Trump reverses Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness plan: Here's how it will affect millions borrowers
Department of Education has taken down applications for all income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which are designed to keep monthly payments manageable and provide a pathway to eventual loan forgiveness.
The move affects four popular IDR programs: Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and the new SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan introduced by the Biden administration in 2023. These plans base payments on a borrower’s income and family size, with remaining balances forgiven after 20 or 25 years.
The department did not make a formal announcement about the removal of IDR applications, instead posting a brief notice on its website. The lack of communication has led to widespread confusion, with borrowers and advocates scrambling for clarity.
What Led to the Suspension?
The court ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by Republican-led states challenging the legality of the SAVE plan. The judges extended an injunction blocking the plan, which also trapped more than eight million borrowers in a forbearance period that stops payments and interest accrual but also halts progress toward loan forgiveness.
More alarmingly, the court questioned the validity of loan forgiveness under the older ICR and PAYE plans—despite decades of assurances from regulations, loan agreements, and public guidance that forgiveness would be granted after 20 or 25 years.
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