According to the latest Census Bureau Data, there are almost 11 million single-parent households in the U.S. with children under the age of 18. Approximately 80% of those households are headed by single mothers.
Single-parent households often have far fewer financial resources than those with two parents. When trying to make ends meet for a family on just one salary, paying student loans as a single parent can be very difficult.
Fortunately, there are options for managing student loans as a single parent. In this guide, you’ll learn about some of the different payment plans and strategies available. Read on to learn about single parent student loan help.
Table of Contents
Key Points
• Income-driven repayment plans calculate monthly federal student loan payments based on discretionary income and family size, often lowering payments for single parents.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness offers remaining federal loan balance forgiveness after 120 qualifying monthly payments for single parents working full-time in eligible nonprofit or government organizations.
• Forbearance and deferral options allow single parents experiencing financial hardship to temporarily pause or reduce federal student loan payments during difficult periods.
• Increasing income through extra hours, overtime, raises, or higher-paying jobs provides additional resources for single parents to accelerate student loan repayment efforts.
• Employer-based loan repayment assistance programs can offer up to $5,250 yearly in tax-free student loan help, while state programs may provide repayment support for specific careers.
Student Loan Challenges for Single Parents
Single parents have more debt, experience more financial strain, and are more likely to default on student loans than borrowers who are not single parents, research shows. Single parents are almost more likely to experience food insecurity and housing challenges.
Because they have just one income, making student loan payments along with all their other financial obligations, which may include child care along with other daily living expenses, can be quite challenging.
What Are Student Loans?
Individuals borrow student loans from the federal government or a private lender to pay college costs, such as tuition, fees, books, and supplies. Student loans must be repaid over a certain period of time with interest.
There are two main types of student loans: federal and private loans.
Federal Student Loans
Federal student loans are funded by the federal government and offered through the Education Department to help students pay for college. These loans feature fixed interest rates that are set yearly, and they do not require credit checks. Federal loans come with a number of borrower protections and programs, including income-driven repayment plans and forgiveness.
There are two main types of federal student loans: subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Subsidized student loans are awarded on the basis of student need. The government pays the interest on these loans while the borrower is in school and during the six-month grace period after graduation.
Unsubsidized loans are not based on financial need. Interest starts accruing on these loans as soon as they are disbursed, and the borrower is responsible for paying it.
Private Student Loans
Private student loans are offered by private lenders, such as banks, credit unions and online lenders. These loans require a credit check, and their interest rates, which may be fixed or variable, are generally determined by a borrower’s creditworthiness and income, among other factors. Private loans do not have the same kinds of programs and protections that federal loans have.
Student Loan Solutions for Single Parents
No matter what type of student loans they have, single parents have a number of different options for managing student loans, including repayment plans based on income, deferment, public assistance, and student loan refinancing. There is also student loan forgiveness for single parents. Here are some available methods to consider.
Income-Driven Repayment and Forgiveness Options
Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans base a borrower’s monthly federal student loan payments on their discretionary income and family size, which often results in lower payments. On one of the IDR plans — the Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan — any remaining balance at the end of the repayment period may be forgiven.
There are currently three IDR plans borrowers can apply for:
• Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment Plan: On PAYE, monthly payments are 10% to 15% of a borrower’s discretionary income. Typically, those who can use this plan will never pay more than the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan amount. The repayment term is usually 20 years.
• Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan: The IBR Plan is a repayment plan with monthly payments equal to 10% of a borrower’s discretionary income. With this plan, they repay loans over 20 to 25 years, depending on when they took out their loans. After that, any remaining student loan balance is forgiven.
• Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan: On ICR, over a 25-year term, a borrower pays the lesser of 20% of their discretionary income or the income-adjusted fixed payment they would pay across 12 years.
It’s important to be aware that there are changes coming to IDR plans starting in July 2026, as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. For loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, there will be just one income-based plan available, called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). This plan bases payments on a borrower’s adjusted gross income. On RAP, the unpaid interest each month is canceled, and after 30 years, any remaining balance is forgiven.
In addition to IDR plans, an option for student loan forgiveness for single parents employed full-time in public service is Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). With PSLF, if you work for an eligible nonprofit or government organization and make 120 qualifying monthly payments on an eligible repayment plan, such as IDR, you may have the remaining balance on your loans forgiven.
Student Loan Deferral and Forbearance
Single parents struggling to repay their federal loans because of financial hardship may wish to consider student loan forbearance or deferral. These options allow you to temporarily pause or reduce your payments.
