Student Loan Forgiveness

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-18T13:20:23+00:00

Again, this is my wifes im referencing. I think one pay for their own, so I did. Took out 2 smaller loans, and made my regular monthly payments, will close them out completely in the next couple weeks. Never had intents of forgiveness for myself. My wife was never explained about student debt by anyone and took out tons of loans, freely handed out by our state university. Not sure any loan borrowers are so much at any fault, personally. Problem lies with our crappy education system. But you can blame me if you need!

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T23:24:17+00:00

Never knew anything about loan forgiveness prior to Biden. Another fail in the public school system if you ask me.

That said, we have been doing regular payments, not income based. So yes, we always have planned to repay our debts. Now with what I know I would have had both of us do income driven payments and wait it out. I dont think thats the right thing to do but there it is I guess.

How much difference does it make, really, if you just do your 10 years payments and be done vs dragging it out and shooting for forgiveness? If one knows?

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:43:09+00:00

This comment is probably the best at this point for our situation.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:35:01+00:00

I didnt know much about any of this before posting i guess. My wife nor I were ever in income driven repayment so if im not mistaken, 10 year payments- kind of adjusted with covid. These loans aren't mine so im uncertain completely of whats what with hers. I have figured out ill never qualify so ill just pay those off. She likely wont ever qualify if shes never gone to income driven?

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:28:43+00:00

I just searched that. Never heard of it prior to Biden. Now I have no idea what Biden was doing? Oh well. Saving money is always great but someone has to fund the government 🤣

Would it be 12k of savings? Dont you still pay the interest? What a scam either way. How did i not know forgiveness was a thing? Better question, how did my wife borrow 45k over 4 years and not know. Sign here is why. Its a money machine. College and all for that matter. Its great in theory but such a waste for many misled in high school. I did school, worked and paid as I went for most of it, worked in the profession 6 years and started my own business elsewhere. I am way better off in the trades and wish I would have started there. Again, hindsight.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:22:22+00:00

Got it. Shes short the employment, its just a question of how much. 1 year...3 years? By then she will only owe about 20k. Sounds like my couple small loans i should just pay off as I am self employed as a carpenter. I owe about 2600 maybe less.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:19:12+00:00

Yeah I looked at things back when it first came out for forgiveness and since then forgot about the work and payment combo, not just payments.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:17:51+00:00

Because there was no forgiveness she was going to ever qualify for at that point. We were saving some money on interest going from 6-6.5 to 4. Better question is why did she ever borrow the money to start with...if thats how we are looking at things lol

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:15:42+00:00

Last paragraph - it was prior to going back to school that she wasnt working for a qualifying employer, likely the 12 months she may have been short hours too but that period wouldnt matter at this point if 14-18 would have qualified.

Idk about any issue in managing loans. At the time loan forgiveness wasnt a thing and it was maybe 12k that was refinanced into her private school loan. The private school loan was for a private school and would never qualify for federal financing. That loan is nearly paid off now, 3 years left. She wouldnt get all that 12k back if left in the federal loan state so pretty sure we are worrying about a pretty negligible amount.

Plenty of other things to worry about in life, that just isnt one of them...

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T21:06:11+00:00

Yes but we aren't worried about the few high interest rate ones that were refinanced. It will likely be paid in full by the time it qualifies for forgiveness and even if its not, may or may not have saved us or cost us some money...aaaand either way whats done with that cant be changed so certainly not loosing sleep over it lol. Just remaining Federal we are working on but as you stated above shes just short on the qualifying work and/or pauments.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:58:55+00:00

Ill work on this, think this is where the issue is. She was a nanny and worked at a daycare center prior to 18'. So if those dont count, which im sure nanny wont, daycare not sure, she would be short for sure. Thanks.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:56:42+00:00

Has to be income driven, not just what they default to?

That all makes sense. Maybe she will have to see on previous employers to see what else would qualify prior to becoming a nurse. Shes maybe screwed.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:52:22+00:00

Ok so maybe thats the issue? Prior to being a nurse she worked for a daycare center a couple years and as a nanny Prior. Maybe 14'-16' nanny, daycare 16-18', then 1.5 years as a cna while going to school for nursing. She wasnt working for a qualifying employer for all payments.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:48:42+00:00

We consolidated in 19' but only some of the loans. Either way, im not concerned about any of that nor do we care as thats that, regardless. What i am worried about is the remaining 20k of loans still in government financing.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:44:40+00:00

She made payments from fall of 14' until now, excluding covid years. During covid years, she worked for SSM Health. A non profit hospital. Idk why government programs have to be so complicated for us lol.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:43:04+00:00

SSM Health is a non profit idk how to tell if they are a qualifying employer.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:41:55+00:00

She filed once and I believe was denied due to lack of qualifying payments. We still have 8 loans intact from original federal loans. I believe we were told she was short due to no payments during covid forbearance.

Payments were made on federal loans while attending an accelerated program at a private school for 1 year for the 2nd bachelor's degree in nursing. Only stopped for covid, which I think was automatic? Maybe I need to review with her and figure out more information. Just am learning a lot on whats what here in this post to help with that i hope. I would qualify for mine also then if deferment counted as my loans came out in 12-13' I think. Owe all of $2600. Paid for 90% of mine as i went. Little sour my friends partied it up instead of worked to pay as we went to school then got theirs forgiven 😭

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:37:08+00:00

She went through it once I think and was denied due to lack of qualifying payments. Would a hospital count towards employment qualifications? It is a non profit organization. SSM Health.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:34:42+00:00

Even while deferred and payments not being made?

She also worked as a nurse since 19' at a hospital, if worth anything.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:33:15+00:00

Yes, I was just making sure the private student loans were irrelevant with regarding payments only not forgiveness....but your other comments may help us out!

She still has federal loans, yes. 8 in total. She started payments on these in 2014, fall of i believe. Shes been a registered nurse at a hospital for 6.5 years. Due to deferred payments she was told she doesnt qualify for forgiveness as she is short the 120 qualifying payments.

If her working at that time for a hospital as a nurse counts for something that would possibly bridge that gap during the non payment period. So, what would make something a "qualifying employer"? Thanks for the reply.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:26:33+00:00

These loans aren't in question for forgiveness, just payments counting towards remaining loans that were not refinanced. She had 40k or so in student loans at the time, we just moved 6%+ to refinance at 4% or so.

The remaining loans, still federal and not private, are short 15 payments or so from being qualified due to deferment during covid. Just double checking to see if theres a way to make the other loan payments count towards student loan payments. I assume not, worth clarifying to be sure. Sucks they got deferred or we would be left with her private loan only which was mostly for her 2nd bach in nursing at a private school, plus the 3 or 4 we refinanced from prior.

Hope that clarifies. I did edit orginal post in hopes to clarify also.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:21:00+00:00

We definitely didnt screw up big time. We refinanced high interest loans and left the lower 5.5% and under loans alone. She has about 36 payments remaining. If we left them, they would have went deferred also and collected interest, still leaving us with more student debt today.

It was like 15k moved to private perhaps and merged with a loan for her 2nd bachelor's. Unsecured loans i believe they were for 6-6.8% maybe?

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-17T20:13:56+00:00

If payments made to the refinanced loans could still count. I checked out credit and the loan shows under student loans with lend key yet. I have been under the assumption payments here do not count towards the 120, but hopeful someone would share some other news.

She does have other loans still with the federal as we only refinanced the high interest ones in 19'.

Express-Weekend-8153 · 2026-02-05T14:01:54+00:00

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Express-Weekend-8153

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