 TITLE: How Employers Can Help You Pay Off Student Loans CONTENT: Ways to Pay Off Student Loans Faster\n------------------------------------\nIf your employer doesn't offer student loan payment assistance (or it's not enough to pay off your balance), these actions could help you pay off your loans faster:\n### Make an Extra Monthly Payment\nPaying more than what's due each month can help accelerate your payoff timeline since extra money can go directly to attacking the principal (as long as you request it). Consider making payments twice a month instead of once a month to chip away at your balance faster.\n### Bring in More Income\nWhen going over your budget, you might find that you don't have much extra cash to put toward student loan payments. Earning extra income by asking for more hours at work, getting a part-time job or a side hustle could help you bridge the gap.\n### See if You Qualify for Forgiveness Programs\nIf you find a job in a certain field or with an eligible organization, your federal loans may qualify for loan forgiveness. For example, the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program may forgive up to $17,500 of eligible student loans for teachers who work in a low-income school for five consecutive years.\nThe Public School Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program forgives your student loan balance after you make 120 on-time payments on qualifying loans while working at a nonprofit organization or in federal, state or local government.\n### Refinance Your Student Loans\nIf you have good credit, refinancing your student loans to secure a lower interest rate could save you money throughout the life of your loan and help you pay off debt faster.\nJust keep in mind that refinancing federal student loans with a private lender means you'll no longer qualify for federal loan benefits like forbearance, PSLF or income-driven repayment. If you think you might need to use federal loan benefit options in the future, it may be a good idea to stick with your federal loans instead of refinancing. END