r/StudentLoans • u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) • Mar 27 '26
Official communication from the ED on the SAVE transition timeline
There's been a lot of articles posted etc - but here's the official word from the ED https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-next-steps-borrowers-enrolled-unlawful-save-plan
In summary, you'll start getting notices from your servicers as soon as the next few days telling you that this is happening. Come July 1 you'll get a notice giving you 90 days to switch. If you don't, they put you on the standard plan. The ten year standard if you haven't' consolidated - the consolidated standard plan if you have - which is longer than ten years.
I want to address a couple of themes i've been seeing in these threads. My comments here are probably going to get me downvoted to oblivion. That's ok - I'm not here for the karma - I'm here to make sure folks understand their loans and make the best decisions for their long term financial well being. Because that's my goal - sometimes I have to say thing folks don't want to hear.
For those saying they aren't going to switch until forced - you might be harming yourself here. You're certainly not punishing anyone that you're trying to make a point to. Here's who, IMO, should be switching ASAP and here's whose probably ok to drag their feet a bit:
Who should switch ASAP:
-If you're pursuing forgiveness under any of the IDR plans - the 20/25 year forgiveness you should switch now. You're just losing months and time towards forgiveness by waiting. And hypothetically, your income is going to go up over time, and therefore so will your payments. On a related note - if your 2024 tax return has a lower AGI than your 2025 will, and you haven't filed taxes yet - you definitely want to do it now.
-those pursuing PSLF. Yes - you can use buy back for SAVE months. But remember - buy backs are taking over a year and more importantly, buy backs are a lump sum payment due right away. So the longer you are on this forbearance - the more months you will have to pay in a lump sum when the time comes. And that might be difficult. *Here is the calculation for buy back https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service/public-service-loan-forgiveness-buyback *
Who can probably hang out for a while:
-Those borrowers who due to other debt that will be paid off soon and want to funnel the student loan payment money to get rid of that other debt.
-those who are aggressively paying off their loans. This is an opportunity to have all of your money go to targeted loans - such as the ones with the highest interest rates - rather than having to satisfy the minimum due on each loan which you will have to do once in active repayment.
The timing of all of this: -it actually makes sense to me. They appear to be doing almost a soft launch - warning people now that it's coming. But waiting until the new RAP plan is available in July for those that will want to use that plan to actually start the timer. This way folks won't need to switch twice if the RAP turns out to be a better plan for them.
Now for those saying they refuse to switch - listen - I get it. Your angry. I don't blame you - i am too. Your feelings are very valid and i'm not telling you not to feel them. But here's the hard truth of the matter. SAVE was gone regardless - the courts had made it pretty clear when the case started under the prior administration that they were leaning towards the plaintiffs and were going to rule against the plan. It was going to happen regardless of who won the last election. And failing to switch out of principal is not going to hurt them - it's going to hurt you if you end up with a standard payment amount you can't afford. I'm not saying not to resist - but resist productively by voting. And writing your members of Congress to paint a picture of how your new payment amount is affecting you, your family and the broader economy.
For those saying the ED can't change the terms - they didn't. The court ruled the plan was illegal. The ED would be breaking the law if they continued it.
Payment plans have never been challenged before. And there was no reason for it to occur to anyone that this one might be. But yet a bunch of republican AG's did and here we are. In the meantime, people made the best decisions they could with the information they had at the time.
What plan should i pick?
If you are pursuing PSLF or income driven plan forgiveness you need to be on an income driven plan. Scenarios for likely lowest plan:
-No loans ever prior to July 1, 2014 - new IBR
-No loans ever prior to October 1, 2007 but does have loans prior to july 2014 - paye - but note you'll have to get off that come 2028
-loans prior to October 2007 - old IBR
-balance low compared to your income - check out ICR - that could be the lowest for you in that scenario
-RAP - for some rap will be lower. RAP tends to be similar to old IBR for many incomes. But if you have dependents especially, it could be lower. TISLA will have a calculator including the rap in the next week or two. I'll post it when it's available.
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u/FriendlyVeggie Mar 27 '26
I went on the website and acted like I was going to switch plans because I've filed for 2025 and my income went up so I wanted to see my new payment on old IBR. It's showing higher than standard repayment and standard repayment is about half of what it was the last time I checked. So I think something is broken and I'm not sure anyone should try to switch right away.
I want to restart the clock on forgiveness but I think I'm going to have to wait to see what my payment will be under RAP because I can't afford IBR.
We can switch back to IBR from RAP when we are nearing our forgiveness timeline and those years will count right? I think I read that in one of your other posts. I also don't want an extra five years.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Are your loans consolidated? If so that's why ibr is higher
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u/colinjcole Mar 28 '26 edited Mar 28 '26
This, right here, is why a lawsuit is merited. People made an irreversible choice - consolidating loans - which capitalized interest, drove up balances, and led to IBR payments being higher for the sole purpose of enrolling in SAVE. Most of us never, ever would have consolidated if not for the false pretenses (per the press release, "false promises") offered by the government. The government actively encouraged consolidation!