There is a key difference between the two options. In deferment, interest doesn’t accrue on certain qualifying loans, such as Direct Subsidized Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and the subsidized portions of Direct Consolidation Loans. In forbearance, interest accrues on all loan types.
In addition to economic hardship, single parents may be able to get a deferment for other reasons, including:
• Cancer treatment
• Enrollment in a graduate fellowship program or half-time school enrollment
• Military service or post-active duty service
• As a Parent PLUS borrower with a student enrolled in school
• Rehabilitation training program
• Unemployment
Just be aware that the months you’re in deferment or forbearance may not be credited toward loan forgiveness.
Private student loans are not eligible for federal deferment or forbearance.
Increase Your Income
Another potential way for single parents to help pay off their loans is by increasing their income. For example, you could take on extra hours or overtime at your current job, ask your boss for a raise, or apply for a new job with a higher salary.
You could also start a side hustle that you could do on some evenings and weekends. There are even some side hustles you can do from home, such as tutoring, working as a transcriptionist, or selling crafts online.
Public Assistance
Many states have programs for graduates, including single parents, to help them repay their student loans. For example, some states have loan repayment programs for individuals in certain careers, such as those in medicine, law, and education. Contact your state’s department of education to see what’s available that you may qualify for.
There are also federal loan repayment and/or forgiveness programs available for single parent loan help, depending on your field of work. To name just a few, these include:
• Programs from the National Health Service Corps and the Nurse Corps for health professionals
• John R. Justice Program for lawyers
• Programs for military service members
• Programs for teachers, like the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.
Check out our guide for student loan relief for additional options.
Refinance Your Student Loans
When you refinance your student loans, you replace your existing loans for a new loan from a private lender, ideally with a lower interest rate that could lower your loan payments and the amount of interest you pay overall. To qualify for the best refinance rates, you’ll typically need to have a solid credit history and stable income.
You might also choose an extended loan term through refinancing to lower your payments. However, with an extended term, you may pay more interest over the life of the loan.
Both private and federal student loans can be refinanced. But refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal benefits and protections like IDR plans and forgiveness. If you’re exploring the idea of refinancing federal loans, make sure you won’t need these programs.
Budgeting Strategies for Single Parents With Student Loan Debt
Creating a budget for single parents can be helpful for dealing with student loan debt. These tips can get you started.
Managing Monthly Cash Flow
With a budget, you can better oversee your money each month. To set up a budget, figure out what your average monthly income after taxes is, and then add up your monthly expenses. Compare the two and see where you might be able to cut back in terms of expenses. Perhaps there are subscription services you can drop, or maybe you can save money by taking lunch to work every day rather than buying it. You might also look for more affordable care insurance and start using coupons when you shop.
Along with trimming expenses, you may be able to bring in more income by taking on extra hours at work or getting a side gig, as noted above.
Prioritizing Debt Payments
Next, make a plan to pay off your debt, including student loans. One debt management strategy to consider is the avalanche method. With this technique, you focus on paying off your loan with the highest interest first by directing any extra money you have toward that loan. At the same time, you continue making minimum payments on your other loans.
Once your highest interest loan has been repaid, move on to the loan with the next highest interest and so on. This method can save you money in interest and also help you pay down your most expensive loans faster.
Building an Emergency Fund
It’s also important to start saving money in an emergency fund. This fund acts as a cushion to help pay for unexpected expenses that might pop up, like a medical procedure, car repairs, or job loss. Without an emergency fund, you may have to put these kinds of expenses on your credit card, which can cost you even more money in interest.
Financial professionals recommend having at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses in your emergency fund. Keep it separate from your other bank accounts so you won’t be tempted to spend it.
Helping Pay Student Loans for Single Parents
In addition to the grants and loan repayment programs noted above, there are other ways to pay off student loans as a single parent. First, check to see if your employer offers loan repayment options. For example, some employers provide loan repayment help through education assistance programs, under which they are allowed to pay up to $5,250 yearly in tax-free student loan assistance per employee.
And if you’re thinking about returning to school as a single parent to finish your degree or increase your income, consider applying for scholarships. This “gift aid” doesn’t need to be repaid, which means you won’t have to borrow as much.
For example, the For a Bright Future Foundation offers a Single Parent Household Scholarship for single parents as well as students raised in a single-parent household. And the Soroptimist, a global organization that helps women and girls gain access to education and training, has the Live Your Dream Awards to provide eligible recipients, including single moms, with money to help pay for education costs.
Additionally, your employer might offer educational benefits for employees who are attending school, such as a tuition reimbursement program. And finally, some universities and colleges offer aid programs tailored specifically for single parents.
