This combination of legal and regulatory uncertainty is particularly frustrating for borrowers who are trying to plan their finances and choose the best repayment strategy. Understanding the current state of these plans and the potential impacts of the ongoing legal battles is essential for borrowers trying to figure out what to do next.

Sherpa Thought: This article focuses on the consequences of the SAVE litigation. If you want to know more about the SAVE lawsuit, be sure to check out this article.

Current State of IDR Enrollments

As of now, borrowers can enroll in any IDR plan except REPAYE, which has been replaced by the SAVE Plan. However, the enrollment process has become more complex due to ongoing litigation:

• Application Process: Borrowers must submit a paper application or upload a completed PDF application through their loan servicer’s website. Online applications are not currently available due to the legal challenges.
• Administrative Forbearance: Once a new IDR application is submitted, borrowers are placed on administrative forbearance for up to 60 days. During this period, interest accrues on the loans, but the time counts toward both IDR forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
• General Forbearance: After the 60-day administrative forbearance, borrowers are moved to general forbearance if the application process is still ongoing. During general forbearance, interest does not accrue, but the time spent in this status does not count toward forgiveness.

PAYE, ICR, and REPAYE: The Impact of SAVE and Litigation

PAYE, ICR, and REPAYE were all created under the same congressional authority as the SAVE Plan. This shared origin has raised concerns about the long-term outlook of these plans, especially after a broad and arguably unclear preliminary injunction cast doubt on forgiveness under any of these plans.

However, it’s important to note that ICR, PAYE, and REPAYE should not be impacted by any final ruling in the SAVE case. The plaintiffs in the SAVE litigation are not seeking to overturn the regulations governing these older plans. Additionally, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) makes it difficult to challenge regulations that have been in place for over six years, which provides an additional layer of protection for ICR, PAYE, and REPAYE. This makes new lawsuits and future challenges to PAYE, ICR, and REPAYE unlikely.

Even though the rules for these plans are unlikely to be overturned or challenged directly, they can still be eliminated by the SAVE regulations. As the later sections explain, SAVE as currently written significantly impacts these other IDR plans and could phase them out over time.

Thus, the outlook for all IDR plans is direcly impacted by the SAVE ligitation. If SAVE wins in court, availability of some plans becomes limited. If SAVE loses, we revert back to older rules. Because each plan is different, the potential changes and impacts from SAVE are also slightly different.

PAYE: What Happens if SAVE Survives vs. SAVE Gets Struck Down

PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is currently closed to new enrollments under the SAVE regulations. Borrowers who were already enrolled in PAYE can remain on the plan, but no new borrowers can sign up.

If the SAVE Plan survives the ongoing litigation, PAYE will remain closed to new borrowers. However, if the new SAVE regulations are struck down, PAYE could be reopened for new enrollments, allowing borrowers to choose this plan if it better suits their financial situation.

ICR: Different Rules for Parent PLUS Borrowers

ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment) remains available for borrowers with Parent PLUS loans, but it is otherwise closed to new enrollments, similar to PAYE.

If the SAVE regulations continue, ICR will remain an option solely for Parent PLUS borrowers. However, if the SAVE Plan is overturned, ICR could once again become available to all borrowers, offering another option for those who might benefit from its unique terms.

IBR: Statutory Certainty

IBR (Income-Based Repayment) is currently available to eligible borrowers and is considered a secure option due to its statutory foundation.

The SAVE litigation revolves around whether the Department of Education exceeded its authority granted by Congress when creating the SAVE Plan. IBR, however, is fundamentally different because its terms and conditions were established directly by Congress. This means that any changes to IBR would require new legislation, providing a stable and secure option for borrowers.

Under the SAVE regulations, borrowers who have been on SAVE for a total of 60 months are not eligible to sign up for IBR. If SAVE is struck down, this 60-month restriction would likely be eliminated, ensuring that IBR remains accessible to all eligible borrowers.

REPAYE: Modified and Replaced by SAVE

REPAYE (Revised Pay As You Earn) has been modified and renamed to become the SAVE Plan. Borrowers who were previously enrolled in REPAYE were automatically transitioned to SAVE. As a result, REPAYE is no longer available for new enrollments.