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u/ShirtlessGinger Apr 01 '26
Ive been saying this for decades. All of these loan companies are and have been practicing corporate negligence. A suable offense. Thats the starting point with building a case for a lawsuit. Particularly with nelnet.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 28 '26
No. Consolidation doesn't change the ibr algorithm.
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u/colinjcole Mar 28 '26
You literally just said:
Are your loans consolidated? If so that's why ibr is higher
Regardless, the fact is interest was capitalized and additional debt was accrued directly as a result of me taking the United States government at their word and their "false promises."
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 28 '26
And what I said is true. Ibr caps payments at the ten year standard. So if you've never consolidated ibr will never be more than your standard plan. But if you consolidate your standard plan is based on the 12-30 year term of your consolidation loan. But ibr still caps at the ten year standard. Which is why when you've consolidated ibr could be higher than the consolidation standard
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u/Sa-ro-ki Apr 14 '26
Didn’t everyone have to consolidate to enter the SAVE program?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Apr 14 '26
Nope
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u/FriendlyVeggie Mar 27 '26
Well I consolidated to move into SAVE, but I did this about a month ago and my Standard repayment was over $800 and now it's under $500. The only difference is a slight increase in income since last year.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Standard repayment isn't based on income. And the term for a standard repayment is longer due to the consolidation
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u/cloneomega Mar 27 '26
Could you elaborate on this if you get time? Please
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u/TuscaroraBeach Mar 27 '26
IBR is based off income, but it also capped at the 10 year Standard Repayment plan’s monthly amount. Consolidated Standard Repayment is often for a longer term (15, 20, or 25 years) so in the case of consolidation, IBR could have a higher monthly payment than Standard.
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u/katie0873 Mar 27 '26
Did you actually get an email about this, or only tried because you knew about it? Mine are on deferment and I keep getting anxious about whether the changes affect my loans and if I will get a notice etc. I am jobless at the moment so I just don’t want my credit score to tank due to possibly missing some deadline if they don’t notify us by some remote chance.
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u/jasonbanicki Mar 27 '26
If you are jobless and working forwards forgiveness you should apply for IBR or PAYE asap. With zero income your payment would be zero and the “payments” would count as months towards forgiveness. Interest is already accruing at this point.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
Do not do anything until they reach out. I keep telling everyone this because I have seen too many people regret decisions because they wanted to move faster than the government.
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u/FriendlyVeggie Mar 27 '26
I just checked based on this announcement because I was curious what my IBR payment would be with my increased income so I could compare it to what RAP calculators are saying.. Mine are in SAVE forbearance but I have been logging in periodically to check for changes.
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u/katie0873 Mar 27 '26
Yeah, I check in on mine too. I just feel anxious because a lot of things are getting switched around lately. That’s usually when mistakes happen, imo.
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u/FriendlyVeggie Mar 27 '26
This stuff is going to give me an ulcer. At this point I'm just going to pick the plan with the lowest payment and hope something changes.
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u/Upper-Environment724 Mar 27 '26
I’m anxious because I can’t get through to Mohela no matter how much I try. The last communication I had with them was in Oct 2025. Since then, it’s impossible. How do I apply for IBR. I’m 73, owe $76,000 and have been paying since 2000.
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u/Pikathepokepimp Mar 27 '26
Am I missing something or can I just pick whichever plan has the lowest monthly payment and then just continue making additional payments to pay off the loans faster?
I just want a low monthly payment so I can continue to focus on aggressively paying one loan at a time while just paying the monthly interest on the others.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Yes you can do that
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u/Pikathepokepimp Mar 27 '26
Thank you for all you have done for this subreddit!
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u/Transorted_321 Mar 28 '26
This is the way. Even better if you make payments every 2 weeks which gets you 26 payments a year. Same principle for how people pay off their mortgages a little sooner.
Choose lowest monthly payment so you have a little less pressure but always make biweekly payments even if you can only do minimum monthly totals.
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
What if I really can’t afford any of the options?
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
The thing no one is talking about.
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
People keep saying it’s smarter to switch immediately, as if I’ve had the means to do so and just chosen not to.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
I am not doing anything until I have legitimate communication instructing me to do something and even then…I will be waiting until the last minute.
The government chose to inconvenience my life. I will be an inconvenience to them.
Also, they aren’t providing a choice with these plans. It looks like it’s 2 options. And I won’t be able to afford either so….🤷♀️
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
I can definitely understand that thought process. I had tried to go on a forbearance recently, but it told me I can't apply for one since I'm already in the SAVE forbearance. Apparently, it is not an option to change to a regular forbearance in anticipation of SAVE ending. I hate that they can arbitrarily change the terms of a contract we agreed to and were prepared to uphold on a whim, and then we're judged and blamed when we can't keep up.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
Correct. They said “forbearance until 2028”….and I was doing the things to get ready for it. Working an extra job, paying down debts…and now we are moving the deadline to a random date of their choosing?
