Edu Dept seeks comments on tweaking student loan repayment forms
Published Date: 4/8/2025
Notice
Summary
The Department of Education is updating the form for income-driven repayment plans for federal student loans, making it easier for borrowers to apply. If you have William D. Ford Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans, this affects you. The public can comment on these changes until June 9, 2025, helping shape a smoother, less stressful loan repayment process.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
SAVE Plan Removed from Form
If you have William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans, the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) request form is being updated to remove the Saving on an Affordable Education (SAVE) Plan as an option for borrowers to select. This change is being made to support the court injunction announced February 18, 2025.
Family-Size Rules Reverted
The IDR request form is being revised to revert the definition of "family size" to the pre-July 1, 2024 definition for all income-driven repayment plans. You must annually certify your family size when applying or recertifying for an IDR plan, and the reverted definition will be used to determine eligibility and payment calculations.
Interest-Subsidy References Removed
The Department is updating the IDR request form to remove references to interest subsidy during repayment. The form change removes those references for borrowers applying, recertifying, or changing their IDR plan.
Form Clarifications to Help Borrowers
The Department states it is making additional updates to the IDR Request Form to improve clarity and the borrower experience when enrolling, recertifying, or changing plans. These updates are intended to make it easier for borrowers with William D. Ford Direct Loans or FFEL loans to apply or recertify for income-driven repayment.
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Key Dates
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