Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness

One excellent choice is to pursue a career as a social worker, however, only an unwise social worker wouldn’t think about the instance of debt accumulation, which is why social workers should also get student loan forgiveness. This post should guide you through how to go about that!

Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness

Hefty student loan debt leads to serious decisions about how to pay off your loans. Student loan forgiveness is an option for social workers and making the right choices can lessen stress and even mean the possibility of saving thousands of dollars.

If you’re a social worker struggling to make your student loan payments, there is good news for you. You might be eligible for student loan forgiveness and assistance through several programs.

Let’s explore the available options to see if you qualify for loan forgiveness.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal student loan forgiveness program. For any social worker who has federal student loans, you are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF):

After 10 years of service with a government or not-for-profit organization. After making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan.

After you make your 120th qualifying payment, apply for PSLF using the PSLF Application for Forgiveness, and are approved, the balance of your student loan debt will be forgiven by the government.

How Do You Know If You Qualify for PSLF?

First, according to the U.S. Department of Education, you must be employed full-time for one of the following types of organizations:

Government organizations at any level (federal, state, local, or tribal)
Not-for-profit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Other types of not-for-profit organizations that are not tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, if their primary purpose is to provide certain types of qualifying public services

What is a Qualifying Repayment Program?

Qualifying repayment plans include all income-driven repayment plans: Pay As You Earn, Revised Pay As You Earn, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, or the Standard 10-year plan.

Do all 120 payments have to be consecutive? No, they do not. According to the US. Department of Education, “If you have a period of employment with a non-qualifying employer, you will not lose credit for prior qualifying payments you made.”

Only direct loans qualify for PSLF, although other federal loans can qualify if you consolidate them into a direct consolidation loan.

The downside to consolidating like this is that any payments made prior to consolidating no longer count towards your 120 consecutive loan payment count.

For those working toward public service loan forgiveness, submit the Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness form annually and anytime you change employers.

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State-Based Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Along with national forgiveness programs, some individual states offer student loan forgiveness programs for qualified social workers or offer a program known as the State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP), in partnership with the federal government.

Although the money awarded isn’t as significant as larger student loan forgiveness programs, they can be helpful for social workers who have a smaller amount of student loan debt. Here are some state-based student loan forgiveness programs.

Alaska Sharp Program

Alaska offers a wonderful loan forgiveness program for clinical social workers.

Funded through a partnership between several state and federal government agencies, licensed clinical social workers can receive between $20,000 and $27,000 a year, for up to three years, for service in underserved areas.

According to the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, “SHARP particularly focuses on increasing the access to healthcare for higher-needs populations by working to increase the recruitment and retention of selected healthcare practitioners.”

California State Loan Repayment Program

Part of the SLRP, the California State Loan Repayment Program offers licensed clinical social workers up to $50,000 per year in student loan repayment for a two-year, full-time commitment or a four-year, part-time commitment in an underserved area.

Also, you have the option to extend your involvement beyond your initial agreement after completing the initial commitment. Full-time extension awards are:

Extension years 1 & 2: $20,000 a year
Extension years 3 & 4: $10,000 a year

Extensions are also available for half-time service at lower awards.

Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program

The Minnesota Department of Health offers $20,000 a year to licensed independent clinical social workers for a two-year, full-time commitment serving in non-profit private or public sites within Minnesota’s underserved areas.

Licensed social workers committing to two years of half-time service can receive up to a $10,000 annual award.

North Carolina State Loan Repayment Program

Social workers in North Carolina can receive up to $30,000 a year in student loan forgiveness for a two-year service agreement to work in a qualified primary care setting.

You must be an LCSW to qualify. Visit the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services website for more details on this program.

NYS Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program

Social worker residents of New York (for at least a year) have access to state funds through New York’s Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program.

A maximum award of up to $26,000 in student loan forgiveness is available through New York’s program, depending on how long you commit to the program (up to 4 years maximum).

Michigan State Loan Repayment Program

According to the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, “The Michigan State Loan Repayment Program (MSLRP) helps employers recruit and retain primary medical, dental, and mental health care providers by providing loan repayment to those entering into service obligations.”

Michigan offers up to $200,000 (over an eight-year period) of student loan forgiveness for clinical social workers with a Master’s degree. The minimum commitment is two years of serving in HPSAs.

