How Student Loan Benefits Can Help Retain Employees

Financial stress from student loan debt is known to cause lower job satisfaction, reduced employee engagement, and lost productivity. Now, research suggests that student debt may be a key driver of employee turnover, with debt-burdened workers significantly more likely to seek new opportunities compared to those without any student loan debt.

According to a 2025 MissionSquare Research Institute survey, employees with student loans are far less likely to remain with their current employer than those without debt (39% vs. 61%). In fact, only 34% of private-sector employees carrying student debt planned to stay in their roles. This trend is supported by a 2026 Fidelity report revealing that nearly half (45%) of surveyed borrowers would stay longer with an employer that helps them pay down their student loans.

Even if employees look but don’t immediately leave, this data underscores a growing reality: Offering student debt repayment support may be more critical than ever for attracting and retaining top talent.

The Burden of Student Debt and How Employers Are Responding

An estimated one in four privately employed workers carries student debt. The average federal student loan debt balance is now $40,467, and the average total balance (including private loan debt) may be as high as $43,619. All told, approximately 44 million borrowers currently owe more than $1.7 trillion in student debt, making student loan debt the second largest consumer debt balance in the U. S. (after mortgages).

Pervasive student debt is a barrier to financial security for many employees. Faced with such a heavy burden, borrowers are often unable to save for emergencies and retirement and may be forced to delay big life events.

Not surprisingly, many HR leaders are looking for ways to help. According to a 2025 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, roughly 26% of surveyed employers provide some form of student debt assistance, with an additional 35% planning to offer them in the future. Here’s a look at some examples:

•   Athletico Physical Therapy: Athletico Physical Therapy, a national provider of orthopedic rehabilitation services partnering with SoFi at Work, provides eligible employees with a $100 monthly contribution (up to $1,200 annually) toward their student loans, starting on day one of employment. According to the company, this tax-free contribution can help the average Athletico employee save as much as $17,076 after nine years and pay their loan off 20 months faster.

•   Kimley-Horn: A premier engineering, planning, and design consultancy, Kimley-Horn took its award-winning employee benefits to the next level in 2024 with the introduction of matching 401(k) contributions based on an employee’s student loan repayments. How it works: Typically, the company offers a match of double an employee’s 4% contribution to a 401(k) with an 8% company contribution. Employees’ student loan repayments can replace all or a portion of the 4% contribution, allowing employees to continue to receive the company’s retirement match while paying down their student loans. Kimley-Horn also offers tuition reimbursement.

•   Community Health Systems: Tennessee-based hospital chain Community Health Systems (CHS) offers an employer-sponsored student loan repayment program designed to offset loan balances by up to $20,000 for most clinical employees. In addition, employees may consolidate their loans and possibly reduce interest rates through the program. CHS also offers a tuition reimbursement program that provides up to $5,000 in tax-free reimbursement annually.

•   CoStar Group: CoStar, a Washington, DC-based real estate data and research provider, offers a company match to an employee’s 401(k) for workers paying off student loans. The maximum total retirement match is 4%, as long as the employee contributes at least 4% of their pay directly to student loan repayment, or to their 401(k).

How to Implement Student Debt Benefits

These days, the question on many benefit leaders’ minds is not if they should implement student loan debt benefits but instead, what is the best way to do so. Below are some tips on how best to manage your student loan repayment benefits.

Consider Student Loan Reimbursement

Under current law, employers can contribute $5,250 annually per employee toward tuition reimbursement or student loan payments on a tax-exempt basis. Employers don’t have to pay the full $5,250. The average student loan payment is approximately $434 a month, or $5,208 per year. Repaying even a small portion of these monthly payments can be enough to impact your employees positively. As we saw above with Athletico, even seemingly small amounts can help employees save thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan.