If the SAVE Plan survives, REPAYE will be permanently replaced by SAVE. However, if the SAVE Plan is struck down, REPAYE could be reinstated, allowing borrowers who preferred REPAYE’s terms to once again enroll in the plan.

It is also likely that if SAVE is struck down, borrowers who signed up for SAVE will be moved back to REPAYE.

Expect More Changes Ahead

The future of PAYE, IBR, REPAYE, and ICR hinges on the outcome of the SAVE litigation, but the legal protections and statutory foundations of these plans offer some security.

Borrowers should remain informed about ongoing legal developments and understand how different scenarios might impact their repayment options. Whether SAVE survives or gets struck down, understanding the current state of these plans and their potential future is crucial for making informed decisions about your financial future.

Stay Up to Date: Student loan rules are constantly changing, and temporary programs create deadlines that can’t be missed. To help manage this issue, I’ve created a monthly newsletter to keep borrowers up to date on the latest changes and upcoming deadlines.

Click here to sign up. You’ll receive at most one email per month, and I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t overlook any critical developments.

The post The Future of PAYE, IBR, REPAYE, and ICR: Navigating Uncertainty and Understanding Your Options appeared first on The Student Loan Sherpa.

Selecting the best repayment plan requires more than just finding the one with the lowest monthly payment. Each one has unique features that can be positive or negative. The trick is to understand the differences between them.

Today, we will take a deep dive into federal student loan repayment plans. We will cover the repayment schedule, rules, and regulations for each repayment plan. Then, we will explore who could benefit from that particular payment plan.

Repayment Basics

We will first review a few basic concepts helpful in understanding federal student loan repayment.

Federal Student Loan Servicers

The company paid by the government to collect your federal loans is your student loan servicer. The servicer is supposed to guide borrowers through repayment options, including plan selection. However, they don’t always offer the best advice.

Loan servicers can be a valuable source of information, and working with them is essential for making payments. However, it can be a big mistake to rely entirely upon federal student loan servicers. There have been multiple lawsuits brought against loan servicers for failing borrowers.

If you are unsure which lender services your federal student loans, the Department of Education tracks up-to-date records on the servicer(s) assigned to your loans.

Repayment is the Goal

Much of this article will cover the minimum payment requirements on various plans. Selecting the repayment plan with the lowest minimum monthly payment can have significant advantages. But, it’s important to remember that most borrowers will have to pay back their loans in full with interest.

Making the smallest payment possible can result in maximum interest spending. For this reason, borrowers shouldn’t just seek out the “best” federal repayment plan. Instead, they should come up with a strategy for debt elimination. The goal should be to eliminate student loans while spending as little as possible. Merely delaying payments will only increase the cost of the debt.

The Loan Simulator

One of the most valuable resources for federal borrowers is the Loan Simulator. This tool lets you use your actual loan information to estimate your payments on various repayment plans. It isn’t a perfect resource. It has to make certain assumptions about you, your loans, and your repayment. However, it does a decent job of helping people consider how the different repayment plans would work in their circumstances.

Federal Student Loan Consolidation

You may have one or more federal loans that are ineligible for a desired repayment plan or program. You can usually remedy this issue by consolidating your federal loans. Federal student loan consolidation is when the federal government combines all of a borrower’s existing federal loans into one or two individual loans. Determining whether or not you should consolidate can be a tricky question. But it’s an essential question to answer, especially if you’re considering pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Finding the Best Federal Repayment Plan

If there isn’t a single repayment option that stands out as the best, how do you pick the right one?

The best way to think about federal repayment plans is to consider them as tools in a toolbox. For example, a borrower might opt for a very low minimum payment plan to focus her efforts on paying down high-interest credit card debt. Once she pays off the high-interest debt, she can switch tools and turn to a more aggressive repayment strategy. For this reason, there isn’t a “best” repayment plan. Instead, borrowers should focus on finding the plan that best fits the needs of their circumstances.

The key is to understand how you can use these tools. Once you understand the various options, you can pick the right tool for the job.

The Standard Repayment Plan

The Standard Repayment Plan is often called the 10-year repayment plan. This plan is the default plan on which the government initially places most borrowers. Accordingly, the first student loan bill to show up in your mailbox is probably based on this plan. It is also the repayment plan that usually has the highest minimum payment.