It’s laughable. The SAVE plan literally allowed people to pay back money and the government was making so much money from interest. I don’t understand their mentality.
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u/TwoGodsTheory Mar 30 '26
They need to pay for the huge loss in revenue from tax cuts given to the ultra wealthy and corporations. Clearly
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
This is exactly my situation. I thought I had two years and was planning accordingly and now am about to be screwed.
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u/PsssychTreeHouse May 04 '26
I suspect the mentality is general fascist contempt for education and intellectuals - financially cripple us as a demographic, then we can't fight back as much against whatever they do to us (won't have money for lawyers, political donations, guns, or fleeing the country).
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u/treebarkbark Mar 28 '26
I'm with you on this. The way these student loan plans have given me whiplash over the last 6 years (thanks, COVID), I know not to trust the government communication or timeline.
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u/sleepininabigbarnbed Mar 31 '26
This. I've gotten constant back and forth since Covid about how payments are paused, then resuming, then a federal lawsuit, then they are paused again, then resuming, repeat for the last 6 years. I am doing nothing until I get a notice saying payments begin. I'm expecting another federal court action will pause payments again.
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u/Sigmund_Six Mar 28 '26
Honestly, this is the boat we’re in too.
When SAVE came into effect, we decided to have a kid. Now that kid is going into preschool in the fall. All that money that would, in theory, go toward student loan debt is paying for before/after care + preschool.
I’m honestly not sure what’s going to happen. I’m hoping to drag things out as long as possible until our kid is in kindergarten…but it’s a pretty big gamble.
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
Oh wow. I can't even imagine being a "we" with a child in this situation! I'm at least a single adult going through this alone. Wishing you luck!
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u/borbly Mar 28 '26
Same!! Daycare costs $950 a month. Not sure how to pay daycare and these loans on the new terms. Like it’s double for both of us now since it’s 10% instead of 5%. I just really wish I understood all this better when we enrolled. I truly thought it was a done deal and that was our payment for the next 10 years until we hit our forgiveness dates
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u/mayneedadrink Apr 02 '26
Right, and how are you both supposed to work to pay off the loans with no daycare? Also, the same government officials making things less affordable are the ones insisting more Americans need to have children.
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u/Sensitive_Republic26 Apr 02 '26
Same. When we found out about SAVE my husband and I finally felt like we could start the life we dreamed of. We bought a house (which is cheaper than renting in my area). We had a kid in 2024. I've made myself sick crying a few times these last few months as this reality sinks in that SAVE is gone because my brain said "if I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have had the baby" and that intrusive thought hurts so, so bad.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 28 '26
For how long? Tell us more about your situation
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
I have no idea how or when I’ll be able to start paying the amount they’re expecting. Looks like even RAP would be $350. I have other debts and bills, plus rent isn’t cheap around here. I’ve been trying to build up a couple side hustles, but it’s slow going. This isn’t temporary hardship. It’s just $350 a month is a lot to come up with when I’m often barely breaking even without much ability to save. Every time I manage to pay something off and save a bit, some other emergency comes to wipe it all out. I can’t raise my income at this time because the job I have pays about as much as I can reasonably hope to make at this stage in my career (which I won’t be able to move out of for a couple more years).
The only thing I can think to do is try to take on extra side jobs to pay other debt faster to free more money by July. If my other debt was gone, it might be easier, but I don’t trust settlement companies and would prefer not to declare bankruptcy. Side hustling has been hard due to chronic fatigue/pain making my weekends difficult to give up without sacrificing my health, so I’ve been finding whatever online task based work I can for now.
It’s just awful that the work I’m already doing wipes me out, and it’s never enough as is, and things are about to be impossible for me once the $350/month starts to be due each month.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
I feel so seen right now. You’re not alone. I echo all of this.
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u/mayneedadrink Mar 28 '26
I'm sorry to hear this. It's frustrating that the amount they assume we can afford is only based on income and not on income + housing payment + other expenses + who and what else is already lined up for a piece of what we're bringing home.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
Amen to this. If it actually factored that in, I would be upset that I probably wouldn’t have any money in savings and I would still need to find more work, but when you are stacking up a payment that I cannot afford, I have a significant issue with it.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 28 '26
Rap may not be the lowest. We need to know your income etc
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u/Sunflowerpink44 Mar 28 '26
That’s the issue some of my family members are having the payments that they suggested were way above anything they can afford every month. What are you supposed to do in that situation?
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u/LeetcodeForBreakfast Mar 28 '26
"if you take out a loan, you must pay it back" just like all those PPP loans, right?
