When you check out job listings, one benefit that may surprise you is student loan repayment. More and more companies are adding repayment assistance to their roster of employee perks—about 8 percent of companies offer this benefit. Employers usually have a cap per year of $1,000 to $2,000, with a lifetime cap somewhere around $10,000.
Some participating companies base your benefit on what you pay toward your own student loans and match it up to a certain point. You probably won’t be able to pay off your student loans altogether with this help, but you may be able to accelerate your repayment timeline. Just keep in mind that it’s considered taxable income on your annual return, although Congress is trying to make at least a portion of that contribution tax-free for employees.