Are You Eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness?

Forty million indebted Americans are awaiting their financial fates after a federal appeals court temporarily halted President Joe Biden’s student-loan forgiveness program.

The online portal for the program has already seen 22 million applications. While its future is unclear, those eligible should be aware of its details.

How to Apply

The application to get your student loans forgiven is live online in both English and Spanish. You need to fill out basic information like your name, social security number, phone number and e-mail address. Its deadline for completion is Dec. 31, 2023.

There are eight million borrowers who already automatically qualify for relief, write Julia Carpenter and Gabriel T. Rubin for The Wall Street Journal.

While the Department of Education will be reaching out to them via e-mail, there is no guarantee that it could be you. It’s smart to apply online anyways, just to be safe.

But It Was Halted… So Now What? 

Even though the temporary stay was just implemented, applications are still encouraged. Federal Student Aid of the Department of Education says that they will continue to review applications. Its website says that there is no need to reapply and will “quickly process discharges” when able.  

Officials say that the applications might take several weeks to process, according to the Wall Street Journal.  

Eligibility  

Only graduates who have received federal loans, not private, are eligible for forgiveness. To qualify, individuals must make an income of $125,000 or less or have a household income of $250,000 or less. Pell Grant recipients can be forgiven up to $20,000. Everyone else can get up to $10,000.

Applicants will not be forgiven for any balances paid before March 13, 2020. However, payments remitted since that date are eligible for refund, according to Nerd Wallet.

Read more about student loan forgiveness eligibility in The Wall Street Journal.

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How do you know if you’re eligible for debt relief under President Biden’s plan?

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