In late August, President Biden announced $20,000 in debt relief to certain Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for many other student loan borrowers. In that same announcement, the president also announced an extension of the pandemic pause on student loan payments through December 31, 2022. Student loan payments will resume after January 1st, 2023.
Here are some quick FAQs compiled to address your questions.
Do I qualify for student loan forgiveness?
Borrowers with annual income during the pandemic of under $125,000 (for individuals) or under $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households) who received a Pell Grant in college will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. Borrowers who met those income standards but did not receive a Pell Grant will be eligible for up to $10,000 in relief.
The U.S. Department of Education will be announcing further details on how borrowers can claim this relief in the weeks ahead. The application will be available no later than when the pause on federal student loan repayments terminates at the end of the year. Please note that private loans will not be forgiven.
Do I need to apply for student debt relief?
There are nearly 8 million borrowers eligible to receive relief automatically because their relevant income data is already available to the U.S. Department of Education.
If you feel, the Department does not have your income data, the Department is expected to launch an application which will be available by early October. You may sign up to be notified when application opens, please sign up here for that alert: https://www.ed.gov/subscriptions.
When will the debt relief go into effect?
The implementation of this plan, including the application process and eligibility determinations for loan forgiveness, will be provided by the Department in the weeks to come. Please refer to the Department website (ed.gov) frequently for updated details as they become available.
What are my student loan payment plan options?
If you have specific questions regarding your federal student loan repayment, please reach out directly to your assigned federal loan servicer. This link will help you determine your loan servicer and their contact information: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers
Ensure that your postal address, your email address, and your mobile phone number are listed accurately with your loan servicer so they are able to contact you if you qualify for debt relief.
For updates on student loans, you may wish to bookmark this U.S. Department of Education page for updates. You also may sign up for email updates from the U.S. Department of Education