The math on the standard repayment plan is simple. Payments are calculated so that the loan is paid off in full after ten years, or 120 payments. The monthly payments stay level for the duration of the loan. Note: For borrowers who consolidate their loans, the standard repayment plan can have a 10 to 30 years repayment length.

The Graduated Repayment Plan

The government set up the Graduated Repayment Plan to help borrowers ease into their student loan repayment. Borrowers enrolled in the graduated repayment plan will see their monthly payments increase every two years. The repayment length on the graduated repayment plan is ten years. However, if the borrower has previously consolidated their federal student loans, repayment can last for 10 to 30 years.

While making smaller payments that gradually increase may sound appealing, this plan isn’t the best choice for most borrowers. One of the significant flaws with the graduated repayment plan is that it doesn’t qualify for some of the best federal student loan forgiveness programs. Borrowers looking for lower payments are typically better off opting for an income-driven repayment plan due to their increased flexibility.

The Extended Repayment Plan

The Extended Repayment Plan gives borrowers 25 years to repay their student loans. There are two options with this plan. The first offers fixed payments for the entire 25 years. The second, sometimes called the Extended Graduated Repayment Plan, offers graduated payments. Borrowers who opt for lower payments now and higher payments in the future will end up spending more on interest.

Like the Graduated Repayment Plan, the Extended Repayment Plan doesn’t qualify for some student loan forgiveness programs. Accordingly, this plan is less than ideal for most borrowers. Even for borrowers who don’t expect to pursue loan forgiveness, opting for an income-driven plan is often preferable. This is because it keeps that possibility open in the future.

If the Extended and Graduated Repayment Plans seem like undesirable options, there is a reason. The government created these plans long before it created the newer, more borrower-friendly plans. In some ways, these plans are ineffectual relics. However, it’s certainly conceivable that circumstances could exist in which a borrower might want to choose one of these plans.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Note: While the Graduated and Extended Repayment plans are not eligible for PSLF, borrowers who are otherwise eligible may have a limited opportunity for forgiveness.

Income-Driven Repayment Plans

The remaining federal repayment plans fall into the category of Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans. In many cases, IDR plans are part of an optimal repayment strategy.

What makes these plans special is that monthly payments are based upon how much a borrower makes rather than what they owe. In theory, this means that all federal borrowers should be able to afford their monthly payments.

To enroll in an IDR plan, borrowers must first submit income verification. This usually means a recent tax return or latest paystub. From this information, the loan servicer will calculate a borrower’s discretionary income. We have previously looked at discretionary income calculations in detail. The short version is that once a borrower earns enough income to be above 150% of the federal poverty level, they must pay a portion of that surplus income toward their student loans. The percent of discretionary income required depends upon the specific IDR plan selected.

A big perk of IDR plans is that they are eligible for student loan forgiveness after 20 to 25 years, depending on the plan. Borrowers on SAVE with a small balance can also qualify in as little as 10 years. For borrowers with no hope of ever repaying their federal loans, this route to forgiveness offers a light at the end of the tunnel. The bad news is that the IRS may consider forgiven debt to be income for tax purposes.

Fortunately, there are a couple of notable exceptions to the tax rule. For starters, Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not taxed. Second, there is a temporary exception that lasts until 2026. However, borrowers who earn forgiveness after the temporary rule expires may still get a tax bill.

The table below shows the basics of each Income-Driven Repayment Plan.

Plan	Discretionary Income Required	Years Until Forgiveness
ICR - Income-Contingent Repayment	20%	25
IBR - Income-Based Repayment	15%	25
PAYE - Pay As You Earn	10%	20
IBR for New Borrowers*	10%	20
SAVE - Saving on A Valuable Education	5 - 10%	20 or 25**

* New Borrowers are defined as those who started borrowing after July 1, 2014.
** Borrowers with graduate school debt qualify after 25 years, while those with undergrad debt qualify after 20 years.

While our table does cover the basics of the various IDR plans, there is fine print associated with each program that borrowers should understand. In some cases, this fine print prevents certain borrowers from applying to their desired repayment plan. In other cases, some repayment plans have unique perks that make them an ideal option.

Further Reading: Tips for Deciding Between IBR, PAYE, and SAVE.