How to Decide Which Student Loan Strategy Is Right for You
Managing student loans as a single parent essentially comes down to choosing the strategy that makes the most sense for you and your specific situation. Here are some considerations that may be helpful in deciding.
Federal vs Private Loan Considerations
One of the biggest factors is whether a borrower has federal or private student loans. Federal student loans have special benefits that private loans don’t, such as income-driven repayment plans, deferment and forbearance, and federal forgiveness. If you have federal student loans and you’re using one of these programs, or you believe one (or more) of the programs could help you in the future, you’ll likely want to keep your loans. And if you’re not yet using federal benefits yet, explore the options available to see if any of them might help you with your payments.
Borrowers with private student loans may want to consider refinancing them, especially if they have strong credit that may help them qualify for a lower interest rate on a new refinanced loan that could save them money. Plus, refinancing can streamline loan payments by combining multiple loans into one, which can make them easier to manage. Borrowers who have federal loans and don’t need federal programs and protections, could explore refinancing them as well. Just know that refinancing is irreversible — you can’t make private loans federal again.
Short-Term Relief vs Long-Term Savings
To help make payments easier, a borrower could opt for an income-driven repayment plan for their federal loans, which stretches out the term of repayment, and typically lowers the monthly payment amount. However, with a longer term, they’ll likely pay more interest over the life of the loan.
With refinancing, they could also choose a longer loan term to get lower monthly repayments. But again, this could cost them more interest overall. Borrowers can plug the numbers into a student loan refinancing calculator to see the different scenarios.
Consider your options: Is it better for you to have lower payments now even if it means you’ll be paying off your loans for a longer period of time and paying more interest, which would cost you more overall? Weigh the pros and cons.
Protecting Federal Benefits
The federal benefits that come with federal student loans could be helpful by lowering payments (through an IDR plan), temporarily pausing payments (through deferment), or providing student loan forgiveness (through PSLF or another federal program). If you have federal loans, hanging onto them allows you to keep these protections so that you’ll have them if (or when) you need them.
The Takeaway
Repaying student loans as a single parent can be challenging, but there are options to make it easier. Applying for scholarships, creating a budget, increasing your income, and looking into public assistance opportunities, can help you manage your loans.
Single parents can also explore income-driven repayment plans or forgiveness for their federal loans, and student loans refinancing for their private loans, especially if they can qualify for a lower interest rate. Consider all the options to determine which ones are best for your situation.
Looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Refinancing may be one way to do it — by extending your loan term, getting a lower interest rate than what you currently have, or both. (Please note that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal forgiveness and protections. Also, lengthening your loan term may mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.) SoFi student loan refinancing offers flexible terms that fit your budget.
FAQ
Do single moms qualify for student loan forgiveness?
Yes, single moms with federal student loans may qualify for student loan forgiveness through programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment programs. You can apply for these programs at StudentAid.gov or contact your loan servicer for more information.
How do single moms pay off student loans?
To help pay off their student loans, single moms can use income-driven repayment plans that base their monthly payments on their discretionary income and family size and/or forgiveness through a federal program like Public Service Loan Forgiveness or Teacher Loan Forgiveness, depending on their occupation. Refinancing student loans is another option, especially if they could qualify for a lower interest rate. However, refinancing federal loans means forfeiting federal benefits and protections.
Is paying off a student loan considered a gift?
Paying off a student loan is not considered a gift unless someone else pays off the loan for you. In that case, it is considered a gift. For any amount over $19,000 in 2025, and the same amount again in 2026, the person who makes the gift payment would be charged a gift tax for the year in which they made it.
Can single parents qualify for income-driven repayment plans?
Yes, single parents can qualify for income-driven repayment plans as long as they have eligible federal student loans. These plans base the monthly payments on the borrower’s discretionary income and family size, and often result in lower payments that are easier for single parents to manage. One plan, the Income-Based Repayment plan, offers forgiveness on any remaining balance after 20 to 25 years.
Should single parents refinance federal student loans?
Single parents with federal student loans may want to think carefully about refinancing federal student loans. When you refinance federal loans, they become private loans and are no longer eligible for federal benefits and protections, such as income-driven repayment, forgiveness, and deferment. If you think you might need these programs, refinancing likely isn’t right for you.
About the author
Melissa Brock
Melissa Brock is a higher education and personal finance expert with more than a decade of experience writing online content. She spent 12 years in college admission prior to switching to full-time freelance writing and editing. Read full bio.
Photo credit: iStock/ArtistGNDphotography
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