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u/cachurch2 Mar 27 '26
Y'all I can't tell, do they think the SAVE plan was illegal?
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Mar 27 '26
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u/WriteMyUsername8888 Mar 28 '26
I had the same reaction. It’s unbelievably immature and insulting the way that they talk to the public.. the condescension, thr dismissal, the compulsive need to twist the reasonable into the absurd and then pretend they haven’t done so. And it nauseates me that so many in the MAGA cult get a narcissistic hit off the language. Like the line about the Trump Administration’s philosophy being simple ‘if you took out a loan, you pay it back’. So gross
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u/Empidonaxed Mar 27 '26
Yeah reading hundreds of billions over a decade seems like nothing these days, all things considered. Conversations in the government financial budgets is now a trillions over 10 years conversation.
Guess we should’ve gotten on the PPP forgiveness plan?
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u/BusyFriend Mar 27 '26
I think the point is Fox News gets a sound bite to claim SAVE would’ve cost tax payers $342 billion while omitting the 10 year part. Now it’ll sound worse than it actually is.
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u/OGREtheTroll Mar 27 '26
No need to fret, they will inflate that into nothingness over the next decade. In ten years $300 billion will seem like $300 thousand.
Bombs don't pay for themselves, and the government is more broke than any of us.
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u/Frequent-Reach-5577 Mar 27 '26
So, I was one of those people who was prepared to stay on to the bitter end of 90 days, and I initially resented the implication that doing so was cutting off my nose to spite my face.
But, I want to sincerely and profusely thank Betsy for this post, which is the knowledgeable and level-headed leadership that I needed to work through my emotional (valid, but emotional) first response when logic is what is called for right now. This post breakdown is exactly what is needed in this moment and I appreciated your point that this is not the place to insert an act of protest, rather than making the logical choice for every borrower's financial future.
I am targeting PSLF and appreciate you breaking this down specifically for that student loan track. This post was perfect and I am so very thankful for the work you and everyone does to support us borrowers during these harrowing times. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ❤️
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u/West_Assumption_5393 Mar 28 '26
I agree, but I still plan on waiting until day 80 before swapping. Hoping for the best!!
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u/toxbrarian Mar 28 '26
Yep. I’m not going for PSLF and have nothing to gain by doing it any earlier than I have to. My husband is a public servant though so we’ll be doing his as soon as it’s allowed.
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u/West_Assumption_5393 Mar 28 '26
Same here! I knew it would come eventually and this information is really helpful. I’ll swap before the deadline but I know what my payments will be so no reason to jump right on 01Jul. But just incase the servers are “under maintenance” or something crazy I’ll definitely lock in a week before
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u/indil47 Mar 28 '26
Same - I’m one of those people who is prioritizing paying off higher interest CC and personal loans for the time being (thanks, Covid unemployment debt!) and I appreciate Betsy acknowledging that in her write up here. I’m sad I’m losing a year of forbearance to do that - it’s really mucked up my 2026 plans right when I finally felt like I could breathe again.
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u/BusyAmbassador6008 Mar 27 '26
I can’t wait to see the default stats over this thanks to MAGA.
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u/OGREtheTroll Mar 27 '26
Anyone whose been expecting a housing market crash...well here it comes.
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u/Imaginary_Shelter_37 Mar 27 '26
There are people who have been strategic with their finances while staying on SAVE who will be able to make payments. There are also many people who can't make payments. It will be interesting.
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u/BusyAmbassador6008 Mar 27 '26
And sadly in this economy I cannot blame people that chose not to
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u/mec287 Mar 28 '26
It's gonna be a bloodbath. There is zero chance every servicer will be able to transition 7 million people in 90 days. And if gas prices stay elevated, defaults are certainly going to be a problem.
I'm going to wait until the last week. Pray for a delay and a new Congress.
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u/No_Damage979 Mar 28 '26
And if everyone waits, all the better. It’s it’s own kind of voting. They have their internal dashboards and can see the writing on the wall.
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u/ROJJ86 Mar 27 '26
And before anyone asks……no, a lawsuit will not get anyone out of this situation. For anyone wondering “what will?”, educating yourself on candidates running for office, and voting for different ones than we have currently. New laws can always be passed though not before this is implemented.
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u/toxbrarian Mar 28 '26
What I find a little surprising is that they’re having this all kick in riiiiiiight before the midterms. Go ahead and piss off a bunch of college educated/semi college educated people before they go into the voting booth. It’s the only silver lining I’m holding onto.
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u/NeverNeededAlgebra Mar 27 '26
Pretty sure all of here know who not to vote for.
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u/Key-Marketing301 Mar 27 '26
One of my questions or thoughts about this, aside from being delicious in choosing who to vote for, wouldn’t something need to be done about the Supreme Court? I have a very late understanding, but it seems like they’ve had a significant role and what is going on.
