September by the Numbers: Help for Borrowers Who Thought They Were Out of Options
September was a month for the people the system had mostly given up on. Loans in default. Accounts handed to collection agencies. Borrowers parked in SAVE forbearance with no clear way out and a deadline bearing down. These are the borrowers who have been told, in one way or another, that they’re stuck. In September, several of them left a single coaching session on a path to six figures in forgiveness.
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September by the Numbers
- Customer satisfaction: 100%
- Average monthly payment reduction (when we could lower it): $832/month (range: $319–$1,342)
- Average projected forgiveness: $271,033 (range: $140,000–$520,479)
- Average timeline to forgiveness shortened (when we could shorten it): 36 months
A note on that forgiveness number: September was a lower-volume month weighted toward complex, high-balance cases, so the average runs higher than usual. The range tells the fuller story.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
The People the System Wrote Off
Three of the borrowers we coached in September came in with loans in default or collections, the situation most people assume is a dead end. It isn’t.
One borrower had three separate defaulted loans, each with a different servicer, one already routed to a collection agency. In a single session, we helped him locate and register with all three, submit his first PSLF employment certifications, and start a path toward roughly $165,800 in forgiveness.
Another came in with loans in collections across two different agencies. He left with a concrete plan to resolve the delinquency and stop the bleeding.
A third, also in default, mapped his options to get out, understood the real long-term cost of each, and saw a projected forgiveness figure north of $266,000 that he didn’t know was possible.
Default feels like a locked door. Most of the time, it’s a door nobody showed them how to open.
When Life Changes the Math
A few September sessions were about meeting borrowers where a life change had left them:
- A borrower who had just lost her job turned that setback into leverage. We moved her to a $0/month payment that still earns credit toward forgiveness, and showed her how returning to a nonprofit employer could put PSLF back on the table.
- A borrower coming off SAVE forbearance weighed whether to use PSLF buyback for about 24 months of missed payments, a move that keeps him on track toward roughly $300,000 in forgiveness.
- A borrower rethinking her taxes saw exactly how filing separately versus jointly would change both her monthly payment and her final forgiveness amount, a five-figure swing hiding in a checkbox.
I want someone to walk me through my situation.
The Standout
One borrower learned she’s on a path to $520,479 in projected forgiveness through an income-driven plan, and that she could start with two years of $0/month payments based on her recent income. Twenty years is a long horizon. But knowing the finish line exists, and that the first two years cost nothing, changes how it feels to start.
A Window That Just Closed
Many of September’s borrowers were racing a clock. The SAVE forbearance window has now closed, and the plan you land in next has real consequences for both your balance and your forgiveness timeline. If you’re not sure where you ended up, or whether it’s the right place, that’s exactly the kind of question a session answers.
Why This Work Matters
Student loans are confusing by design right now. The rules keep changing, default gets treated as the end of the road, and the people with the most at stake are often the ones told they have the fewest options. What we see month after month is the opposite. The borrowers who feel most stuck are frequently the ones with the most to gain, once someone sits down and shows them the path.
Take the First Step
If your loans are in default, in collections, or you’re just not sure where you landed after SAVE, you have more options than you think. Sign up for a free consultation to see where you stand.
And if you’re part of a nonprofit collaborative or school purchasing consortium, mention it, you may be eligible for discounted services.
Because clarity changes everything.
Why This Work Matters
If you’ve been putting off your student loans, or you’re not sure whether you’re on the right track, you may be closer than you think. Sign up for a free consultation to see where you stand.
And if you’re part of a nonprofit collaborative or school purchasing consortium, mention it, you may be eligible for discounted services.
Because clarity changes everything.
Support your team with SavvyFi.
About SavvyFi: SavvyFi is a user-friendly fintech platform that makes it easy for employers to provide college savings and student loan benefits to their employees. Because the company’s platform is “zero-touch” to HR — without any complicated systems, integrations, or paperwork — SavvyFi unlocks education financing capabilities to even the smallest employers that would not otherwise be able to offer these benefits.
Disclosure: Third-party quotes shown may not be representative of the experience of all SavvyFi customers and do not represent a guarantee of future performance or success.
