Which loans qualify for student loan forgiveness?

Most people with federal student loans are below the income threshold and would qualify for Biden’s plan. Undergraduate loans, graduate loans and Parent Plus loans held by the Education Department are all eligible for cancellation. Until recently, people with privately held loans from the defunct Federal Family Education Loans program could consolidate into a Direct Loan to be eligible for relief. However, the Education Department said in late September it would no longer allow those borrowers to take advantage of Biden’s cancellation program. The agency said it is still looking for a solution to expand relief.

The application is available at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application . The Education Department had previously said a paper version would also be available.

What information is needed for the student loan forgiveness application?

Applicants have to submit their Social Security number, name, date of birth, phone number, email and attest to earning less than the income caps set for relief. You will not have to attach any documents or log in with your federal student identification number. Forgiveness is limited to borrowers who earned less than $125,000 in 2020 or 2021, or less than $250,000 for married couples. You will need to certify that the information submitted is correct. Anyone who submits false information could be subject to penalties including fines or imprisonment. Applications will be reviewed by the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office and matched with borrowers’ federal records to confirm eligibility.

When will my application be processed?

The Education Department previously said applications filed during the beta test would will be processed once the application officially launched. But the department said it will not cancel any loans before Oct. 23, according to a court filing. The Biden administration is fighting several lawsuits attempting to block the policy and has agreed to stand down on discharges in at least one of those cases. “Litigation is underway and our legal judgment is that it won’t” get in the way of the program, Biden said Monday. “But they are trying to stop it.” A federal judge in Missouri recently dismissed a lawsuit brought by six Republican-led states that was widely considered the most serious legal challenge to Biden’s debt relief. The states are appealing the decision. In the meantime, the department is collecting applications and could start processing them after Sunday. The administration has said applicants will receive relief within four to six weeks once it begins processing them.

Is there a deadline to apply?

Borrowers have until Dec. 31, 2023, to apply for the forgiveness program. But the administration has recommended that people apply by Nov. 15 of this year to have the form processed before the pause on federal student loan payments ends. Payments are set to resume in January.

Will I need to verify any information later?

Maybe. The Education Department estimates between 1 million and 5 million borrowers may be required to submit more information to verify income or eligibility. The number of people flagged for verification depends on the total number of applicants, according to the agency. It disclosed in a regulatory submission to the Office of Management and Budget that applicants who present a higher likelihood of exceeding the income threshold will probably have to provide documentation to prove their income.

What if I don’t want my loans discharged?

Applying for debt relief is optional for the vast majority of student loan borrowers. However, 8 million people, whose income information the Education Department has on file, are eligible for automatic relief. The department has begun notifying those borrowers and encouraging them to contact their student loan servicer before Nov. 14 if they want to opt out of the program before it begins processing relief.

If I don’t qualify for this forgiveness plan, do I have other options?

Yes. The federal government, states and the private sector have programs that will erase some, if not all, education debt held by borrowers based on where they work and for how long. Learn more here.

Higher Education

Applying for Biden’s student loan forgiveness? Here’s what to know.

The president said more than 8 million people applied during a beta launch of the application website

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel

Updated October 21, 2022 at 2:44 p.m. EDT|Published October 17, 2022 at 3:47 p.m. EDT

On Oct. 17, President Biden launched StudentAid.gov for people to apply for student debt relief. (Video: The Washington Post)

After weeks of waiting, student loan borrowers can now apply for President Biden’s program to receive up to $20,000 in debt cancellation.

Biden officially launched the application Monday after the Education Department opened the form over the weekend as part of a beta test, hoping to find and remedy any glitches on the site. More than 12 million people have applied to date, the president has said. He estimates that the White House has received some 10,000 letters from borrowers praising one of his signature economic policies.

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“My commitment was if elected president, I was going to make government work to deliver for the people. This rollout keeps that commitment,” Biden said at a press event. “Just as I am keeping my commitment to relieve student debt as borrowers recover from this economic crisis caused by the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.”

How some borrowers will qualify for automatic student loan forgiveness

Biden’s plan is to cancel as much as $10,000 in federal student loan debt for people earning less than $125,000 a year, or less than $250,000 for married couples. Those who received Pell Grants, federal aid for lower-income students, could see up to $20,000 forgiven.

The policy has ushered in a series of lawsuits from conservative groups and Republican-led states alleging the president overstepped his authority with mass cancellation. Biden rigorously defended the debt relief policy on Monday. “Republican members of Congress, Republican governors are trying to do everything they can to deny this relief even to their own constituents,” Biden said. “As soon as I announced my student debt plan, they started attacking it. Their outrage is wrong, and it is hypocritical.”

Here is what you need to know about the application process.

Student loan forgiveness

The latest: At a hearing, conservative Supreme Court justices seemed highly skeptical of President Biden’s debt relief plan. To date, Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is on ice after a Texas judge blocked the student debt relief plan.

Calculate your eligibility: We tackled everything you need to know about the debt relief plan. Use this calculator to see how much of your student loan debt can be forgiven. Here’s what to expect in the student loan forgiveness application.

The opponents: What is happening to student loan forgiveness? A federal appeals court temporarily halted the student debt relief program. Six Republican-led states are also suing to overturn President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. An Indiana lawsuit was the first significant legal action seeking to invalidate Biden’s policy.