Loan Repayment or Enlistment Bonus?

Navy Student Loan Repayment

September 19th, 2008

To be eligible for the Navy Student Loan Repayment Program (LRP), you must meet the following; You must be Non-Prior Service, a High School Diploma Graduate, get at least a 50QT on your ASVAB test and qualify for and enlist in one of the LRP qualifying ratings. Even if the job you select is eligible for an enlistment bonus you can not be given both – you must choose only one.

What student loans qualify? Existing education loans must meet all of the following requirements in order to qualify for repayment:

The LRP application is complete when you select the LRP option during the classification process at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). You will provide all items on the LRP checklist your Recruiter will provide. Once all the items from the checklist are obtained MEPS will forward the information to the Commander Navy Recruiting Command LRP Coordinator (CNRC N5312) for final approval and enrollment into LRP. All these items must make it to CNRC N5312 within 60 days after entry into the Delayed Entry Program.

Understand this, you will be automatically disenrolled from LRP and forfeit all future loan repayments if any of the following occur:

So, what is the benefits of LRP? The United States Navy will pay the lesser of the original loan amount or the unpaid principle balance at the time you ship off to Recruit Training Command (not to exceed $65,000). Any accrued interest, fines, penalties, or processing fees cannot be paid for by the Navy. Loan payments will be made directly to lender(s) in payments of 33 1/3 percent of the loan or $1,500 (whichever is greater) for each completed year of service. If the outstanding principle balance becomes less than 33 1/3 percent of the initial balance, the outstanding balance will be paid. The loan(s) must be in good standing to be eligible for repayment. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), loan repayments are subject to federal and state taxes. Taxes will be withheld from your pay for the LRP payment amount and the amounts will be included in your W-2 form. The Navy will not refund any amount of the loan paid by other parties!

Enrollment in the LRP does not exempt you from all obligations associated with the repayment of the loan. Since the first LRP payment cannot be made until you have completed one year of service, you may choose to seek loan deferment or forbearance to prevent defaulting on loans. It is YOUR responsibility to secure deferment or forbearance on your loans and you must communicate such intentions directly to the lender.

Special stuff – If you do not complete your initial term of enlistment, you may qualify for prorated credit if you completed at least one full year of enlisted service. If you do receive a commission or warrant appointment, or are selected to any pre-commissioning programs, you lose your LRP eligibility. The Navy will prorate any eligible payment, the prorated amount is based on the number of years completed at the time of commissioning/appointment.

You may utilize the GI-Bill however, the law currently does not allow LRP participants to use GI-Bill benefits unless you enlist for a second term (and have served a minimum of 24 months of that second term). ***If you want the GI-Bill, you will have $100 per month deducted from your pay for the first year of enlistment. This amount is not refundable if you do not reenlist.***

Update: The new Post 911 GI-Bill does NOT have a $1200 ($100 per month) requirement.

Only you can determine if this program is right for you. Weigh your options and do the math! Some enlistment bonuses may bring the loans down to a manageable amount or may even cover the total.


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43 Responses to “Navy Student Loan Repayment”


  1. Jason Cirillo says:

    Why are W-2′s for Navy LRP not available on mypay, so when you actually file your taxes for a given year you can recoop the taxes paid by DFAS for the LRP paymnts?

  2. NCCM(ret) says:

    @Jason

    The loan accounts remain in your name. You should be able to retrieve the information from the loan company on how much has been paid. The LRP money is part of your total income, much like a selective re-enlistment bonus would be.

  3. Jason Cirillo says:

    SRB show in Mypay w-2. LRP does not.
    The creditor does have the paymnt history for the account but would unaware that any income tax has been witheld. For tax purpose , interest would be the only important factor the crediot would be privi- to.
    ??

  4. NCCM(ret) says:

    Your LRP money is considered income and taxed at whatever rate you fall into. The money paid to your student loans, if eligible for deduction, would be deducted and figured on your tax form to produce your overall tax burden/refund.

    Depending on how much you make overall and how many deductions you have it may be a good idea to seek qualified tax help. You may find that because of your tax bracket you might get all your tax money paid back.

