Off Loans Faster

In addition to the mathematical savings, paying off your student loans early can provide other benefits. First, you will be debt-free sooner, which gives you more flexibility with your future finances. Once your loans are paid off, you can use the money you were putting toward student loan payments for other goals like saving for a house, traveling, or investing. Paying off debt faster also reduces stress and gives you peace of mind.

Improves Your Credit Score

Making on-time extra payments on your student loans can help boost your credit score. When you make consistent early payments, it demonstrates to lenders that you are a responsible borrower who manages debt well. This can improve your credit utilization ratio, payment history, and other factors that go into calculating your credit score. A higher score makes you eligible for better interest rates if you need to borrow money in the future.

Allows You To Target High Interest Rate Loans

If you have multiple student loans with different interest rates, making early payments gives you the flexibility to target the loans costing you the most in interest. For example, you could focus extra payments on private student loans, which often have higher interest rates than federal loans. By paying off your highest rate debt first, more of your payments go toward the principal instead of interest.

Avoid Deferment or Forbearance

Sometimes borrowers utilize deferment or forbearance to temporarily pause their student loan payments. However, this leads to negative amortization, meaning your balance grows as unpaid interest gets added to the principal. Making small payments when possible prevents you from needing to defer payments down the road. Keeping your loans current also allows you to continue qualifying for programs like income-driven repayment plans.

Peace of Mind

Simply knowing that you are actively chipping away at your student loan debt can provide immense peace of mind. By making early payments, you are taking control of your finances and not just letting debt linger. This can reduce stress and anxiety compared to feeling like you will be stuck paying off student loans for decades. Staying on top of payments now prevents larger headaches in the future.

Allows You to Allocate Funds Elsewhere As Needed

While it is wise to pay down student loans as fast as possible, life can also throw unexpected expenses your way. If money gets tight, making some extra payments when you have the flexibility still puts you ahead. But you always have the option to scale back and allocate more funds to other needs as they arise. Early payments give you better cash flow management options.

Could Lead to Loan Forgiveness Faster

Some student loan forgiveness programs require you to make a certain number of qualifying payments before your remaining balance can be forgiven. By making additional payments, you may be able to reach that threshold faster than just making standard monthly payments. This allows you to take advantage of loan forgiveness benefits sooner. Just be sure to understand the specific program rules.

Allows You to Refinance or Consolidate

Most lenders require your student loan balance to be below a certain amount before you can refinance or consolidate your debt. Refinancing or consolidating can potentially lower your interest rate and payment. Making early payments helps you meet balance requirements faster so you can reduce rates. Just be sure the benefits outweigh any fees.

Boosts Your Emergency Fund

Once you pay off your student loans, the money you were putting toward debt can now be redirected to building up your emergency savings account. Having at least 3-6 months of living expenses saved provides financial security and flexibility. The faster you pay off your loans, the sooner you can focus on socking away cash in case unexpected expenses come up.

Lets You Invest More for the Future

Investing is another important piece of financial health. But it can be difficult to invest much when a large chunk of your income is tied up in student loan payments. Paying off your loans faster frees up more money to put toward retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. Getting an earlier start on investing helps your money compound more over time.

Allows You to Reach Other Goals

Beyond saving and investing, paying off student loan debt opens doors to other personal goals. You may be eager to buy a house, start a business, have kids, pursue continued education, travel the world, or support charitable causes. Without the burden of student loan payments, you have more flexibility and freedom to use your money toward goals that are meaningful to you.

Removes Debt from Your Credit Report

Once your student loan balance reaches zero, the account will no longer appear on your credit report as an open account with an outstanding balance. This can give a nice boost to your credit score. Your score will also no longer take a hit if you had late student loan payments in the past. Eliminating debt altogether strengthens your credit profile.

Making early student loan payments puts time on your side. Even small amounts make a big difference long-term. Be proactive with payments whenever possible to save substantially on interest and reach financial freedom faster.