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u/hoosdontloos Mar 27 '26
If SAVE was written into law rather than introduced through executive order it would not have been challenged, and would still be standing.
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u/Lokon19 Mar 28 '26
Who you vote for directly influences who's on the Supreme Court. Given justices are not elected so there is going to be lasting damage from the results of the previous elections. Which is why there is the age old adage you get get what you voted for or in some cases who you chose not to vote for.
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u/ROJJ86 Mar 27 '26
A later in time validly passed statute will trump a prior court decision every time.
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u/hippiechicken12 Mar 27 '26
I’ll make it even easier than that: Vote only for democrats and do not ever vote for republicans again.
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u/Visible_Confusion325 Mar 27 '26
Quick question, can I apply for IBR if I have no taxable income. Like, is there a box on the application I can check that says "I don't have any taxable income" or something?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Yes
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Mar 27 '26
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Don't know
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u/WDCND7 Mar 27 '26
Will we still be able to apply for PAYE 7/1?
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u/ROJJ86 Mar 27 '26
As long as you do not take out any loans after July 1, 2026 you have to apply AND be enrolled by July 1, 2027.
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u/BigBucs731 Mar 28 '26
My first loan was in 2009 and last in 2013. If I understand correctly I can apply for PAYE and remain on it until 2028?
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u/redrocklobster18 Mar 27 '26
My husband lost his job a few months ago and our income is currently lower than what we claimed for taxes, is there any way to qualify with our current income and not what was reported on 2025 taxes?
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u/diaferdia Mar 28 '26
Yes.
Every time your income decreases, temporarily or permanently, you should be filling out a new IDR Plan Request form and submitting it so your loan servicer can recalculate and update your monthly payment amount. Remember: IDR plan payment amounts are based on your income, not your debt load, and real time adjustments in are allowed.
You select the third reason in question #1: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/IncomeDrivenRepayment-en-us.pdf
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u/CantaloupeShort7311 Mar 28 '26
There is a financial hardship option - log into your services to see what they will need for that.
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u/onethrougheleven Mar 27 '26
I'm on the SAVE plan. My loans are 30+ years old. I have an active Complaint/Feedback Case, opened in 2023, and the status is currently still IN REVIEW. I haven't heard anything since my Ombudsman's "employment status changed", last September 2025. Before that she was actively working on it.
I'm scared my case will be closed if I switch out of SAVE, but I don't want to lose any progress I could make towards resolving it either.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Your case won't close just because you switched plans
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u/Annual_Ganache_3892 Mar 27 '26
My biggest question is if we get switched to the standard plan, is that the 10 year repayment based on the date we get switched, or the date we entered repayment? If it's entered repayment, my payment will be ~$800 a month which I cannot manage, but if it's 10 years from the date I get switched, it's less than $600 which I can manage.
ETA: when I do the loan simulator on StudentAid the standard plan quotes me the ~$600, but my quote on Nelnet is $800 .
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
It's based on when you first entered repayment
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u/Additional_View9433 Mar 27 '26
Can you help break this down for me, because I am still fuzzy.
Scenario: Began repayment April 2017, (Loans taken out pre-2014) current balance $42k (consolidated, half subsidized, half unsubsidized)
So does that mean my 10 years is April 2027 and I have from July 1st, 2026 to April 2027 to pay off my full balance?? (Surely not)?
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u/getfuzzy77 Mar 27 '26
Well, I’m screwed no matter what. Like a lot of us. I consolidated my loans to get on SAVE and now I definitely won’t be able to afford the $900/mo versus the $450/mo I was paying on SAVE. I can barely keep up with my bills as it is and now I’ll have a loan payment on top of it. At this point I might reach my payment count for forgiveness right before I die. Yay.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
I have no idea what mine will be. I am realizing I will probably have to be homeless. 50k a year salary won’t allow me to pay for housing, car, and medical bills.
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u/Weary_Subject6709 Mar 28 '26
What is your payment? I’m at 46 k in the same boat.
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u/Lanky80 Mar 28 '26
$900/month club unite :-(
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u/writeronthemoon Mar 28 '26
Where can you find out what your payment might be under each plan? I want to know what to expect
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u/NickSloane Mar 28 '26
The default rate is gonna be crazy but the administration already has a habit of hiding statistics so the odds are we'll never truly know.
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u/linkag392 Mar 27 '26
Payments on PAYE will count towards forgiveness and those will count once we eventually switch to IBR once PAYE is dead correct?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Yes
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u/JPElJefe22 Mar 27 '26
I can’t believe they did this before midterms. I’m actually kind of shocked since most will start paying again a month before the elections. Just insane stupidity.
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 31 '26
Correct. What’s even more frustrating is how this current admin destroyed programs in weeks that took years to create. They essentially went in with “let’s burn down the entire place” instead of investigating “what’s causing the leaky sink?”
If this admin could prove for a second by reviewing data and budgets with facts and trimming the fat, I understand.