Pay As You Earn (PAYE)

The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plan is one of the most popular federal student loan repayment plans. The government expects borrowers to pay only 10% of their discretionary income. Furthermore, the government grants forgiveness after 20 years. The 10% and 20-year numbers are both the lowest available of all the IDR plans. The PAYE plan is also an eligible repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The downside to PAYE is that it is available only to borrowers who are new as of Oct. 1, 2007, who received a disbursement of a Direct Loan on or after Oct. 1, 2011.

For a while, PAYE was the best repayment plan available. The arrival of SAVE changed this analysis.

Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) – Formerly REPAYE

The new SAVE plan is arguably the best federal student loan repayment option. It was created to replace and improve upon the REPAYE plan.

It changes the discretionary income calculation so that borrowers get to keep more of their income.

Additionally, borrowers with undergraduate debt are only required to pay 5% of their discretionary income on SAVE. Graduate debt still gets charged at 10%.

SAVE also has an excellent subsidy for borrowers who have unpaid interest each month.

Looking Into SAVE: SAVE introduces a few new rules, and some of them will not be available until July 1, 2024.

If you are considering any IDR plan, be sure to investigate the full details on the SAVE plan.

SAVE Calculator: Curious about SAVE payments?

Check out the new SAVE calculator to estimate monthly payments on SAVE.

Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR)

The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan is one of the most popular repayment plans. For a long period, the IBR plan was by far the best option for many borrowers. As time has passed, however, the government has created new programs such as PAYE and SAVE. This means that, while IBR might still be the preferred choice for some, it is no longer the slam dunk it used to be.

Before we get into the IBR specifics, it is essential to note that there are two forms of IBR: IBR for New Borrowers and the standard IBR plan. These two repayment plans work in the same manner, but there are three key differences. IBR for New Borrowers:

1. only charges 10% of discretionary income (standard IBR is 15%),
2. offers forgiveness after 20 years (standard IBR is 25), and
3. is only available to borrowers who started borrowing after July 1, 2014.

The IBR for New Borrowers plan is an excellent option, but many borrowers are not eligible for this repayment plan.

Today, the borrowers who might still want to opt for IBR would be those who desperately want to file their taxes separately from their spouses. IBR plans don’t include spousal income in the monthly payment calculations. Thus, IBR borrowers should be willing to pay 15% of their discretionary income and probably a higher tax bill.

Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR)

The Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan is much less desirable than the newer IDR plans. This is because ICR charges 20% of discretionary income and requires a full 25 years before student loan forgiveness is an option. ICR is an eligible repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness purposes.

However, ICR is still a good option for some borrowers because it is some borrowers’ only option. The most common example would be parents who borrowed PLUS loans. If these parents consolidate their PLUS loans into a federal direct consolidation loan, they can become eligible for ICR and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For many Parent PLUS loan borrowers, this is the best option.

FFEL Loans, PLUS Loans, and Perkins Loans

The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Perkins loan program were two very popular forms of student loans for several years. In 2010, Congress terminated the FFEL program and chose not to renew the Perkins Loan program in 2017. These two programs were unique in their funding structure. As a result, the government treats repayment of these loans somewhat differently than the standard federal direct loans. Although the PLUS loan program continues to this day, it also receives specialized treatment in repayment.

Borrowers with FFEL, PLUS, and Perkins loans should know that these loans may not be eligible for all repayment plans. They should also know that federal direct consolidation can often serve as a backdoor to make the debt eligible for the desired repayment plan. However, some of these loans can be toxic and destroy program eligibility. For example, including a PLUS loan made to a graduate student into a federal direct consolidation can make that loan eligible for SAVE. However, including a PLUS loan made to a parent into a federal direct consolidation makes the entire consolidated loan ineligible for SAVE.

We won’t be getting into the specific eligibility issue for these loan types, but borrowers with these loans should be aware of the potential problems. Handling these loans will require a bit more research and extra conversation with your student loan servicer.

Does My Spouse’s Income Count in Repayment Plan Calculations?

Being married can make federal student loan repayment a bit more complicated.

As a general rule, the Department of Education looks at a couple’s ability to pay the debt and calculates discretionary income for the couple rather than the individual. For married couples who both have federal student loans, this means that the math will get a little more tricky, but household spending on federal student loans will remain constant. When calculating payments, the Department of Education first ascertains the exact number it expects a couple to pay each month. The Department then determines the monthly amount owed based upon relative loan size.