National Health Services Corp. Loan Repayment Program

Beyond Public Service Loan Forgiveness, social workers have other options that can help pay off student loan debt. Another student loan forgiveness option is the National Health Service Corps. (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program.

Award recipients receive up to $50,000 toward their student loans for at least a two-year, full-time commitment, and up to $25,000 for at least a two-year, half-time commitment.

As a recipient of this award, you must commit to serving clinical practice time at an approved “Health Professional Shortage Area” (HPSA).

The NHSC Loan Repayment Program excludes social workers who are not Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), and since this is an awarded program, there’s a limit to the number of licensed clinical social workers who’ll receive funds.

Funding priority goes to individuals that the NHSC feels are more likely to stay in an underserved area after their two-year commitment is up.

If you’re eligible, a nice feature of this program is that funds are awarded at the beginning of your commitment, allowing you to apply the money toward your student loan debt immediately.

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment Program is another federal loan repayment program.

Designed to bring health service professionals to serve in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, IHS provides funds to pay off student loan debt for licensed social workers.

The loan repayment program awards up to $40,000 for an initial two-year agreement, and if your student loan debt isn’t paid off by the end of your obligation, you can extend your commitment and receive one year of loan repayment for each extra year of service until your qualifying loans are fully paid.

Perkins Loans Cancellation & Discharge

Although the Perkins Loan program officially ended in September 2017, if you took out Perkins Loans before the program expired, you could still qualify for Perkins Loan cancellation and discharge as a social worker.

If you do qualify, you could have 50 to 100 percent of your Perkins Loan debt canceled. In order to apply, you must contact your school’s financial aid department or your designated loan servicer.

What is the difference between loan forgiveness, cancellation, and discharge? All three terms end with the same result: You are no longer responsible for paying off all or part of your student loan debt.

Other Ways Social Workers Can Manage Student Loan Debt

Besides student loan forgiveness, social workers have other options for paying off student loan debt without going broke in the process. There are choices available whether you have federal loans or private loan debt. Here they are:

Income-Driven Repayment Programs

There is another loan forgiveness option you may not have thought about yet.

If you make payments on any of the four eligible income-driven repayment programs for 20 to 25 years, any remaining student loan debt will be forgiven. The four income-driven repayment programs are:

Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE)
Income-Based Repayment (IBR)
Income-contingent repayment (ICR)

There are certain tax implications for this type of program so you’ll need to do your research in order to see if this plan is right for you.

Student Loan Refinancing

If you don’t want to pursue student loan forgiveness, refinancing your student loans is a great way to get your interest rate lowered and get better repayment terms than your original student loans.

If you are thinking about refinancing, keep in mind that your student loans will become private student loans. Federal student loans offer protections that will no longer be available if you refinance.

This could include the loss of the following protections:

Loan Deferment
Loan Forbearance
Income-Driven Repayment Programs

Before choosing to refinance, make sure you are comfortable keeping up with student loan payments now as well as in the future.

While it is hard to plan for events like job loss or financial hardship due to health issues, private loan lenders are less likely to offer help than the federal government if those situations occur.

Refinancing your loans, however, and lowering your interest rate may cut thousands of dollars in interest off your student loan debt.

The kind of repayment terms and the interest rate you qualify for with refinancing depends largely on several factors, including, but not limited to:

Credit History
Current Salary
Debt-to-Income Ratio (the ratio of recurring monthly debt, like student loans, credit cards, rent, or mortgage to your gross monthly income)

If you have less than stellar credit or have a limited credit history, you may need a cosigner with excellent credit in order to qualify for student loan refinancing.

Generally, a cosigner is someone you have a close relationship with, like a parent, sibling, close friend, or mentor.

If you do need a cosigner, make sure you pay your refinanced loan payments on time and in full, otherwise, your cosigner is financially responsible if you default on your student loans.

Final Verdict

Whether you’re already a social worker or you’re interested in going into the field, learning about your options when it comes to student loan forgiveness is an important step toward a financially successful future.

If you find your employment does not qualify for loan forgiveness programs for social workers there are other jobs that offer student loan forgiveness, or you may still have other options for reducing your monthly loan payments, including income-driven repayment plans and refinancing.

Because there are so many student loan forgiveness and repayment options available to social workers, it’s wise to seek help in choosing the right path for you.

Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness – Latest Guide