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Your employer would need to create a Section 127 benefit plan for all eligible employees, and then the loan repayment assistance would be tax-free (at least federally - some states still may tax it).

There are also tuition reimbursement programs, but that doesn't sound like what this is either.

My guess would be this odd setup is taxable, but you should speak to an accountant.

See these resources:
- $5,250 In Employer Student Loan Repayment Tax-Free
- State Taxes and Loan Forgiveness

It usually posts on your credit report within a week or so. Yes, it will likely raise your score, but remember, you still have late payments and other factors holding you back. It will take time to dramatically raise it.

When you pay off that loan, it will boost it even more.

Why can't you just mail it via that USPS?

I'm sure it would only take the standard amount of time for a letter -  usually less than a week.

Only Direct Loans qualify, as well as certain FFEL and Perkins loans that were bought back by the Department of Education during the 2007-2009 financial crisis (this is a very, very small amount of loans).

As such, the 8 million or so borrowers that have FFEL and Perkins loans are left out of all CARES ACt programs.

Sounds like you have an FFEL loan? Basically, 99% of all loans prior to 2009 were FFEL.

No. You must be employed (W2) by the state/government agency directly.

It appears that Pennslyvania does NOT conform with Federal law and does consider PSLF (and other student loan forgiveness) taxable income. I would check with an accountant in your state to confirm.

If these are federal student loans (which it sounds like), there is no statute of limitations and they are always collectible. So you need to track them down.

Check out this article and see how to find who owns your student loans.

Read our guide on Student Loan Scams.

Maybe...

It's tough to say because, depending on your repayment plan currently and when you started it, you could be close to loan forgiveness as it stands (IBR allows for loan forgiveness after 25 years). If you change your loans, you reset your clock...

With that said, here are the answers to your questions:

At this point would it be worth consolidating into a direct federal loan?

Maybe, see above.

Would I be able to get a lower rate?

You would get the current rate on loans, which is better than what you're paying. But the interest rate doesn't really matter in your situation as you're focused on loan forgiveness. The real goal is to pay as little as possible then get loan forgiveness.

Would these enable me to qualify for a portion to be canceled as currently being proposed in congress or freezing interest accumulation under Cares Act?

We don't know, but I would guess it would only apply to Direct loans, not to FFEL Loans.

There are a lot of scholarship opportunities, but the hardest part is finding them. It requires time and effort. Usually, local organizations and employers are the best bet. Check out this guide: How to find college scholarships.

If she does decide to borrow to pay for college, Federal loans are only in her name - nothing is required of you. It's typically not a good idea to borrow private loans. See this guide: How To Find The Best Student Loans.

You might find our guide helpful so you can determine your situation: Top Student Loan Scams.

Who did you borrow from? Most loans are qualified education loans IF they are only used to fund education. Examples of non-qualified education loans are credit cards, personal loans with other uses, etc.

Technically, any private loan that was only used to fund education is considered a qualified education loan.

Finally, even qualified education loans can be discharged in bankruptcy. It's just rare because you have to pass the Brunner Test for undue hardship. See this: Bankruptcy and Student Loan Debt.

Please don't pull your retirement assets. I've personally never seen that work well for anyone.

Oh man... that breaks my heart you're eligible for PSLF. Your FFEL loans don't qualify for PSLF, and you could have had your debt forgiven already (based on it being more than 10 years since PSLF existed)...

With that said, if you want to go for PSLF, you must consolidate. You need Direct Loans.

Also, if any forgiveness program does come to pass (it likely won't, but hey, we can hope), it also will likely only apply to Direct Loans.

Well, remember, you owe the debt to the US Taxpayer. Navient is just a servicer. The technical way Navient (and all loan servicers get paid) is roughly $2 per loan per month. That's it. They don't get paid your interest or anything.

With that being said, you can re-consolidate your loans today. They'll become Direct Consolidate Loans. They'll be eligible for the current Covid-19 pause. They'll also become eligible for programs like PSLF.

However, based on your repayment plan, you could be on the road to loan forgiveness already (plans like IBR include loan forgiveness after 25 years). When you consolidate, you're taking out a new loan. Any past history goes away, so any payments you made prior no longer count.

There are trade-offs with both, and the choice is personal based on your situation, income, etc.