You might start by offering a $100 or $200 monthly payment and increase the amount as you can. You could also offer different payments to different groups of employees. For instance, you might offer a lower payment amount to first-year employees than to those who have been with your company for a few years. This incentivizes employees to stay at your organization, reducing employee turnover and saving on talent acquisition costs.

To determine the amount that works for your company (and is likely to help retain workers), conduct an employee survey to find out how many of your workers carry student debt and would qualify for a reimbursement. You might also look at your future hiring expectations to estimate the number of new employees likely to join the program. From there, you can determine how much your organization can afford to contribute to each individual.

Consider Student Loan Repayment as Salary Deferral for Employer Match into Retirement

The Secure Act 2.0 formally authorized companies to match employees’ qualified student loan payments with contributions to their retirement accounts, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s, SIMPLE IRAs, and government 457(b) plans.

This provision is not only a win for employees, but also for employers. Lowering debt and helping workers save for the future helps boost the overall financial wellness of your workforce. Benefits managers, like those at Kimley-Horn, hope this benefit will help attract talent and retain employees who see their retirement savings increasing and student debt balances decreasing.

If you’re interested in implementing a similar program, there are a few rules to keep in mind. A student loan matching benefit must abide by all the rules of a traditional match, including eligibility criteria, matching contribution rate, and vesting schedule. However, there is one exception: You are allowed to deposit the matching contributions to the employee’s 401(k) plan account less frequently than regular matching contributions, as long as you contribute at least annually.

Recommended: The Future of Financial Well-Being in the Workplace

Rethink Your Tuition Reimbursement Program

Now may be a good time to reevaluate your tuition reimbursement programs or introduce this type of benefit. Tuition reimbursement can help employees avoid taking out large student loans in the first place. It also benefits employers in multiple ways: For one, it helps employees gain new skills and knowledge they can apply at work. It also serves as a retention tool, since workers can take just a few classes per semester while continuing to stay on the job. Including a retention clause specifying they need to stay a certain length of time after completing classes can help you keep valued workers in your organization.

Some things to consider as you start or retool a tuition reimbursement benefit:

•   Types of payment: Generally, employees pay for their classes upfront and submit tuition reimbursement forms to their employers after successfully completing them, but this can be a barrier to participation. Consider paying for classes at registration or directly to the school, making it easier for employers to take advantage of this benefit.

•   Tiered payment: Some programs reimburse employees for a percentage of costs based on their grades. For example, an “A” might qualify for 100% reimbursement, a “B” would get 85%, a “C” might result in 75%, etc. Or, you might pay 100% only for classes with a passing grade.

•   Types of courses: Many employers pay for courses related to the employee’s career. Still, you might include classes that could help your workers pursue other positions in your company.

•   Institutions: Many programs cover any accredited institutions, but a growing trend is for employers to enter exclusive partnerships with education providers.

•   Service requirements: You might specify a vesting period before qualifying for benefits and/or require employees to stay with the company for a certain period after completing the course in order to keep the funds.

The Takeaway

Benefits that can help ease the burden of student debt are important tools employers can utilize to recruit and retain talent and promote financial wellness among employees. This is especially important in light of new data that suggests employees who feel they have a heavy student loan burden are far likelier to be in the process of leaving their organization.

SoFi at Work can help. We’re experts in the student lending space. With SoFi at work, you have access to platforms and information that can help build the benefits you need to create a successful and loyal workforce.

FAQ

Are employees changing jobs because of student debt?

They may be looking to do so. Although it might seem counterintuitive, new research suggests that employees with perceived heavy student debt burdens are more likely to be job hunting than their peers with lighter or no debt burdens.

What can employers do to retain employees with student debt?

To support employees with student loan debt and improve their intent to stay, consider offering a student loan repayment contribution program and/or matching 401(k) contributions for student loan repayment.

How many employees are struggling with student debt?

That number will depend on your workforce demographics, but about a quarter of privately employed workers in the U.S. carry student debt.

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Photo credit: iStock/SrdjanPav

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Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

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