  5. gerrard says:

    if you have the lrp ive been in for a year and a half with the new gi bill now can i get both and if i cant is there a way i can to cancel the lrp after two year in an get the gi bill benifits.

  6. Tim says:

    Am I right in assuming that I can take the amount that the Navy paid on my student loans for the previous year and add that to my W2′s to get my wages for the tax year? I was going to use this total in order ot file my taxes. I have not yet received this “supposed” W2 for my student loans yet. The mypay site says that they are available on the site, yet there is no where to go to print them out. I called mypay and they said that they would be mailed to me. I have not received them yet. Do you know the number I would call to speak with someone directly regarding the SLRP W2′s?

  7. NCCM(ret) says:

    @Tim, personally I would wait for the W-2 – I do not know who to contact outside DFAS or your personnel department.

    Having never experienced it directly myself I would be interested to hear how this works out – Are you saying they are sending you two separate W-2s? One for normal pay and another for LRP?

  8. TIm says:

    Yes, I am under the understanding that is what is going to be done. I’ve been trying to look up a contact number for CNRC in Millington, TN, because that is who handles LRP. Once I get things figured out, I will write back and let you know who this whole process worked out.

    Tim

  9. PS3(SW) BURY says:

    W-2′s for the LRP are sent by DFAS to the servicing PSD for the member. Your PSD should have received this by mid January no later than end of month. There is an updated contact email of: cnrc_lrp-eb[at]navy.mil that you can email for further questions. Again W-2′s concerning LRP payment are not posted on mypay, THEY ARE MAILED TO YOUR PSD.

  10. paul says:

    My son has about 50K of loans but they were from citibank (studentloan.com). They were student loans paid DIRECTLY to the university, but his recruiter said that they only pay off FEDERAL LOANS. is this correct?? THANKS!

  11. NCCM(ret) says:

    As long as the loan falls under part Part B (Federal Family Education Loan Program), Part D (William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program), or Part E (Federal Perkins Loans) of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq; 1087a et seq; 1087aa et seq).

    Your lender should be able to tell you which, if any, of these loan programs your son’s student loan may fall under.

  12. TJP says:

    Do you know if you are permanently disqualified from receiving the loan repayment option if you miss the deadline to get the documentation in. The Department of Education is the holder of my loans and they still haven’t mailed documents I sent out on December 7th (I went to MEPS on November 3rd and they told me I had 60 days. It took the Dept of Ed. about 3 weeks to send me my promissory note, then Thanksgiving intervened).

    If MEPS doesn’t have the documents by January 3rd, will I need to go back to MEPS and renegotiate my contract to see if I can get into another LRP qualifying rating? Will they allow me to do this?

    I know MEPS was closed for the holidays as well, is it possible they’ll extend my deadline?

    Thanks!

  13. NCCM(ret) says:

    Your recruiter will be able to supply a better answer to that question than I will TJP. I would think they will be somewhat lenient because of the holidays – make sure they are aware of the delays, don’t bring it up at the last minute. :)

  14. Rebecca says:

    I received a letter stating my final payment had been sent to Sallie Mae for my student loan. I just checked my statement and it shows that I still owe $4997.82 on the principal. Should I resubmit my form for the last payment? I’m getting out in December. Thank you.

  15. NCCM(ret) says:

    Rebecca,

    I would contact those at Sallie Mae who sent the statement first; to ensure the payment didn’t cross paths with the statement. If they didn’t then I would start asking the questions to those who said they had sent the payment to ensure it was for the right amount. Also, did you maybe hit the max cap allowed?

  16. Newman says:

    When I orignally went to the recruiter station, I specifically told them that I was joining to have the Navy pay my student loans. They told me that all that information that I had given them including a original copy of my completed semester hours with grades included. A year later, I haven’t seen any payment made on my loans and they are now telling me that it wasn’t in my contract and this was after they originally lost my folder. What should I do?

  17. NCCM(ret) says:

    Newman,

    If it was not part of your original contract, specifically on form NAVCRUIT 1133/52 “Enlistment Guarantees/Annex A” (it would have been clearly stated), then you would not receive the benefit of the LRP.

