Last updated: 11-10-22
Previous updates: 9-29-22, 10-4-22, 10-12-22, 10-17-22, 10-18-22, 10-20-22
Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan
On August 24, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a Student Debt Relief Plan that includes one-time student loan debt relief targeted to low- and middle-income families. This webpage contains additional information, as outlined by the Department of Education, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.
As of November 10, 2022, Student Loan Debt Relief Is Blocked:
The courts have issued orders blocking Biden’s student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, the Department of Education is not accepting applications. The Biden administration is seeking to overturn those orders. They (Dept. of Education) will hold your application if you've already applied.
To get the most up to date information regarding the debt relief program, subscribe to the Department of Educations subscriptions here: https://www.ed.gov/subscriptions
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As of October 17, 2022, the online application for Student Loan Debt Relief is officially available. You will have until December 31, 2022, to submit your application. Please review the information below and visit the Department of Education's Frequently Asked Questions page to find out more information on the one-time federal student loan debt relief program.
Who is eligible? Which loans are eligible?
You may receive debt relief if you have eligible federal loans and your annual federal income for 2020 or 2021 was either:
- • Less than $125,000 (individual or married, filing separately)
- • Less than $250,000 (married, filing jointly or head of household)
Note: If you are a dependent student, your eligibility is based on your parental income.
The following types of federal student loans disbursed (when you received your loan funds) on or before June 30, 2022, are eligible for relief:
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans
- Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans held by ED or in default at a guaranty agency
- Federal Perkins Loan Program loans held by ED
- Defaulted loans (includes ED-held or commercially serviced Subsidized Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, parent PLUS, graduate PLUS; and Perkins loans held by ED)
This means that subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, parent PLUS loans, and graduate PLUS loans held by ED are eligible. Consolidation loans are also eligible for relief, as long as all of the underlying loans that were consolidated were ED-held loans and were disbursed on or before June 30, 2022. Private loans (i.e., non-federal loans) are not eligible for debt relief.
Please visit the
Department of Education's Frequently Asked Questions page for full eligibility information.
What you might be eligible for:
If you meet the income requirements and have eligible loans, the amount of your debt relief will depend on your outstanding balance and whether you received a federal Pell Grant:
- • Up to $20,000* in debt relief if you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold
- • Up to $10,000* in debt relief if you didn’t receive a Pell Grant and meet the income threshold
*If your outstanding loan balance is less than the maximum amount of debt relief you're eligible for, you'll receive relief only of your full loan balance.
Most borrowers can log in to StudentAid.gov to see if they received a Pell Grant. The Department of Education displays information about the aid you received, including Pell Grants, on your account dashboard and your "My Aid" pages. If you received a Pell Grant prior to 1994, that information won't display in StudentAid.gov, but the Department of Education has all Pell Grant data and will make sure that all Pell Grant recipients receive the full benefit.
How it works:
On October 17, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education officially launched the online application for Student Loan Debt Relief. You will have until December 31, 2022, to submit your application. The Department of Education recommends borrowers submit their application by November 15, 2022, to receive relief before the pause on student loan repayment ends.
The application is available via desktop and mobile, in both English and Spanish. Borrowers will need to provide their name, date of birth, Social Security number, email, and phone number and self-certify their income through a checkbox feature in the application. No supporting documents* or FSA ID will be needed.
Once you submit your application, the Department of Education will review it, determine your eligibility for debt relief, and work with your loan servicer(s) to process your relief. The Department of Education will contact you if they need any additional information from you.
*Borrowers will need to sign an agreement that if requested, they'll provide proof of income to the Department of Education. If a borrower fails to provide proof of income, if requested, or if a borrower's income does not qualify for federal student loan debt relief, the relief will not be processed.
What’s next?
Be sure to visit the Department of Education's Frequently Asked Questions page to find out more information on the student debt relief program.
Here's what you can do to get ready and to make sure you get updates directly from the Department of Education:
Beware of Scams!
You might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid. Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education and their loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone.
The Department of Education's emails to borrowers come from noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. Additionally, the application site will have a ".gov" address.
You can report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-382-4357 or visit reportfraud.ftc.gov.