For couples who both have federal student loans, the math might look like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Example both sign up for IBR. Based upon their latest tax return, the Department of Education determines that 15% of their combined income results in a $300 per month IBR payment. Mr. Example owes $40,000 on his student loans, while Mrs. Example owes $20,000. Because Mr. Example’s debt is double his wife’s, he will owe double the payment. Mr. Example will be charged $200 per month while Mrs. Example gets charged $100 per month. If Mr. and Mrs. Example had equal debt, they would each be expected to pay $150 per month. Filing taxes separately may not result in much savings; it just means the individual payments may be slightly different depending upon loan balances.

For couples with one spouse who has federal loans and one who does not, things get more tricky. This is because most IDR plans will calculate payments based upon their combined income rather than just the borrower’s income. The good news is that the couple can file their taxes separately to secure a lower payment on some repayment plans. The bad news is that by filing separately, the tax bill in April can be more expensive. For some couples, it makes more sense to file jointly and live with the higher monthly payment because the debt will have to be paid in full. For others, filing separately to get lower payments might make sense if the student loan borrower is chasing after student loan forgiveness.

How do I change Repayment Plans?

The easiest way to sign up for an IDR plan is to complete the application online.

Borrowers can use the Department of Education website to submit an Income-Driven Plan Request. The form takes just a few minutes to fill out, and most borrowers can have the IRS send their most recent tax return information directly to the Department of Education, making the process fast and straightforward. Other borrowers may have to manually submit recent pay stubs if they are not using a tax return.

IDR requests can take well over a month to be processed, so borrowers should not expect instant results on their application.

Is Deferment or a Forbearance an Option?

Borrowers who are struggling to repay their federal loans can opt to sign up for a deferment or forbearance. This usually isn’t the best strategy, however. When a borrower isn’t making payments towards their loans, the balance grows, and a difficult situation becomes even harder to manage.

In short, forbearance or deferment is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. These options may be helpful in some limited circumstances. But, most borrowers are better off by putting a plan in place to eliminate their debt rather than just delaying payments.

Opting for an income-driven repayment plan can mean $0 per month payments. What’s more, it starts the borrower on a path to forgiveness and debt freedom.

Refinancing with a Private Lender

Another option for federal student loan repayment is to refinance with a private lender.

This option carries major risks because the refinance process pays off old federal loans in full and creates new private loans. These new private loans don’t have the same great forgiveness programs or the flexibility afforded by income-driven repayment plans. Making things even riskier is the fact that there is no way to “undo” a student loan refinance. Once the federal loan is paid off, it can never come back.

The benefit is that borrowers can get dramatically reduced interest rates. Several lenders offer refinancing services, and they target borrowers with good jobs and a strong credit rating.

Weighing the risk vs. the reward on the refinancing decision can be tricky. We usually suggest borrowers hold off on refinancing until they are confident that they won’t ever need income-driven repayment or student loan forgiveness. At that point, it is time to check the current refinance rates to see if there are any potential savings available.

Which Federal Repayment Plan is the Best Option?

There are a variety of federal repayment plans, and there are specific circumstances where each repayment plan excels.

Many borrowers may find that one plan is best initially but change plans as their repayment situation evolves.

The most important thing for borrowers is to understand the options available so that they don’t miss out on any savings opportunities.

Still not sure which option is best? This IDR comparison article looks at specific circumstances where one plan is noticeably better than others.

The post Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan Options and Strategy appeared first on The Student Loan Sherpa.

Upon closer reflection, things are not so obvious. Twenty years of living with debt is a long time. Between taxes and interest payments, forgiveness might not be the best deal. A short sprint may be better than a long marathon.

Typically, when we discuss chasing student loan forgiveness versus repayment in full, it is in the context of public service loan forgiveness. Today, the discussion will focus on aggressive repayment and compare it to 20 or 25-year forgiveness from Income-Driven Repayment (IDR). We will also cover what borrowers stuck in the middle should do.

Student Loan Forgiveness Isn’t Free Money

Repaying some debt may sound preferable to repaying all of the debt, but it isn’t that simple.

The federal government has many IDR repayment plans. These plans include Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE). Forgiveness takes 20 or 25 years, depending upon the plan selected.