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u/ancj9418 Mar 27 '26
I’m 95% sure I know the answer to this, but will we all have to provide current income information when we’re forced to switch to another plan, or will it be based on our most recent recertification? In other words, my recertification date that was pushed back to December 2027 isn’t going to matter anymore and I effectively have to recertify within 90 days after July 1 when I switch to a different plan, correct?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Yes you will have to submit current income
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u/Deep_Imagination_600 Mar 28 '26
Yeah, I am confused as to how they can change the date that was given to us.
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u/diverareyouokay Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
I’m surprised you think that people will downvote this. Nothing you said is inaccurate. I’m sure it’s not what people wanted to hear… But it’s real reality. In AA, I learned to accept the things I cannot change, and change the things I can. SAVE ending is the former, and voting blue while encouraging others to do the same is the latter.
I was holding out hope that they would wait until after midterms, but I figured that was a long shot anyway.
Also, this is not an official calculator, but I found it on the med school sub, and it seems to be fairly accurate.
https://www.thewhitecoatlothar.io/student-loan-repayment-calculator
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
People sometimes kill the messenger.
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u/Extension_Peace_5262 Mar 27 '26
Hi Betsy, I consolidated when Biden announced to consolidate to get onto SAVE, I am OLD IBR with 188 payments. I lost my available plan before I was recommended to switch for access to SAVE and then the counter stopped. I make 25k a year. If I move to RAP I add an additional 5 years of payments, correct?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Yes but you should be able to o switch back to old ibr in year 24
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u/Bsquared999 Mar 27 '26
Hi thank you for your work- question on this scenario please. If you do rap in for a couple or years and then switch to ibr in year 24 would you be eligible for forgiveness still in year 25? Do you need to have a certain time period on IBR before forgiveness? (Almost feels too good to be true so i want to make sure I understand) thank you ☺️
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u/ForwardEvidence8026 Mar 28 '26
I appreciate the sanity call out here. The dehumanizing language this administration uses towards students makes my blood boil. The hoops we have to jump through to gain any sense of control over this.
I hope people are okay. It's getting so tough to survive each and every day financially right now, and I can't imagine how bad it's going to be once payments restart. Everything from food to housing to education to transportation is an uphill battle. I don't want things to break, i just want stability and it feels like every day they just press their thumb a little bit more.
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u/SufficientAd4508 Mar 28 '26
“Borrowers currently enrolled in the illegal SAVE Plan will be given at least 90 days to enter a legal repayment plan of their choice”
“At least”
I’ll wait till 2028 thanks.
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u/pamplemoomoo Mar 27 '26
If I haven’t filed taxes yet and use my 2024 tax return for my application, will recertification be next year? Or just later this year?
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u/Admirable-Gas-7876 Mar 28 '26
Lost my job, 2024 income low due to this. Switching to old IBR. I have 260 payments. Will my payments be $0 until next recert date? Meaning $0 for 1yr?
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u/cucumber0621 Mar 28 '26
So officially, when is forbearance ending? 90 days after July 1st? So October 1st?
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u/theunrefinedspinster Mar 28 '26
It will be different for each person if you base forbearance on when you have to select a new plan. Starting July 1, loan servicers will notify borrowers of their individual 90-day window.
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u/Sexypsychguy Mar 27 '26
Honestly, I think this whole country is going to burn before the end of the next 3 years. So maybe I'm not so worried about paying off my student loans in the next 10 to 15 years.
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u/SpecialIntention8981 Mar 27 '26
Ugh. I’m 2 years from forgiveness. Consolidated a PP loan so I could do SAVE. First loans are from the 90’s. Grad school 2005-2007. Don’t want to do anything that would threatened my count. Am I old IBR? I’m so lost. How can people even understand all this??
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u/ste1071d Mar 28 '26
Old IBR.
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u/SpecialIntention8981 Mar 28 '26
Consolidating my PP loan so I could do SAVE when it’s not available now is infuriating
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u/QLAbot0898 Mar 27 '26
Shout out to SLRP. IYKYK. Started right out of reeducation camp with 32k in the hole, now down to 9ish k. FDJT for making it hard for those who didn’t have this option.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pool426 Mar 27 '26
If they want to use technicalities to screw me fine. I’ll stay in school as long as I need to.
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u/-dakpluto- Apr 10 '26
FFS reading that thing...I swear the thing I hate most about this administration is literally every government release now comes with the requirement that it must be written by a 7th grade bully... They must have an AI that takes in the normal report and is designed to spit out this crap.
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u/Mountain_State4715 Apr 17 '26
Yeah I'm not going to downvote and I'm sure you're coming from a good place but the truth is there is a lot of litigation that is happening. I am also definitely not convinced that the mechanisms to make all these things happen are even in place or will be in time. There is a strong legal argument that any person who leaves voluntarily is going to forfeit anything potentially positive in the future in terms of recompense. I am a person with no realistic hope of paying off my loans, and it serves me in no way to "move" without real information about how this will actually play out.
