Working for yourself can be rewarding, and is becoming increasingly common in our so-called gig economy. However, being self-employed often comes along with having a variable income. One given month of income could be the highest in your work history, while the next month could be the lowest. You also might have to deal with various payment schedules from clients. This is a different lifestyle than getting a regular paycheck every two weeks.
This can certainly be stressful when it comes to paying bills such as student loans. So, how can people with a variable income pay off their student loans and ensure they have enough money to live on and pay their other bills? Here are a few tips to consider:
1. Be aware of your regular monthly expenses
2. Make your student loan bill a top priority
3. Know your income averages
4. Have an emergency fund
Other things to consider when paying off student loans with a variable income
1. Be aware of your regular monthly expenses
If you have a variable income, it’s important to be very aware of your expenses, and to create a budget comprised of both necessary and discretionary expenses. The necessary expenses must be paid no matter what your income is in any given month. Discretionary expenses are in the “unnecessary” category.
Keep in mind that people who have variable incomes also need to consider other responsibilities that traditionally employed people do not, including quarterly estimated tax payments and health insurance premiums.
If you create a budget to include your student loan payment as a necessary expense, you may increase your chances of being prepared to lay out that money when it’s due.
2. Make your student loan bill a top priority
If you always ensure your bills are covered in key areas such as housing and utilities, you can do the same with your student loan payment. Once your student loan is paid off, you’ll have more money each month to devote to improving your business, or to put toward retirement, or even to pay for items such as fun nights out and travel.
Because of these considerations, you can treat your student loan payment as one of the most important bills you have, along with your rent and utilities.
If you’re short on cash, you can opt to cancel your cable service, try to get a better internet package, skip the co-working space or scrimp on extra office supplies, but never skimp on your student loan bill. By treating your student loan bill as a top priority and a “need” rather than just another monthly bill, you can give it more focus.
3. Know your income averages
Knowing your average monthly income can be a useful tool in helping you decide how high of a student loan payment you can make. It can be scary to send in, say, an extra $500 — or even $50 — to your student loan servicer, especially if you don’t know what the next month will bring as far as income goes.
However, if you have a sense of your monthly averages and there hasn’t been a major shift in your business, you can feel more confident knowing you can afford a certain payment.
Still, this will take time to figure out. If you are new to having a variable income, you should wait until you can average several months of income. If you’ve had variable income for years, you can average 12 months to get a sense of what to expect. If you continue to network and add clients, your monthly income will likely increase over time, allowing you to potentially make higher student loan payments.
Our prepayment calculator can help estimate how much money and time on your loan you might save by making extra payments. We should note here that one thing you should consider before making extra student loan payments is any other debt you might be carrying, such as high-interest credit card debt. If you have a lot of credit card debt, it may be more worthwhile to concentrate on making extra payments toward that debt while making just the minimum payments on your student loan debt, as student loans typically have much lower interest rates than credit cards.
You should also understand that, with a freelance lifestyle, something may unexpectedly happen and dramatically change your income average. This can be either a positive or a negative. For instance, you might gain some new business that adds a significant boost to your income. On the other hand, you may lose a big client who has been providing a significant portion of your income for several months or even years. You should aim to always be prepared for this scenario.
4. Have an emergency fund
One way in which you can be prepared for the unexpected is by having an emergency fund. Such a fund can help ensure you always have backup cash to make your student loan payments and cover other regular expenses.
For example, if you’ve calculated that you can afford a $400-per-month student loan payment based on your monthly expenses and income averages, you should continue to pay that each month, always keeping it a top priority with your other vital monthly expenses.
However, if you have a bad month in which a key client doesn’t pay, or a large expected contract doesn’t come through, you might be concerned about making that $400 payment in addition to all your other financial responsibilities. This is where having an emergency fund will help you to keep your monthly budget on track. You can borrow from yourself, and as soon as you have a high income month again, you can refill your emergency fund.
You can start an emergency fund slowly, funnelling what you can into a high-yield savings account whenever you get a payment from a client. You might make it a goal to grow it to cover six months of expenses, an amount many financial experts recommend, although even having just $1,000 to $2,000 on hand at all times can be helpful.
