A debt consolidation loan is a type of personal loan that can be used to pay off multiple debts, often at a lower interest rate. It can simplify your finances, save you money, and help you become debt-free more quickly. When you’re in the market for a debt consolidation loan, make sure to shop around and find the best loan and interest rate for your situation.
Key Takeaways
- A debt consolidation loan might be right for you if you have high-interest debt that has become overwhelming.
- Before you apply for a debt consolidation loan, add up the debt you want to consolidate so you know how much you need to borrow.
- To get a debt consolidation loan, you’ll need a sufficient credit score and a credit report as well as adequate income to repay your loan.
- When choosing a debt consolidation loan, consider factors like the interest rate, loan amount, fees, repayment terms, funding, and customer experience.
- Alternatives to debt consolidation include balance transfers, home equity loans, credit counseling, and, as a last resort, debt settlement or bankruptcy.
How to Get a Debt Consolidation Loan
A debt consolidation loan can help to ease the financial burden of debt. It’s a fairly straightforward process and, depending on your lender, could be completed in just a couple of days. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get a debt consolidation loan:
- Check your credit: Knowing your credit score and understanding your credit report can help you gauge whether you’re likely to qualify for debt consolidation at a good interest rate. You can get a free copy of your credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Add up your debt: Before you apply for a loan, you’ll need to know how much you need to borrow. Add up the debts you plan to consolidate so you have an idea of how much you’ll need to request on your loan application.
- Shop around for lenders: Lenders offer different personal loan amounts, interest rates, repayment terms, and more. Shop around for a list of a few lenders that best fit your situation.
- Get pre-qualified: In most cases, you can pre-qualify for your debt consolidation loan before you officially apply. While pre-qualification isn’t a guarantee of final approval, it gives you a good idea of whether you will qualify without negatively impacting your credit score.
- Apply for your loan: Once you’ve narrowed down your list of lenders and found the best one through pre-qualification, you can apply for your loan, which you can usually do online or in person at a bank branch. You’ll have to share information about your employment, income, and financial situation.
- Receive your loan funds: Depending on your lender, you could receive your loan funds anywhere from 24 hours to a week after approval. Many online lenders now allow you to receive your funds the same day or the next business day.
Applying for a debt consolidation loan is likely to have a temporary negative impact on your credit. However, if you’re applying for multiple loans in a short amount of time to rate-shop, such as 30 days, they should appear as just one hard inquiry in your credit, which limits the impact.
When Is It a Good Idea to Get a Debt Consolidation Loan?
A debt consolidation loan may be a good idea if your debt has become overwhelming, and you’re having a difficult time making progress on it. You may have multiple monthly debt payments and cannot keep up with your payments and due dates.
Debt consolidation is also well-suited to borrowers with high-interest debt like credit card debt. According to the Federal Reserve, the average credit card interest rate in May 2023 was 20.68%. Meanwhile, the average rate on a 24-month personal loan was 11.48% for the same year. Additionally, because credit cards have compounding interest while debt consolidation loans have simple interest, your interest will accrue much more slowly on a loan.
However, debt consolidation isn’t right for everyone. If you don't have the best credit and won’t qualify for a competitive interest rate, debt consolidation may not save you much—if any—money. Additionally, debt consolidation may not be appropriate for secured loans, which are backed by an asset.
If you aren’t sure whether debt consolidation is right for you, run the numbers. Online calculators can help you compare your monthly payments and total interest costs before debt consolidation versus after to see whether it will be cost-effective.
What You Need to Get a Debt Consolidation Loan
When you apply for a debt consolidation loan, most lenders will require the following:
- Credit score: When you apply for a personal loan, your lender will check your credit score. Some lenders require good or excellent credit to qualify, while others lend to borrowers with fair or poor credit. However, the better your credit score, the better the interest rate you’ll qualify for.
- Credit history: In addition to your credit score, your lender is likely to look at what’s on your credit report. Even if you meet a lender’s credit score requirements, a history of late or missed payments could disqualify you from getting a loan.
- Income: When you apply for your loan, you’ll need to provide proof of income. While your income doesn’t necessarily have to come from employment—though it usually does—you’ll have to prove that it’s consistent and sufficient to pay on your loan. Your lender may ask for pay stubs, tax returns, or other proof of your income.
- Debt-to-income ratio (DTI): Your DTI is the percentage of your gross income that goes toward debt each month. The higher your DTI, the more stretched your budget is and the less likely you’ll qualify for another loan. To verify your DTI, your lender may ask for monthly statements from your other debt accounts.
