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If you'd like to lower your payment on your federal student loans, you should know that the government offers several income-driven repayment options. Good news, right? The even better news is that it only takes about 10 minutes to enroll. 

These plans recalibrate your payment to a manageable amount based on your income and ability to pay. You can enroll by calling your federal loan servicer, or by applying online. Here's how.

Between the letters, phone calls, and emails borrowers get from companies claiming to want to help with student loan debt, it can be confusing to figure out which companies and claims are legitimate.

MOHELA is a real service loan provider, and, if you've heard of them, they may be responsible for your federal loans. Here's how to find out whether they're your provider and how to contact them if you need help managing your payments.

Got a private student loan through SunTrust? Did you know you can refinance that loan—and potentially score a lower interest rate? You absolutely can.

If you refinance your SunTrust loan and you've already graduated, you have to pick a new lender. That's because SunTrust doesn't offer refinancing, unless you're applying for a new student loan with Suntrust and you want to roll previous student loan balances into your new loan.

Do you feel like you're drowning in law school debt? You're not alone. 

The average law school debt for a graduate is $112,776, according to legal website Above the Law. And according to U.S. News and World Report's 2018 rankings, a large percentage of law school graduates now regularly end up with upwards of $150,000 in student loan debt. At some law schools, 90% of graduates take on debt.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal program that pays off student loans for people who work in public service.

Under this program, public service employees will get their federal loans forgiven after 120 qualifying payments, which usually takes about 10 years. 

Though student debt can sometimes feel like an ever-present shadow, knowing exactly how much debt you have doesn't always come easy.

Luckily, you have a few avenues for accurately determining how much you owe in student loans:

1. Downloading your credit report.
2. Logging into the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), or
3. Contacting your lender (or lenders plural, as the case may be). 

Downloading your credit report is the easiest way to get a full picture of what you owe, especially if you have both private and public student loans. But each option has its merits, so let's dive in.