Using all these tips, you should not only become more aware of your monthly spending and business expenses, but you should also have a better handle on just how much you can afford in student loan payments. This estimate might allow you to pay well above the minimum to pay off your student loans faster, or it will let you know where you need to cut back so you can make your payments on time. Then you’ll be well on your way to being student loan debt-free.
Other things to consider when paying off student loans with a variable income
Making student loan payments a priority is a good rule of thumb, but sometimes life gets in the way. This can be especially true if you are someone who makes a variable income.
One of the benefits of student loan debt is that, if you are having trouble making payments, you can work with your loan servicer on getting a deferment or forbearance. This means that, in times of hardship, you can avoid having to make student loan payments. There are also income-driven repayment programs you may be able to take advantage of, which can help lower your monthly student loan bill.
So even though it can be a good idea to treat your student loan payment as a necessary one, the fact is that it doesn’t always have to be, particularly if you are in a rough financial situation. You don’t have the same options with, say, your electric bill, that you do with your student loan bill.
Check out our deferment, income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness calculators to further explore these student loan options.
Rebecca Stropoli contributed to this report.
Interested in refinancing student loans?
Here are the top 8 lenders of 2020!| Lender | Variable APR | Eligible Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresTo qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or possess a 10-year (non-conditional) Permanent Resident Card, reside in a state Earnest lends in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.earnest.com/eligibility. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Earnest fixed rate loan rates range from 3.20% APR (with Auto Pay) to 6.99% APR (with Auto Pay). Variable rate loan rates range from 1.99% APR (with Auto Pay) to 6.89% APR (with Auto Pay). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 8.95% for loan terms 10 years or less. For loan terms of 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95% (the maximum rates for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 1.82% and 5.50% to the one month LIBOR. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Earnest rate ranges are current as of December 13, 2019, and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. Auto Pay discount: If you make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account, your rate will be reduced by one quarter of one percent (0.25%) for so long as you continue to make automatic, electronic monthly payments. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. The information provided on this page is updated as of 12/13/2019. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 302 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, email us at hello@earnest.com, or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. © 2018 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. 2 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures
3 Important Disclosures for Figure. Figure DisclosuresFigure’s Student Refinance Loan is a private loan. If you refinance federal loans, you forfeit certain flexible repayment options associated with those loans. If you expect to incur financial hardship that would impact your ability to repay, you should consider federal consolidation alternatives. 4 Important Disclosures for College Ave. College Ave DisclosuresCollege Ave Student Loans products are made available through either Firstrust Bank, member FDIC or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply. 1College Ave Refi Education loans are not currently available to residents of Maine. 2All rates shown include autopay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. Variable rates may increase after consummation. 3$5,000 is the minimum requirement to refinance. The maximum loan amount is $300,000 for those with medical, dental, pharmacy or veterinary doctorate degrees, and $150,000 for all other undergraduate or graduate degrees. 4This informational repayment example uses typical loan terms for a refi borrower with a Full Principal & Interest Repayment and a 10-year repayment term, has a $40,000 loan and a 5.5% Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): 120 monthly payments of $434.11 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments of $52,092.61. Loans will never have a full principal and interest monthly payment of less than $50. Your actual rates and repayment terms may vary. Information advertised valid as of 1/1/2020. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. 5 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresLaurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Mortgage lending is not offered in Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association. ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE (“APR”) FEE INFORMATION There are no origination fees or prepayment penalties associated with the loan. Lender may assess a late fee if any part of a payment is not received within 15 days of the payment due date. Any late fee assessed shall not exceed 5% of the late payment or $28, whichever is less. A borrower may be charged $20 for any payment (including a check or an electronic payment) that is returned unpaid due to non-sufficient funds (NSF) or a closed account. LOAN AMOUNT For bachelor’s degrees and higher, up to 100% of outstanding private and federal student loans (minimum $5,000) are eligible for refinancing. If you are refinancing greater than $300,000 in student loan debt, Lender may refinance the loans into 2 or more new loans. ELIGIBILITY & ELIGIBLE LOANS Borrower, and Co-signer if applicable, must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident with a valid I-551 card (which must show a minimum of 10 years between “Resident Since” date and “Card Expires” date or has no expiration date); state that they are of at least borrowing age in the state