Choosing a Debt Consolidation Loan
When you’re considering applying for a personal loan, it’s important to shop around and find one that best fits your needs. There are several factors you should consider when comparing loan offers from multiple lenders:
- Interest rate: The interest rate on your loan is the cost of borrowing money. The higher your interest rate, the more expensive your loan and the higher your monthly payments. Your interest rate depends largely on your credit score, but different lenders also offer different credit score ranges.
- Loan amount: Personal loan amounts range roughly from less than $1,000 to as high as $100,000. When you’re shopping for a loan, make sure to choose a lender that can accommodate the amount of debt you need to consolidate.
- Fees: In addition to your interest rate, you’re likely to have other loan costs, including an origination fee. An origination fee is an upfront fee that can range from 1% to 10% of your loan amount. You can pay it out of pocket or wrap it up in your loan. Other fees may include late fees, returned payment fees, and prepayment penalties.
- Repayment term: Personal loan repayment terms generally range from one year to seven years, but each lender may offer different terms. Decide what repayment term works best for your budget and identify which lenders offer that term. Very short or very long payment terms may result in a shorter list of possible lenders.
- Funding: When shopping for a loan, check how quickly it will be funded. Some lenders fund loans within 24 hours of approval, while others might take longer. Additionally, some debt consolidation lenders can send payments directly to your current creditors to pay off your debts, while others will send the money to you to distribute to your creditors.
- Customer experience: Talk to friends and family who have consolidated debt or read online reviews of some of the lenders you’re considering. Customer service can make a huge difference in your debt consolidation experience, and you want to choose a company that’s easy to work with.
Look beyond the interest rate when comparing loan offers. Make sure to also look at the annual percentage rate (APR), which is the total loan cost, including both interest and fees.
Alternatives to Debt Consolidation Loans
If you aren’t sure a debt consolidation loan is right for you, consider one of these alternatives to reducing your debt:
- Debt snowball or avalanche: Using a debt payoff strategy like the debt snowball or debt avalanche can help you pay off your debt without having to open a new account. However, these strategies won’t help address the problem if your debt payments have become unaffordable.
- Use a balance transfer credit card: If you’re consolidating credit card debt, consider using a balance transfer card. You can often get 0% APR for several months or up to two years, which allows you to make debt payments with 100% going toward principal and none toward interest. Just make sure to pay off your balance during the 0% APR introductory period or you will face higher interest rates on the balance.
- Tap into your home equity: Consider applying for a home equity loan or home equity line of credit (HELOC) to borrow against your home equity. Because the loan is secured, you’ll often get a lower interest rate. But if you don’t make your loan payments, you risk losing your home to foreclosure.
- Pursue credit counseling: A credit counseling organization can provide advice on your specific financial situation. You may also be able to enter into a debt management plan, where the organization will help to negotiate down your rates and fees and put you on a more manageable payment plan.
- Turn to debt settlement or bankruptcy as a last resort: Debt settlement allows you to settle your debt for a lower amount, but usually with major consequences on your credit. Similarly, though bankruptcy can help discharge your unsecured debt (except student loans), it has long-term negative impacts on your credit.
Is It Hard to Get a Debt Consolidation Loan?
In most cases, it’s not difficult to get a debt consolidation loan. Some lenders offer loans to borrowers with fair credit—or even poor credit—so most people could qualify. However, if you have a very low credit score or a history of late or missed payments, you may struggle to qualify.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Get a Debt Consolidation Loan?
The credit score you’ll need to get a debt consolidation loan depends on your lender. Some lenders require good or excellent credit, while others lend to borrowers with much lower credit scores. However, you’ll only have access to the best interest rates with good or excellent credit.
Does Consolidating Your Debt Hurt Your Credit?
Debt consolidation may hurt your credit in the short term since it results in a new hard inquiry and adds a new debt account to your credit report. However, the long-term impact is likely to be positive as long as you make your loan payments on time and don’t rack up additional credit card debt.
Will Banks Help With Debt Consolidation?
Many traditional banks offer personal loans that you can use for debt consolidation. If you already have accounts at a bank, you can start there when you’re shopping around. You can also get a debt consolidation loan from a credit union or online lender.
Can I Be Denied a Debt Consolidation Loan?
You can be denied a debt consolidation loan if you don’t meet the lender’s criteria. You may be denied if you have a poor credit score, too many negative marks on your credit report, or not enough income. You may also be denied if you have a debt-to-income ratio that’s too high. Many lenders allow you to pre-qualify for a loan so you can see whether you are likely to be approved without a hard inquiry.
