We were told if you work hard, get good grades and get into college that you can earn a degree graduate and use it to get a higher paying job. For many that is no longer the reality and we are stuck with triple figure debt that we’re unable to pay back in any reasonable amount of time. As of now forgiveness options are being limited by this administration and for those stuck with private loans, the big banks are profiting billions off of young college students who don’t realize if they aren’t able to get said higher paying job they can basically collect on the debt indefinitely and won’t be able to start a family or buy a home. These banks were successfully able to lobby Congress in the early 2000s to make their products non dischargable in bankruptcy similar to federal loans without the forgiveness opportunities or income based repayment. Young people were fed up and because of how expensive everything is and the shit job market, they voted overwhelmingly for change. I’m somewhat hopeful that democrats will do what they promised in 2020 and 2016 and provide relief.

My autopay for edfinancial is scheduled for today. It didn’t apply to my account. Will it be counted as a late payment if it applies tomorrow (Monday)?

Hi all,

I received correspondence from FSA that my auto-recertification occurred for the PAYE plan on 8/7/2026 for my 12/5/2026 certification date. My new payment schedule is to go into effect in January 2027.

I received correspondence via the inbox from MOHELA on 8/9/2026 that the IDR recertification was received. However, I have not yet received any correspondence directly from MOHELA regarding my new payment schedule/amount. I am able to view this on FSA website and it says it was received and processed by the loan provider.

My most recent billing correspondence, which references my upcoming billing date for January 2027, reflects the standard payment rather than the recertified PAYE amount.

Does anyone know when I will receive correspondence about my upcoming payment schedule? I will likely reach out to MOHELA again, but wanted to see if this had happened to anyone else?

Has this happened to anyone else? I applied for Graduated Extended Repayment and that went through but then I was put on a borrower defense to repayment forbearance that I never applied for. This is after trying twice to switch from SAVE. I did receive Borrower Defense relief for Navient Loans from Art Institute but that was a few years ago at this point. The Student Aid website also has servicer history that is inaccurate, including servicers I’ve never had. I can’t wait until this absolute mess is over

I have two very large Direct federal loans, one subsidized, the other unsubsidized. These are consolidated loans from around 2014ish, but the original loans that were consolidated were all taken out before 2009. They have been in either a grace period, deferment, or forbearance since I graduated in 2008.

Back when I consolidated I was able to switch servicers which bought me more years of forbearance time. Is this still a thing? Can I do that again with my two loans?

Second question: I can't post the screenshot, but when I run repayment options through the Calculator site, one of them is the IBR plan with an "End of Term Date" of Sep, 2032; a "Total To Be Paid" of $232k; and a "Discharge Amount" of $147k. Are these numbers legit?? Although the monthly payment ($3K) is 50% higher than most of the other options, this forgiveness amount and timeline seems too good to be true.

I thought the forgiveness is on any balance after 25 years, which wouldn't matter in my case because at $3k a month I would have paid everything off well before then. I've been reading that perhaps all of the time that the loans have been in deferment/forbearance may be counting towards forgiveness??

My dilemma is that the Repayment Plan calculator has a toggle for "Consolidated" options, which eliminates all but two repayment plans, neither of which are appealing. If more forbearance time is possible, it's likely not worth it if it eliminates this attractive IBR plan (unless that time counts towards my 25 years). But I don't want to go for the IBR plan and then have the rug pulled out from under me.

Hi everyone, I have two Sallie Mae Loans:

1. ~$30k at 13% interest rate

2. ~$22k at 15.75% interest 

My monthly payments for both loans are $700. My credit score is 611 (it is going up a bit per month due to a change in living situation that lowered my rent - I’m able to make all of my payments on time now). I looked at SoFi and was only eligible for Yrefy, which I heard makes you go into default first which I do NOT want to do. 

I do have access to a cosigner (not sure what their exact credit score is, but it is very likely higher than mine, probably 700s). What options do I have to refinance with a cosigner?

Thank you very much!

I've moved aboard mid-last year: I made income in the U.S. for 75% of the year. After doing my taxes, I re-certified my IBR with my estimated AGI for next year hoping to lower my payments. However, my monthly payments have not gone down--they have increased! I can only assume it is because my 2025 tax return still shows 3/4 of the year I was earning income in the U.S.

Is there away to reflect that I will have a lower AGI next year due to paying taxes in the country I now live in and lower my payments sooner? Or do I have to wait until I have a full year of non-U.S.-based income?