Another thing the IDR plans have in common is that they suffer from many of the same drawbacks for borrowers who wait for forgiveness instead of choosing to repay their loans.

Several factors can make chasing forgiveness expensive:

Federal Taxes – Student loan forgiveness can come with a huge tax bill. As a general rule, the IRS treats forgiven debt as income. Thus, if you have $50,000 of student debt forgiven, you may be taxed as though you earned an extra 50k that particular year. Some borrowers call this the student loan forgiveness tax bomb.

There have been calls for Congress to change this rule for student loans, and PSLF forgiveness is already tax-free. However, under the current law, IDR forgiveness borrowers need to prepare for a large tax bill.

Student Loan Interest – Letting a student loan linger for two decades means the loan has time to generate a lot of interest. In some cases, borrowers may spend much more chasing forgiveness than they would if they just repaid their loan. The Department of Education Student Loan Simulator is an excellent tool for evaluating the cost of forgiveness.

Attacking debt means the balance quickly shrinks. A shrinking balance means less interest generated each month. The cost of interest can tip the scales so that forgiveness is the more expensive strategy.

Making Too Much Money – File this in the category of good problems to have. Monthly payments on an income-driven repayment plan go up as you earn more money. At a certain point, you may make enough money that your monthly payments pay off the debt before reaching forgiveness. The borrowers who fall into this category would have been better off with aggressive repayment.

How Does Aggressive Repayment Work?

The idea behind aggressive repayment is that the sooner you repay your debt, the less you spend on interest.

Some people take it to the extreme and move back in with their parents, eat as cheaply as possible, and put every penny they have towards their debt.

While this approach can be effective, it clearly isn’t for everyone.

For most borrowers, aggressive repayment usually means paying extra each month or refinancing the debt at a lower interest rate. The big danger with refinancing is that it converts the federal debt into a private loan. This means federal perks like student loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment are gone forever.

However, refinancing may save a fortune in interest. At present, the following lenders are offering the best refinance rates:

Rank	Lender	Lowest Rate	Sherpa Review
T-1		4.86%	ELFI Review
T-1		4.86%*	Splash Financial Review
3		5.29%	Laurel Road Review

Due to the high stakes of the situation, borrowers must exercise care when making a decision.

Deciding Between IDR Forgiveness and Repaying Student Debt in Full

The cost of making a mistake may be high, but for many borrowers, the decision is surprisingly easy.

Sometimes the math will be clear. After running the Loan Simulator for your loans, you may see that even if your salary doubled, you will still have plenty of debt to forgive at the end. This makes chasing forgiveness a better choice. Alternatively, you may realize that there will be hardly anything to forgive after 20 or 25 years. In this case, repayment in full is likely the path to saving the most money.

Finally, there are circumstances where chasing forgiveness is the only reasonable choice:

• I will never be able to pay off my debt. If your student loan balance is so large that you have no meaningful chance of paying it back, chase forgiveness. There may be a large tax bill, and it may take decades, but you still have a viable path to debt freedom.
• I have concerns about job security. If a sluggish economy or negative performance review might leave you unemployed, forgiveness is probably the better option. The IDR plans were designed to protect borrowers who are unemployed or underemployed for extended periods of time.

Many other borrowers may not have an obvious decision.

Delaying the Decision on Chasing Forgiveness for 20-25 Years vs. Debt Elimination

When the best option isn’t apparent, a middle ground approach may be best.

The middle ground approach leaves the door open on forgiveness but prepares for repayment in full.

Borrowers should do the following:

1. Enroll in an Income-Driven Repayment plan and make payments as though they were chasing forgiveness.
2. Delay refinancing any federal loans. A private refinance eliminates the possibility of forgiveness.
3. Set aside some money each month for future payments. Building up a large emergency fund is an option.
4. Revisit the forgiveness vs. repayment decision at least once a year.

After a year in the middle ground, the right decision may be apparent. If you were able to set aside a ton of money for future payments, you might be ready for aggressive repayment. The money set aside can be used to start the attack.

If you were not able to save anything extra, attacking the debt might not be possible. Borrowers that decide to chase forgiveness can keep the money set aside to prepare for the tax bill that comes with student loan forgiveness.

The post Wait for IDR Forgiveness or Aggressively Repay Federal Student Loans? appeared first on The Student Loan Sherpa.