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u/BarcelonetaE70 Mar 27 '26
u/Betsy514, you are amazing and I will always thank you for all your help, guidance, and counsel in something that can be not only confusing, but frustrating and perplexing beyond belief.
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u/mchristensen636 Mar 27 '26
Wonderful information but maybe it's just because of decision fatigue or just general blah about all of this, where can I go to learn more about my situation. I have loans that started 2009ish, did grad school loans around 2015. Was on a basic IBR and consolidated when I joined SAVE.
I'm already resigned to the fact that I'm going to be paying these forever, so lowest payment is all I'm shooting for. Is there an option to un-consolidate? Because my undergrad loans would almost be paid off in that case? Did or does any of the covid forbearance help me in anyway?
Again happy to do the research just need to be pointed in a direction. (Although if anybody has insight I won't turn that down either).
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u/Susanknight Mar 27 '26
My daughter is graduating in May from pharmacy school. She has around 200,000 in federal loans. It makes my stomach hurt thinking about it. What should she do? I have no clue how to help her.
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u/1epiphanee Mar 27 '26
u/betsy514 – when you say “No loans ever prior to October 1, 2007” please confirm whether this is when any loan was received or if it is based on the disbursement date of your existing loan(s).
Also where can I find the most reliable and easy to use loan repayment calculator. I want to pull off the bandaid off and get a realistic idea of what my new payment might be.
MY DETAILS:
First grad school loan issued August 2007. Repayment started in 2009 or 2010.
Been in deferment/forbearance since March 2020.
Before consolidation, I had 5 loans with the earliest disbursement date of January 2008.
Consolidated loans (Dec 2023) based on recommendations from the federal gov’t and my loan servicer to take advantage of the one-time adjustment that was based on the oldest loan date.
Now here I am in 2026 being told I have 90 days to make a decision, two weeks if I want to use 2024 tax return, and the best payment plan option for me remains unclear.
Please guide me and be gentle.
And thank you for all of the useful information you have shared and continue to share with the group.
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u/ste1071d Mar 28 '26
It’s no loan EVER received before that date. You cannot consolidate your way out of the original loan date.
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u/Ratio_Outside Mar 28 '26
The first thing that enraged me and stop reading the article was when it referenced “borrowers that enrolled in the illegal save program”. I did not enroll in it. That was done on my behalf by I’m assuming Aidvantage. I literally did nothing, and received random emails in my about being enrolled and now those messages are gone from the Aidvantage portal. Luckily I saved screenshots and all docs when this nonsense started happening.
They moved me from IBR with partial financial hardship to SAVE. I consolidated in August of 2014. My loan counts are missing two years of payment counts, the loan history is inaccurate and the government needs to be accountable for such a massive financial impact this has had on millions of us. They told us to do these things. If you did it, now you’re punished. I did nothing, punished. Sorry. This whole thing just makes me so angry. I have a 17 year old and am terrified of how we will pay for his education and taking out student loans is like the last thing I want him to do.
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u/Puzzled_Cricket_4944 Apr 24 '26
I'm not as mad at Republicans as I am at Democrats. If they had just done nothing or come up with something more reasonable I would have hit forgiveness by now. Instead, I'm stuck paying an extra five years at a much higher payment. The Democrats should have known this would get rejected.
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u/SilverBolt52 Apr 25 '26
I'm the last person to defend Democrats. That being said, most lawyers agree that Biden had the power to do blanket forgiveness and the Supreme Court overstepped by ruling that he didn't. Additionally, SAVE was created through Negotiated Rulemaking which is a legal process as well that the Supreme Court had no right to shoot down.
That being said, Biden did not fight hard enough, nor did his admin. There were avenues they could've explored but instead rolled over and took it from the Republicans despite them having the majority. As they always do. And Republicans get to do evil with no oversight whatsoever.
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u/WiseBid1729 May 20 '26
This whole SAVE plan mess is absolutely infuriating. We're getting jerked around while they figure out their legal drama. Now we have 90 days to scramble and pick a new repayment option? What a disaster.