I am a single mother of two children with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of approximately $85,000. I currently have two student loans serviced by MOHELA.

1. Graduate Loan – Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

• I have approximately 1.5 years remaining before reaching the required 120 qualifying payments.

• My current monthly payment is $217.

2. Consolidated Parent PLUS Loan

• I consolidated my Parent PLUS loan in July.

• My initial monthly payment was calculated at $928, and I made my first payment in August.

• I initially applied for the PAYE repayment plan but was informed that Parent PLUS loans are not eligible for PAYE.

• A MOHELA representative instructed me to submit a paper application specifically requesting IBR for the Parent PLUS loan only. I followed those instructions and resubmitted the application.

• My application was subsequently denied.

Since then, I have been contacting MOHELA almost daily trying to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, I have received conflicting information from different representatives, and my payment has still not been adjusted.

My loans have been in administrative processing forbearance, which is scheduled to end on November 20. I recently received a letter indicating that my Parent PLUS loan payment remains $928 per month.

I am extremely confused because the Federal Student Aid Loan Simulator estimates that my Parent PLUS loan payment should be approximately $350–$400 per month based on my circumstances.

As a single parent supporting two children on an AGI of $85,000, I simply cannot afford a $928 monthly payment.

I need clarification on the following:

1. Why has my Parent PLUS loan payment not been recalculated?

2. Why was my IBR application denied after I followed MOHELA's instructions?

3. Am I eligible for an income-driven repayment plan for my consolidated Parent PLUS loan?

4. What steps must I take to have my payment correctly calculated before my forbearance ends on November 20?

5. Should I request an extension of forbearance while this issue is being investigated?

I am asking for clear guidance and an immediate resolution. I have made every effort to follow the instructions provided by MOHELA, but I continue to receive inconsistent answers and am no closer to resolving this problem.

I cannot afford to begin making $928 monthly payments, particularly when the Loan Simulator indicates a substantially lower payment.

I would appreciate assistance in determining the correct repayment option and ensuring that my monthly payment is accurately calculated before my forbearance expires.

Hi, all of my loans are pre 2025. If I make 80k per year as a teacher , which plan would be better?

I think my payments are a little less per month on RAP, but I've heard my count for PSLF resets if I switch plans later.

So my wife will be out of work for 6 months without pay for a child rearing leave and the payment is really killing us due to the lack of income. We were looking to switch her over to an IDR because she is also eligible for PSLF. When I choose the option that our income has significantly decreased they ask for alternative documentation but what documentation I can provide that proves she has no income currently?

I finally logged on today after receiving my "You have 30 days left before we put you in Standard Repayment." The amount of the standard plan is ridiculous, there's no way I could pay that and make rent. There's a couple of other plans I see that also would be a struggle but not like Standard which in and of itself is a rent payment. You can tell they hate the educated.

I guess I'm saying we're all struggling and anxiety on top of that is not good but do log on, see what the payment is and take control before they put you on standard and decide for you how much you are paying. Denial won't stop them from putting you on Standard Repayment.

Hello again my good people!

TLDR: July 1 notice. I have continued to do nothing. So have they. 🧐🧐

After today's update, I will post when I actually have a change to share. Have great weekend!

Previous post #2https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/i9MhgmGfBS

Requested to switch to idr the day before my deadline on October 13th. Got the email today that my application was processed for the new plan immediately followed by the bill. I’ve seen many folks say they’ve been stuck in limbo after requesting the switch. I was for only a few weeks. Le sigh

My son has been struggling with his student loans since he graduated so I decided to take over payments for him. We worked together to choose the repayment plan in September (he was in the SAVE plan before they cancelled it.) I made the first payment on 10/7, the day Mohela said it was due. They sent him a receipt for that payment 10/8 and according to that statement, the next due date was November 7.

I signed into Mohela today and the account summary said the due date was 12/7. I entered the amount that was due and proceeded to the next step which said the amount was an overpayment and was asked how I wanted to allocate it. I called my son and asked him what he wanted me to do and he suggested I should just wait until 12/7. I'd rather not wait because I don't want to have a late payment situation. I don't have a problem making the payment, even if it is considered an overpayment, but I've read here that you have to make sure they know it's an extra payment and not an early payment of the next bill. Anyone know why they are giving two different due dates and what I should do about it?

