Student loan borrowers wanting to apply for the Income-Drive Repayment Plan or Loan Consolidation can once again do so.
A March 26 Press Release from the Department of Education announced that they have reopened the online income-driven (IDR) plan and loan consolidation applications for borrowers.
In order to comply with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals injunction issued on February 18 that directed ED to cease implementation of the Biden Administration SAVE Plan and parts of other IDR plans, the application was temporarily paused and unavailable to borrowers. Borrowers could, however, complete a paper loan consolidation application.
In the press release, Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron stated, “A federal appeals court struck down another one of the Biden Administration’s illegal efforts to transfer student loan debt to taxpayers. In response, the Trump Administration substantially revised the income-driven repayment plan application to conform with the ruling.” He went on to state, “Our team was able to relaunch this application within weeks, ensuring borrowers have access and the ability to access all legal repayment plans.”
The updated IDR application, available at StudentAid.gov/idr, allows borrowers to apply for Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plans. A revised application form also allows borrowers to apply to consolidate their loans.
General information about student loan repayment is available on StudentAid.gov.
