College Loan Advice Student Loan Forgiveness Application Now Available! Written by Robyn Stewarton October 19th, 2022 Prior to joining College Coach, I was a financial aid officer at the College of the Holy Cross and an education advisor at two TRIO program locations. I work with the Massachusetts Education Finance Authority (MEFA) to present paying for college workshops to hundreds of families across the state. I'm a graduate of UMass Amherst and have a master in counseling from Northeastern University. Learn More About Robyn college loans, loan forgiveness, student loans, Good news for anxious student loan borrowers! After a successful beta launch over the weekend, during which 8 million borrowers applied for loan forgiveness, the application for the new Biden-Harris Student Loan Debt Relief program became fully available this week. Here’s what you need to know to apply: The debt relief application can be completed at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application.The application is very straight forward. No login is required. Borrowers must provide their name, date of birth, Social Security Number, contact information, and self-certify that they meet the program’s income thresholds for their tax status during 2020 or 2021: Less than $125,000 Adjusted Gross Income for single borrowers or those married filing separately.Less than $250,000 Adjusted Gross Income for married borrowers, heads of household, or qualifying widow(er)s.Eligibility for dependent college students (including those who were dependent during the 2020/21 school year) will be based upon parental income. Students should submit the application based upon their own income, and—if the Department of Education (ED) determines that they are a dependent student—parental information will be requested by email.While the relief application is based upon self-certification of income, a certain percentage of borrowers will be selected for income verification. If selected, ED will request uploaded 2020 or 2021 tax information (either a tax return, tax transcript, or non-filer statement) in order to process loan forgiveness.The deadline to submit the debt relief application is December 31, 2023. If income documentation is requested, it must be provided by March 31, 2024.Borrowers who completed a 2022/23 FAFSA or enrolled in an Income-Dependent Repayment Plan based on 2020 or 2021 income do not need to complete the debt relief application at all. ED just emailed borrowers who qualify for automatic forgiveness, with an option to opt out by November 14 if they wish to decline debt relief. Borrowers who qualify for auto-relief, but who wish to accelerate the processing of their forgiveness, can choose to complete the application now.Loan servicers will notify borrowers when forgiveness has been applied to their accounts, so be sure your loan servicer has up-to-date contact information. If a loan balance remains after debt relief, loan payments will be re-amortized to account for the lower balance. Borrowers should also register with the Department of Education to receive continued updates on this program as it becomes available. Meet our team of college finance experts, former financial aid officers who know the ins and outs of college financing. Meet The Team Related Resources Read | Posted on April 11th, 2024 How Much College Debt is Too Much? Read | Posted on March 28th, 2024 What is a Federal Parent PLUS Loan? Read | Posted on February 6th, 2024 Is the SAVE Student Loan Repayment Plan Right for Me?