  18. PO2 Wallach says:

    I am currently enrolled in the LRP, but have been unable to find information on filling out the DD2475. I have the instructions for the form, but I have questions concerning who I’m supposed to have as a verifying official as well as the address where the form needs to be forwarded after the Loan Holder fills out there information. I have been at two commands and no one knows anything about this program. I have even tried contacting Millington and have only gotten someone’s voicemail. If anyone can point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it greatly.

  19. NCCM(ret) says:

    FAX completed DD 2475’s to 901-874-9327 and ask for email confirmation.

  20. Jacob says:

    I am going to MEPS in 2 weeks. What do I need to be aware of in order to make sure everything is in my contract to pay back school loans. I have about 55k dollars in Federal loans, mostly through Sallie Mae, the rest through my school, ex. perkin’s loans, etc. I also want to know how long it takes for the Navy to start paying them back. Will I have to worry about making payments while I’m in bootcamp or a-school or will they be getting paid back then? I am looking to be an air rescue swimmer, there is a $15,000 bonus there, would I still get that if I am doing this repayment plan? Thank you for all the information.

  21. NCCM(ret) says:

    Yes, during the first year, including boot camp, you are responsible for paying your loans (unless you personally worked something out with the loan holder). The first LRP payment is eligible after your first year of active duty service. You are required to submit annual DD-2475 to Navy Recruiting Command (the fax number in the comment above) in order to trigger the payments. It will always be your responsibility to ensure that Recruiting Command receives the completed DD Forms 2475 from all current loan holders on all eligible loans. You cannot receive both an Enlistment Bonus and LRP – it is one or the other (if you qualify).

  22. Mike says:

    I am enrolled in LRP. I am considering putting in a request for early seperation in the spring if the navy puts out the same anouncement as they did last year. I can not find how this will effect my LRP payment. My EAOS is April 30 2012. I have two questions first; if I were to put a request in for early seperation after my 3 year mark around June of 2011 how would this effect my LRP. Second, if I were to put a request in for Nov 2011 I would no longer be enrolled since my last payment had been made. As I understand LRP would not be effected then, is this correct?

  23. NCCM(ret) says:

    Mike,

    Good question – email cnrc_lrp-eb[at]navy.mil and they will be able to give you the detailed information as it pertains to your case. [at] = @

  24. Michael says:

    I have student loans that my parents took out for me they are call PLUS loans and on the MPN (master promisary note) I am listed a the students …do these qualify for LRP

  25. NCCM(ret) says:

    Michael,

    Bring the loan information to the Recruiter so they can fax the information and get an answer, however, I tend to think not as the loan is not yours, but your parents.

  26. Nicole says:

    The navy paid more than half of my student loan last year. Is there anything that I need to do every year for the navy to pay my loan or will they just keep paying it until it’s fully paid off?

  27. NCCM(ret) says:

    Nicole,

    “Loan payments will be made directly to lender(s) in payments of 33 1/3 percent of the loan or $1,500 (whichever is greater) for each completed year of service.” As I stated in other comments in this thread; you are required to submit annual DD-2475 to Navy Recruiting Command in order to trigger the payments. It will always be your responsibility to ensure that Recruiting Command receives the completed DD Forms 2475 from all current loan holders on all eligible loans. FAX completed DD 2475’s to 901-874-9327 and ask for email confirmation.

  28. Tyler says:

    I am currently active duty. I wanted the LRP when going through DEP but was told I wasn’t eligible for it by my recruiter. I’ve since found out that I am, and my loan meets all the requirements. Is is too late to enroll in LRP?

  29. NCCM(ret) says:

    Tyler,

    It is an enlistment program, if you didn’t get it upon enlistment, then it is too late.

    More factors besides the type of loan are considered before the LRP is authorized for an applicant – one factor that drops quite a few is the list of jobs authorized for the program during the time a person enlists; sometimes it is wide open, other times it is difficult as heck.

  30. Ralph says:

    I was told if i use the student loan debt elimination program i would thus forfeit my GI BILL money. i only owe about 15K so i don’t want to loose my 80k. do i really have to give up my GI BILL to have my student loans paid off?

