Social Security Disability Can Discharge Your Student Loans

Some of my clients have unpaid student loans. You may not know, but the government can garnish your Social Security payments in an effort to repay your student loan debt. So, it caught my eye when I saw that the NY Times had a short primer on "tax refund" garnishment for unpaid student loans.  In particular, I was looking to see if they noted any way to not have them on the TOP list.  On that front, there is good news and bad news.

For the good news, yes, if you are "permanently disabled," you can have your student loans forgiven!  Even better, one of the ways you can prove that you are disabled is to show that you qualify for Social Security disability. 

https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge

Now the bad news.  The discharge is not automatic, but you have to file a request to have your loans discharged. While certainly a hassle, I think it is without doubt worth the effort.