Should You Do Anything Right Now About Your Student Loans?

The student loan landscape is a mess — uncertainty, delays, conflicting headlines, and a whole lot of anxiety. Should you switch repayment plans? Are you eligible for PAYE? And how could political changes impact Grad PLUS loans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)? We’re answering real borrower questions and sharing practical steps you can take right now so you don’t get caught off guard by sudden changes. If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just unsure of your next step, this episode is for you.

Key moments:
00:00 Introduction
06:08 Should you switch to a new IDR plan or stick with SAVE?
13:19 Could an executive order eliminate Grad PLUS loans?
19:32 Can DOGE change access to PSLF or IDR forgiveness?
25:23 Taking time off for kids? Here’s how to manage student loan repayment during career breaks
32:43 What to expect with student loans and income recertification

#StudentLoanPlanner #StudentLoans #Trump #ElonMusk

[mike]

Very scary times with this new administration thank you for keeping borrowers informed

[hellyan]

I just went on to student aid website and the applications for IBR are not available due to the court injunctions

[Ultrajamz]

I actually did not switch from paye to save because I knew this mess was coming, did not want the added uncertainty.

[jenniferpipe]

I left non profit last march with 11 months left on pslf or so I thought. I learned very recently that I had uncertified qualifying payments from working at another non profit prior to graduation. I got the notification the employment period was eligible today! Everything is processing I stumbled upon your channel and listening to it now. Hopefully this worked out just in time for me given everything going on right now. They say it takes 90 days to process.

[tn]

I took the proactive step of permanently moving to Mexico.

[Mariasanchezz]

I switched to IBR to get credit for the months for forgiveness.

[esjqyyl]

What's going on with IDR adjustment. Does the credit we have from SAVE gets transferred over to IBR?

[Vanya]

I applied for IBR and am waiting for them to process it.

[robleyanne]

I was at 95/120 payments towards my PSLF with expected forgiveness in March of 2027. I logged in this morning and they took away 2 of my payments so I’m at 93/120 with estimated forgiveness in May 2027. 😡😤 I am soooo ticked off.

[lilrosetattoo]

I’m 20 payments away from PSLF forgiveness. I printed out my current count from student aid. I printed out my promissory notes so I have records of my loan in case the websites go down for whatever reason. Keep good records guys. Cover yourselves.

[kdcrenshaw]

PSLF, automatically switched to SAVE because I was REPAYE. Now I don’t know what to do with just 29 payments left. I have to put off retirement from public school now to take care of these 29 months.
I don’t know if I should switch to something else or wait it out. 😩

[WorldviewSolutions]

Is double consolidation still an option?

[abmgangkaedan]

Hi what's going on with the Icr repayment plan? I'm 2 payments away from Pslf on and Icr payment plan and now worried

[allkindsamusicchick]

Parent Plus Loans that are 16 years old. They are too high per monthly. What is available to me?

[Chrispitos]

If I wait it out, and buy back months in 5 years when I am due for PSLF. Will they use my new income (it will be a lot higher in 5 years as I’ll be out of residency an be a doctor) or will they use my income of when the months happened?

[jenniferwinstead]

I didn’t know that my parents plus loan was due and missed 3 payments so my credit dropped 120 points that’s what alerted me. I logged in and requested forbearance while I figured it out. What are my options?

[TRCAdventures]

Great episode.
I'm struggling to figure out what if anything I can do with my parent + loans I took out for my son over the last 4 years, 100k 8n loans, they are currently in deferment while my son looks for a job and continues taking courses. I am retired at 60 years old with no income, and my wife is still working with a good income. Living in CA, USA
My son had agreed to reply the loans, but this is looking to be in question at the moment.
Can I qualify for an IDR if we file taxes separately?
Do i need to consolidate the loans?
We currently file taxes jointly and I'm looking at filing 2024 now.
Looking for guidance

Thanks

[criticaloptimist]

I swear I was on paye and my loans originated 03-08, and my consolidation was 2010. I also swear I was just reading that if I got into save they’d roll me back to paye. Idk it’s been like five years since I’ve even made a payment, so I really don’t remember.

Regarding mohela: I wasn’t seeing my payment history from mohela took over my payments on my mohela account, and nothing was on my fed account. I wasted an hour on hold with mohela with no answer. I logged in like a week ago and it was all there. The info might not be loaded yet. But once I could see my info, I printed every screen of my payment history (there was no way to export it). But I don’t trust either the Feds or mohela to properly document my qualifying payments at this point.

[ludovicusclericus]

Can't blame servicers for moving slow until they receive direct instructions from the current Dept. of Education--or whatever becomes of it.

[amandawhitfield]

What if I have q6 payments left until pslf, I plan to buyback 7 of those leaving 9. I have the qualifying time for employment already but need the payments. Do my payment months have to match my employment months? Can I file for the buyback and switch off save to a new plan to make a lump sum for the remaining 9 months?