Federal Student Loan Debt Relief - 10/2022

Federal Student Loan Debt Relief is a new program that provides eligible borrowers with full or partial forgiveness of loans up to $20,000 to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to non-Pell Grant recipients.

Who Qualifies:

You may receive debt relief if you have eligible federal loans and meet the following income requirements (based on the Adjusted Gross Income on your IRS Form 1040):

  • Individuals who made less than $125,000 in 2021 or 2020
  • Families that made less than $250,000 in 2021 or 2020

Relief will be based on your loan balance before June 30, 2022. Any new loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2022, are not eligible for debt relief. Non-federal loans do not qualify for debt relief. For a complete list of types of loans that are eligible, click on the link in the “further information” section below.

When:

Applications are being accepted from October 2022 until December 31, 2023. The administration urges borrowers to apply before November 15, 2022, so that forgiveness can take effect before loan deadlines are scheduled to resume on December 31, 2022.

How:

Apply online here: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application

Once you submit your application, the Office of the US Department of Education will review it to confirm you are eligible for debt relief. They will contact you should they need more information. Your loan servicer will notify you when your relief has been processed.

Details:

  • Forgiveness cannot exceed your outstanding debt. For example, if you are eligible for $10,000 in forgiveness but only owe $8,000 on your loan, you will receive forgiveness for the remaining $8,000.
  • If you are unsure if you are a Pell grant recipient, you can check by logging into your FSA account at StudentAid.gov.
  • One-time student loan debt relief will not be taxed at the federal level.
  • If you have eligible federal student loans and meet the income requirements, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been actively repaying your loans, are in school, have a grace period, or are in default. You should apply in all these cases.

Further Information:

For additional information and answers to frequently asked questions, click here: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info