Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness – 2020 Latest Guide

Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness – 2020 Latest Guide.

Social Workers Student Loan Forgiveness: One excellent choice is to pursue a career as a social worker. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the area of social work is increasing with a predicted 16 per cent increase in employment between 2016 and 2026. The BLS, on the other hand, registered average growth rate of seven per cent for all occupations.

In May 2017, the median annual wage for social workers was $47,980 which is higher for all workers than the national median annual wage of $37,690. Although some social workers need only a bachelor’s degree in social work, in a supervised clinical setting, clinical social workers must have a master’s degree and two years of post-master experience. Clinical social workers also need licensing in their state of practice.

With a starting wage already below the median salary, paying off student loans can be challenging since social workers with a master’s degree average around $60,000 in student loan debt.

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.

National Student Loan Forgiveness Options For Social Workers

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.

And 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.

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 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.

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 health care 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 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 of 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.

Read Also: 

• The Pros and Cons of Working While in College
• What is a Work-Study Program?
• Federal Student Loans Guide
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Democracy

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.

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 would 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 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.

FAQs About Social Workers’ Loan Forgiveness

Who is a Social Worker and What does He Do?

The Social Worker performs a great diversity of tasks to help people who are struggling with some aspect of their lives.

Social Workers involve the job of helping people as the primary goal. In many cases, Social Work address some aspect of Social Justice, whether it is helping women suffering from Domestic Abuse, working on a campaign to reduce red lining of loans for low-income families of color or helping the homeless, the Social Worker is trying to help redress some form of injustice.

The Social Worker might also be addressing the basic needs of their fellow human beings by helping a family get access to food, connecting homeless persons with shelters and other resources or ensuring the physical safety of children by working in Child Welfare, etc.

Are There Any Loan Forgiveness Programs for Social Workers

Of course, and if you are looking for loan forgiveness, read through this article for several opportunities

What types of student loans are eligible for PSLF?

Only Direct Loans that are not in default are eligible for PSLF. Private student loans, Federal Perkins Loans or Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) are not eligible. However, federal student loans may become eligible if you consolidate them. Any prior payments made before consolidation would not be counted.

Are student loans automatically forgiven if you have been employed in a qualifying public service job?

No. You have to apply for loan forgiveness through the PSLF program, and can only do so after having made the qualifying 120 payments for 10 years. You must be employed full-time with a qualifying employer at the time you submit your PSLF application.

How can I make my monthly student loan payments for PSLF?

There are a number of qualifying student loan repayment plans, including standard repayment, Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay as You Earn Repayment (PAYE), Revised Pay as You Earn (REPAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). In order to be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, you have to make the majority of the 120 student loan repayments through an income-driven repayment plan.

CONCLUSION

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 towards 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.

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