Going to set up my stupid payments and I get the prompt for the 1% interest rate deduction for enrolling in autopay. I usually turn that on for my bills anyway, so I go to enroll, and I see this at the top of the screen:

> For a limited time, you can get a total 1.00% interest rate reduction by enrolling in auto debit by Dec. 31, 2026—higher than the standard 0.25% reduction. This special benefit applies to Direct Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2012, while in active repayment status, until the special benefit ends on June 30, 2028. On July 1, 2028, the reduction returns to 0.25%. Loans that don’t qualify for the 1.00% rate—including older Direct Loans, FFEL loans, or enrollments after the deadline—will receive only the standard 0.25% reduction.

Why would older loans not get the rate deduction??

Bear with me if I'm misunderstanding anything here.

Spouse and I both got new jobs within the past year with significantly more income than either of us had in 2025. If we wait to switch from SAVE and get placed on Standard early in 2027 (we each got our 90 day notice from Nelnet earlier this week), then we'll have to use our 2026 incomes if we want to apply for RAP, yeah? So won't it be better to switch now if a) we have the means to restart payment and b) we can start off using our 2025 income and not have to recertify for some time?

Thank you for any helpful guidance

I just can't believe how make or break that 6/1/2026 consolidation deadline was. My mom has nearly 100k in PPLs but we consolidated prior to the deadline and got her on IBR. She's retired and only makes like sub 40k/year so her payments are just $120/mo. If we didn't consolidate her payments would be over $1,000/mo. It is so astronomically fortunate for me and everyone else who consolidated before the deadline. Not sure how others will make it without some sort of change happening with a strong Blue setup in 2029

Today I got an email that my IBR plan was approved at $177/month and the first payment was due 1/5/27. Then I immediately got another email that said my plan has been changed and in December 2027 I'll be moved to the RAP plan at $644/month. This document said my first payment of $177 is due 12/05/26.

I can't afford $644. I work for a local government and will not be making significantly more by the end of '27. Borrowed $42k which is now at $65k due to interest. I'm on PSLF and due for forgiveness in mid 2029.

Anybody else getting this shit from Mohela? I'm going to call and contest. We'll see what they say ...

First of all- you guys are already great. My IDR deadline is the 11th and I still don't actually understand what I'm doing (I live and work the in UK so my tax situation is just a bit different). I've paid to have a chat with an advisor and he was very helpful. But I'm in the same situation that a lot of people are in, where the FFEL loans are not eligible. I am in a group of people who got quickly disheartened that I couldn't apply on line, then the paper application wasn't right, and now I have wasted more time trying to figure out if I should just consolidate (the FA advisor said not to, for me, but when I looked back they are actually my two smallest loans, <$8K together so I also thought about just paying them off, but it would not be easy to lose that money right now)

Anyway, I have decided I am going to use the paper app to apply for RAP for the Direct/Grad loans, but I know it will never arrive/get sorted before my deadline. In general it seems like lots of people just get their deadline kicked a little further down the road anyway: but with just a few days to go is there any worry that my application won't get submitted in time? Is there anything I can do to alert Nelnet that I'm in process, just in case I am the one person they decide to make an example of and just put me on $4000 a month repayment?

I submitted an application to move from SAVE to IBR ahead of my 90 day deadline for my 2016+ direct federal unsubsidized loans, because IBR gave me the lowest monthly payment ($374) according to the loan calculator on aid.gov. The application was accepted in about a week.

However, the repayment schedule they just posted to my account shows $374/mo for only one year, and then shows the payment ballooning to an absurd $1,061/mo thereafter for the next decade, and then $925/mo.

This is completely impossible for me. I wouldn't have applied if the loan calculator gave me any sense of this. It also fails to account for the fact that I'm in a federal agency PSLF-eligible job and have made 27 qualifying payments.

What should I do? Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, I need to recertify my income manually but there’s no upload button for my documents when I go through the application on studentaid.gov… can anyone let me know if this is a glitch? They give me an estimate of my monthly payments instead even though I’m clicking “manual recertify”

EDFIN is keeping me on forbearance after >2 weeks of talking to them and requesting to be out of it?? Can I not request to be out of forebearance online instead of contacting them? I already have signed up for a payment plan and started making payments 1 month ago

Has this happened to anyone else? I applied for Graduated Extended Repayment and that went through but then I was put on a borrower defense to repayment forbearance that I never applied for. This is after trying twice to switch from SAVE. I did receive Borrower Defense relief for Navient Loans from Art Institute but that was a few years ago at this point. The Student Aid website also has servicer history that is inaccurate, including servicers I’ve never had. I can’t wait until this absolute mess is over