<prompt> Human: Sorry for the laconic, confusing title. Anyhow, my child is a college freshman will receive 5,000 in loans this year. He will have the same financial needs in future sophmore-senior years. If I apply a 500 dollars my small, one-time bonus to the loan balance, will that have a negative impact on her ability to get future student loans? He has 2500 Direct Sub Stafford Loan and 2500 Direct Unsub Stafford Loan. Will it initiate a requirement for me to start making regular repayments? I know I could set the money aside elsewhere, but that would risk me spending to pay down other bills. I really want this money to help my kid. Thanks for any input, its been great getting advice from this forum.  <response>: You should be able to make a 500 payment on the loan without effecting any future loans or starting up any future payment requirements. Pay on the unsub loan because it is accruing interest. 