5 moves that beat "just pay extra"
Pay minimums on all loans. Throw every extra dollar at the HIGHEST-RATE loan. Saves thousands.
Federal: 0.25% off. Many private: 0.25%-0.50%. Stack for free. Always.
Income-driven plans cap payment at 10-20% of discretionary income. Miss recertification = payment reverts to standard overnight.
Gov/nonprofit job + 120 qualifying payments = balance forgiven. Use Federal Student Aid PSLF Help Tool to confirm.
Your loans are already private, OR you will never qualify for federal forgiveness. Refinancing federal → private kills IDR and PSLF.
See how extra payments compress your payoff date.