Anna Helhoski is a senior writer covering economic news and trends in consumer finance at NerdWallet. She is also an authority on student loans. She joined NerdWallet in 2014. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. She previously covered local news in the New York metro area for the Daily Voice and New York state politics for The Legislative Gazette. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Purchase College, State University of New York.
Assistant Assigning Editor Cecilia Clark
Assistant Assigning Editor | Education financing products, Veteran's benefits, Student and graduate finances
Cecilia Clark is an editor on the loans team. She specializes in student loans and manages product reviews and roundups. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer and developed communications strategies for cybersecurity firms. Cecilia has also worked in post-secondary education, elevator operations management and sales and military nuclear command control, maintenance management and public affairs.
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New income-driven repayment applications won't be processed. The SAVE IDR plan is currently blocked. Stay up to date on the latest.
Lawsuits block SAVE indefinitely: What SAVE borrowers need to know SAVE payments paused, with no interest: Administrative forbearance 101 Confused about repayment options? Get student loan help Key context: How the new SAVE repayment plan works Still want to sign up for IDR? Submit a paper IDR application, expect delaysSubmit an income-driven repayment (IDR) application at studentaid.gov or download a paper request form and submit it to your student loan servicer , which is the company that sends you a bill every month.
Applying for income-driven repayment online is typically faster and easier than submitting a paper form; the Federal Student Aid office estimates the process takes 10 minutes or less.
The application is on the Federal Student Aid website. You’ll be able to access your tax records and receive a confirmation email after submitting.
However, due to ongoing SAVE lawsuits , the online IDR application is closed indefinitely. Borrowers enrolling in any IDR only have the option of the paper application, as of July 29, 2024. Expect major processing delays after submitting the paper application.
To apply online, you’ll need to log into your studentaid.gov account using your FSA ID . All applicants (online or paper) will need to provide personal information, such as:
Email address. Phone number.The application also requires you to provide financial information, such as:
Your family size.Most recent federal income tax return or transcript. (The IDR Data Retrieval tool will link your tax information directly to your application.)
Information about your spouse’s income if you filed taxes jointly.If you didn’t file taxes or your income has changed since your most recent tax return, you’ll typically need to submit proof of income earned within the last 90 days, such as:
Letter from your employer stating your gross pay. Signed statement explaining your income, if formal documentation is unavailable.If you’re unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits, you’ll still need to submit proof of unemployment income. If you don’t have any income, you can self-certify as such on the application.
Once you fill in the application, you'll see which repayment plans you qualify for. You'll select one, then confirm all the information you supplied is accurate and sign the application.
Due to lawsuits threatening the newest IDR plan SAVE , the Education Department temporarily shuttered the online IDR application system starting in mid-July 2024. Online applications are closed indefinitely, until the legal situation is resolved.
In the meantime, borrowers who want to enroll in any IDR plan (including SAVE) must submit a PDF application to their servicer. Follow these steps to access and submit the paper IDR application:
Download the PDF application in English or Spanish . Your can print the application and fill it out by hand, or complete it on your computer.
Follow the instructions on the PDF. You'll need to include income documentation such as a recent tax return, W2, pay stub, bank statement or interest or dividend statement.
Log into your servicer's website and upload your IDR application and income documentation. If you printed out the form, you may also mail or fax your application to your servicer.
Your servicer will follow up with you once it receives and processes your application. Expect a "lengthy" processing delay, especially if you're applying for SAVE, the Education Department says.
Once you submit your application, your servicer will confirm receipt via email or letter. It’ll also put your loans into a payment pause, called a forbearance, while your application processes. You don’t need to make any payments during this time, but interest will accrue and be added to the amount you owe when you start repayment.
It typically take around four weeks for servicers to process IDR applications after they're received.
When your application process is complete, you’ll receive a new bill with the amount you now owe and payment will restart.
Applying for income-driven repayment is not a one-and-done application process. You’ll typically need to recertify every year. Otherwise, your payments will revert back to the standard repayment plan, and that could mean a bigger monthly bill.
Your student loan servicer will let you know when you need to recertify well before the deadline.
You’ll have to recertify similarly to when you first applied using the same form on studentaid.gov or by submitting a paper form to your servicer. You’ll need to provide the same information you submitted when you first applied.
Your servicer can help you through the process of applying for or recertifying income-driven repayment.
Third-party sources that ask for money to get you enrolled are often a student loan scam . There is never a fee to process an income-driven repayment application, and you never need to pay anyone to apply on your behalf.
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Anna Helhoski is a senior writer covering economic news and trends. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. See full bio.
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Income-driven repayment plan forgiveness is automatic after 10 to 20 or 25 years, depending on your plan.
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