The Real Deal: Student loan repayments and the best strategy that could save you thousands

Betsy Mayotte with the Institute of Student Loan Advisors says she is fielding a lot of questions on how to save money.

“When is interest going to start accruing on my loans again? The answer to that is Sept. 1,” says Mayotte.

Mayotte says the “save” plan will roll out in waves and the changes will lower a of people’s payments.

“One of the biggest factors is if your payment amount is less than the amount of interest that accrues every month, the government is going to forgive the rest of that interest. So if you are on this plan you will not be in a scenario where you are paying every month, but your balance keeps going up,” says Mayotte.

Mayotte says that part won’t be effective until July of next year. She wants viewers to know that under any income driven plan, it doesn’t always mean a lower monthly payment.

“If your income is a lot higher than what your loan balance is, you could actually end up with a higher payment than what you would have under the standard repayment plan. That is not necessarily a bad thing. The name of the game is paying the least amount over time,” says Mayotte.