of residence at the time of application; and meet Lender underwriting criteria (including, for example, employment, debt-to-income, disposable income, and credit history requirements). Graduates may refinance any unsubsidized or subsidized Federal or private student loan that was used exclusively for qualified higher education expenses (as defined in 26 USC Section 221) at an accredited U.S. undergraduate or graduate school. Any federal loans refinanced with Lender are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment. All loans must be in grace or repayment status and cannot be in default. Borrower must have graduated or be enrolled in good standing in the final term preceding graduation from an accredited Title IV U.S. school and must be employed, or have an eligible offer of employment. Parents looking to refinance loans taken out on behalf of a child should refer to https://www.laurelroad.com/refinance-student-loans/refinance-parent-plus-loans/ for applicable terms and conditions. For Associates Degrees: Only associates degrees earned in one of the following are eligible for refinancing: Cardiovascular Technologist (CVT); Dental Hygiene; Diagnostic Medical Sonography; EMT/Paramedics; Nuclear Technician; Nursing; Occupational Therapy Assistant; Pharmacy Technician; Physical Therapy Assistant; Radiation Therapy; Radiologic/MRI Technologist; Respiratory Therapy; or Surgical Technologist. To refinance an Associates degree, a borrower must also either be currently enrolled and in the final term of an associate degree program at a Title IV eligible school with an offer of employment in the same field in which they will receive an eligible associate degree OR have graduated from a school that is Title IV eligible with an eligible associate and have been employed, for a minimum of 12 months, in the same field of study of the associate degree earned. INTEREST RATES The interest rate you are offered will depend on your credit profile, income, and total debt payments as well as your choice of fixed or variable and choice of term. For applicants who are currently medical or dental residents, your rate offer may also vary depending on whether you have secured employment for after residency. DISBURSEMENT OPTIONS The repayment of any refinanced student loan will commence (1) immediately after disbursement by us, or (2) after any grace or in-school deferment period, existing prior to refinancing and/or consolidation with us, has expired. POSTPONING OR REDUCING PAYMENTS After loan disbursement, if a borrower documents a qualifying economic hardship, we may agree in our discretion to allow for full or partial forbearance of payments for one or more 3-month time periods (not to exceed 12 months in the aggregate during the term of your loan), provided that we receive acceptable documentation (including updating documentation) of the nature and expected duration of the borrower’s economic hardship. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow a borrower to make $100/month payments for a period of time immediately after loan disbursement if the borrower is employed full-time as an intern, resident, or similar postgraduate trainee at the time of loan disbursement. These payments may not be enough to cover all of the interest that accrues on the loan. Unpaid accrued interest will be added to your loan and monthly payments of principal and interest will begin when the post-graduate training program ends. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow postponement (deferral) of monthly payments of principal and interest for a period of time immediately following loan disbursement (not to exceed 6 months after the borrower’s graduation with an eligible degree), if the borrower is an eligible student in the borrower’s final term at the time of loan disbursement or graduated less than 6 months before loan disbursement, and has accepted an offer of (or has already begun) full-time employment. If Lender agrees (in its sole discretion) to postpone or reduce any monthly payment(s) for a period of time, interest on the loan will continue to accrue for each day principal is owed. Although the borrower might not be required to make payments during such a period, the borrower may continue to make payments during such a period. Making payments, or paying some of the interest, will reduce the total amount that will be required to be paid over the life of the loan. Interest not paid during any period when Lender has agreed to postpone or reduce any monthly payment will be added to the principal balance through capitalization (compounding) at the end of such a period, one month before the borrower is required to resume making regular monthly payments. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of November 8, 2019 and is subject to change. 6 Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial DisclosuresTerms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Rates and terms are also subject to change at any time without notice. Offers are subject to credit approval. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. 7 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond DisclosuresOffered terms are subject to change. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900). If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 1.76% effective November 10, 2019. 8 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments. The lowest advertised variable APR is only available for loan terms of 5 years and is reserved for applicants with FICO scores of at least 810. As of 12/019/2019 student loan refinancing rates range from 1.90% to 8.59% Variable APR with AutoPay and 3.49% to 7.75% Fixed APR with AutoPay. |
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 | 1.99% – 6.89%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.31% – 7.36%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.06% – 6.81%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.62% – 6.12%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.29% – 6.65%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 1.99% – 7.06%6 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 1.81% – 6.29%7 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 1.90% – 8.59%8 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
