Education Loan provides you flexible repayment options. However, if you still default, your credit score gets affected, which is likely to create a problem when you apply for a loan in future.

It is advisable to keep a buffer of at least three months before your EMIs begin. This way you will have some time in hand if you fail to get a job immediately or if there is any break in job. Here are a few options to consider if you are unable to pay off your debt.

You can make extra payments on your loan at any time, and also designate how the extra amount is applied.

Pay more than the minimum due each month so the additional money gets deducted from your principal balance. Make payments while your loan payments are postponed because of a deferment or forbearance

We automatically allocate your payments across your loans; your payment will go first to any delinquent loans in the loan group (loans with the oldest delinquency will be paid first). Once all loans are current or at the same delinquency level, your payment will be prorated to each loan in the loan group according to its monthly payment amount. After the Current Monthly Payment Amount Due and Past Due Payment Amounts (if applicable) are satisfied, or if no payment is due (for example, if your loans aren't yet in repayment), your payment will be allocated among the loans in the loan group, prorated based on each loan's outstanding balance. If you do not pay the total amount due on the statement, every loan in the loan group may become delinquent, may be reported to the consumer reporting agencies, and may be subject to at least a minimum late fee. If your payment is received without a remittance slip, and the payment matches the payment amount on your statement, it will be allocated as described above. If, however, your payment does not exactly match the payment amount on your statement, it will be allocated across all loans, including loans in different loan groups that have the same payment address as the address to which you mailed your payment. Once we allocate a payment to a specific loan or loans, payments are applied based on the terms of each loan's promissory note, usually first to fees, then to outstanding interest, and then to principal.

In such a scenario, the extra funds will be applied to your balance. Unless you make your payments through auto debit, extra payments will reduce the amount of any future payments. For example, if you pay an extra Rs.50 and your regular monthly payment amount is Rs. 100, your next payment due will be Rs. 50. If the extra funds are more than the next monthly payment(s), your billing statement(s) will show zero due. Even if you have a zero amount due on your billing statement, continuing to make payments will reduce your total cost of borrowing.

It is the responsibility of the borrower to understand that availing a loan is a legal obligation. If the borrower fails to meet the terms of the loan agreement, then the lender has the right to take legal action against the borrower to recover the balance of the debt. When the borrower has not paid monthly loan repayment for more than six months, the borrower is in default. It's always best for a borrower to avoid default because negative records will stay on their credit bureau reports.

Following are some of the consequence of defaulted loans:

It is therefore very critical for borrowers to make sure all repayment obligations are met in a timely manner. It is advisable to keep a close check on your payment schedules, in order to avoid a negative impact on your credit bureau score. An education loan is usually the first loan availed by a student and therefore is a great opportunity to build a good credit history and credit bureau score. Positive and timely repayments can help students build excellent credit history, which can in turn help them get other loans at better rates in the future.

More than 50% students who pursue higher education go for education loans today. Education loans make sure that lack of finances does not hamper the growth of meritorious students. But another fact in connection with education loans is that your parents are there to guide you for taking the right loan, but in most cases repayment is your own head ache. No wonder, many youngsters are not doing justice to their loans and finances with a careful planning of finances and repayment. And the result, borrower often gets into a deeper trouble which he may not be realizing, owing to a poor CIBIL score for defaulting.

If you have taken an education loan for yourself or for any of your children, make sure that the loan is repaid out on time to avoid any such complications. While defaulting on the loan has its perils, repaying the loan on time has its own set of advantages.

If you have taken an education loan it is important to know the loan waiver period. The period from the time of completion of the course till the time the banks start expecting repayment of the loan is known as moratorium or waiver period.

The waiver period varies from bank to bank and you are better off checking with your bank about the waiver period before planning your education loan repayment. While a bank offering waiver period is a good idea, remember, banks are expected to earn of each loan they offer and they start charging the interest on education loans immediately and not wait till the waiver period ends.

Many people who are in a position to repay their education loan often wait for the waiver period before starting out on their repayment. Since banks are charging interest, it is not a good idea to wait for the waiver period to end. Make sure that you start your education loan repayment as soon as possible even if that means starting repayment before the completion of the official waiver period.

So, now that you have finished your education and have got a job up front, which is not exactly your dream job. Many fresh job seekers who have recently passed out from college and are getting into their jobs commit the cardinal sin of waiting for the right job or a high paying job before repaying the education loan. Remember education loan is accumulating interest and the earlier you repay the loan, the lesser would be the interest you end up paying on the loan.

Education loans not only helps taking care of your educational expenses they also come with an additional tax benefit. Education loan offers a tax deduction on the interest paid in the financial year under Section 80 E of the Income Tax Act 1961. So make use of it to save tax in the initial years of your career.

Borrowing is easy but repayment requires constant financial planning. Many education loans end up as defaults since loan borrowers do not pay significant importance to the repayment. Any defaults on education loan repayment can directly impact your CIBIL score. Of course, as life moves on you will have to take other loans like a car loan, home loans etc. But a low CIBIL score makes you virtually have absolutely lesser chance. It is therefore essential to make sure you never let your education loan to go down the NPA route even if it means controlling your other financial investments for the time.

Some banks charge a prepayment penalty for prepaying of education loans while others offer no such charges. Since education loans keep on accumulating interest, it may be a good idea to consider prepayment for the loan and get a clean slate as soon as possible. However before you think of prepaying your education loan make sure to calculate the trade off between paying interest on education loans vis-a- vis the tax benefits offered under Section 80E. In case you find prepayment of the loan is not a good idea for now, you can try to accelerate your education loan repayments by adding some amounts to the EMI each month.