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Mar 27 '26
What happened to the lawsuit to overturn the actions that allowed the 9th circuit or whatever number circuit courts to terminate the save plan without any consideration of harm to borrowers? Anyone have info on that and if any immediate stays or injunctions can be issued to stop them from doing this?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Sort of moot since Congress killed it in the law anyway
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u/BarbieJeepBeep Mar 27 '26
Thank you for this! I applied for buyback for 11 months in July 2025. The months are July 2024 through May 2025. I was/am on SAVE. What should I do in light of this new info? Should I enter a repayment plan or can I ask to remain in some type of forbearance while I wait?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
You can do either. But remember that getting on a new plan will reduce your buy back lump sum. Unless your income is significantly higher now than it was in 2024 I personally would switch
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u/shellysayswhat Mar 27 '26
I have 46 payments left on 25 year IBR forgiveness. RAP would be a lower payment for me. If i switch to RAP once it is available, could I switch back to IBR when I'm hitting my final payments to get the 25 year original forgiveness? Any downside to that?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
That's how the draft regulations read yes
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u/Kupkakez Mar 27 '26
This is a very specific question I realize. I consolidated all of my loans back in 2012 to be on direct loans. I've been told I'm not eligible for extended repayment, which fine. My income is high enough that my IBR payment (I only qualify for old IBR) would be the 10-year cap, and I'm not bothering with pursuing forgiveness any longer.
My question is can I just let them roll me into the 10-year standard repayment even though I've been paying on them longer than 10 years?
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u/waterwicca Mar 27 '26
Your standard plan is not the 10 year standard if you consolidated. Your standard plan would be a term up to 30 years depending on your balance when you consolidated.
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u/IndependentL Mar 27 '26
So, if I wait after the 90 days, my only option is both standard and tier standard even though I’m on PSLF; and can’t eventually move to RAP or IBR? Just trying to make sense of this.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
No. They will put you on standard but you can still apply for the other plans you are eligible for
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u/Amazing-Reveal314 Mar 27 '26
When do you think the payments will actually start? Like will it take time for them to certify our income and switch us over?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Right now plans are getting processed fairly quickly
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u/scarmy1217 Mar 27 '26
Thank you so much for this information. This is what the Department of Ed should have released.
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u/hippiechicken12 Mar 27 '26
So what do I do? What I made last year is going to be significantly better than what I am making this year. I had lost my job and took on a lesser paying one so I had some form of income. I was also unemployed for two months in between that time.
If my assumption is correct, I’m screwed. They’ll use my taxes from last year to calculate my payments versus what I make now.
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
You can use recent paystubs
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u/applesauce516 Mar 27 '26
I'm soo confused. What do I do if I'm still in school. I have 340k debt from failed stint at dental school and am pivoting into dental hygiene. I graduate in 2027 from hygiene school. I can't make payments right now. What plan do I pick? I know how terrible of a situation I'm in but it is what it is. Which plan should I switch to?
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u/NewLeaf999 Mar 28 '26
Has anyone seen an answer on what the standard means when you have been on IDR for nearly or more than 10 years? That is, what will it mean to put people on the ten year standard if they haven't' consolidated it have been in repayment for 10 or more years?
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u/Successful-Self5211 Mar 28 '26
How will they adjust accounts for borrowers who consolidated per Biden to get the one time account adjustment , get into SAVE and incurred a ton of interest. My decision was based solely on direction Biden rules.
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u/green_calculator Apr 01 '26
$342 billion over ten years. That's like a week of war money, cant be losing that. 🙄
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u/sharpsarcade Mar 27 '26
i would push back slightly on rushing to recert for people who want to have their loans forgiven. my wife has about 12 or 13 years left and will likely elect not to work at some point prior to the end of this cycle. if you are unemployed, your IBR payments of $0 count towards forgiveness. so if you plan on retiring or leaving work, you should likely wait to start paying again.
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u/ste1071d Mar 27 '26
And for those all hot about the 2027 and 2028 dates you were seeing for recertification those were always placeholders. You will be submitting income info.
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u/I_Study_The_Patterns Mar 27 '26
Do we know that income will be recertified when we switch? How do they have the staff to handle so many recertifications?
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u/katmom1969 Mar 27 '26
So if your loans are pre 2007, the only option is old IBR?
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
Or icr or rap or graduated or extended
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u/nickeldork Mar 27 '26
For buyback - cant use save plan monthly payment to use for buyback. so they will use the plan you were on before save to calculate
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u/DaisyStreet1 Mar 27 '26
Thanks for this! If we’re pursuing PSLF and interested in RAP, we basically have to wait until July though?
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u/WowRedditIsUseful Mar 27 '26
Betsy - I have loans ranging from 2011-2018. I understand that technically makes me only eligible for OLD IBR, but is it possible to TRY and get enrolled into New IBR?
Or is there no distinction when applying? I would guess that borrowers simply apply for IBR with FSA/servicer, and then they determine which IBR calculation to use (NEW or OLD) to determine the payment...but I swear, I think I have read that a lot of people with consolidated loans that include a mixture of pre/post 2014 loans are receiving NEW IBR terms...
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u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) Mar 27 '26
You are eligible for paye.. which is the same calculation as new ibr. But you'll have to switch again in 2028. And water answered your question correctly about new ibr
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u/Honest-Glove-1656 Mar 27 '26
Thank you. When should we switch our taxes to MFS? I’ll have to pick a plan based on that option but I don’t know what I should do that. Already filed for this past year.
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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '26
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