  31. NCCM(ret) says:

    Ralph,

    As written in the post…

    “You may utilize the GI-Bill however, the law currently does not allow LRP participants to use GI-Bill benefits unless you enlist for a second term (and have served a minimum of 24 months of that second term).”

  32. jason says:

    I am currently enrolled in the LRP program but I am scheduled to be deployed during the 90 day period to submit my DD form 2475. WHat should I do? Thank you

  33. NCCM(ret) says:

    Jason,

    Email cnrc_lrp-eb[at]navy.mil and explain the deployment situation – I am sure they will be able to provide a work-around. [at] = @

  34. Jack says:

    I am enrolled in the LRP and my final payment has been paid. I have done 3 years and 2 months of my initial 4 year enlistment. I am trying to do the early out program. Would I have to pay the Navy the money back? Someone please help me. If possible, please email me at jordan.jackson[at]me.navy.mil.

    Thank you.

  35. NCCM(ret) says:

    Jack,

    Email cnrc_lrp-eb[at]navy.mil and provide them the details of your desires, and the program you are using for the early out, ie NAVADMIN 142/11 or NAVADMIN 088/11 (088 may be considered a continuation of service, I do not know this for sure but it makes sense, I would pose that question to them) – I have no way of knowing the specifics of your contract.

    I would be very interested to know what you find out.

  36. warren says:

    my son has a student loan of about 12000. he has been in the navy now now for 10 months . he did make good grades. his recruiter told him that there was a way to help him with that loan. but the recruiter did not help him persue it any further than that . can he still apply for help on paying this debt?

  37. NCCM(ret) says:

    Warren,

    Once he has left for boot-camp there is nothing he can do. That said, a $12000 student loan debt is small compared to losing the Post 9/11 GI Bill which could be worth almost 10 times that.

  38. Mike says:

    I had the LRP on my original contract but haven’t done anything with it in 2.5 years. Every time I brought it up in the past to my commands, they had no idea what I was talking about. Does this mean I have lost it?

  39. NCCM(ret) says:

    Mike,

    No idea. I suggest you contact the LRP coordinator at cnrc_lrp-eb[at]navy.mil

  40. Azia says:

    NCCM,

    I was looking to enlist, however I can’t find any information relative to tattoos. I have one full sleeve and one half sleeve of cultural/tribal tattoos.. How will this affect my enlistment?

  41. NCCM(ret) says:

    Azia,

    Minimally, your tattoos would have to be reviewed because of the amount of area they cover.
    http://www.navycs.com/blogs/2008/12/11/brands-tattoos-body-art

  42. fish says:

    I enrolled in the Lrp program, but was told that I had to to wait till after my first command in order to get this benefit now I’am on my next command and Enlistment and no one here know anything about this program what do I do? Can I just say forget it and ask for my Enlistment bonus instead or do I get nothing from my first enlistment?

  43. NCCM(ret) says:

    Fish,

    Annual payments are made after the LRP manager receives a current copy of your DD Form 2475.

    The DD Form-2475 — http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/EIncentives/N5312%20NCF-LRP/NCF-LRP/Forms/dd2475.pdf

    The DD form 2475 must be filled out by your lender, then emailed from you to the LRP manager at CNRC_LRP-EB[at]navy.mil. Forms are only good for 90 days after signature. Upon receipt of your completed annual DD form 2475, the LRP manager will process your payment for DFAS approval. Your lender should be paid within 75 days of the LRP manager’s receipt of a complete and correct DD form 2475.
    It is suggested that you send scanned documents via email the month before the anniversary date, and include a read receipt to ensure it has been received. This will ensure timely processing and DFAS payment as soon as possible after your anniversary date. If there is something wrong with the form, it will be promptly returned to you for your correction.

    If you have sent the LRP annual paperwork via a read-receipt email, and have waited 75 days; but the lender has not received the annual payment, please call 1-877-747-7657, option 3, option 2.

    You do not have an option to change to an enlistment bonus – if you are to use the benefit for which you enlisted, you MUST complete the actions to get your loan paid.

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