There is no longer an application to apply to. If you were previously applied, you may need to reapply if and when a new program is introduced.

Undergraduate loans, graduate loans and Parent PLUS loans managed by the Department of Education are all eligible. The student loan forgiveness plan only applies to federal student loans.  Private student loans are not eligible for forgiveness, even if they began as federal loans. If you’re unsure what type of loans you have, contact your loan servicer.

https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info.

These are the following types of federal student loans disbursed on/before June 30,2022 that 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)

Yes. Many borrowers kept paying off their federal student loans during the payment pause because, with interest also paused, it was the perfect time to reduce their debts. These borrowers need not worry: They can still benefit from Student loan forgiveness plan, even if they paid off their student loans during the pause.

According to the Education Department’s office of Federal Student Aid, “You can get a refund for any payment (including auto-debit payments) you make during the payment pause (beginning March 13, 2020). Contact your loan servicer to request that your payment be refunded.”

No. Private (non-federal) loans are not eligible for debt relief. If you consolidate federal loans into a private (non-federal) loan, the consolidated private loan is not eligible for debt relief.

Either 2020 or 2021 must meet the loan forgiveness income requirements (less than $125,000 a year for an individual, or less than $250,000 a year for couples) in order for that borrower to qualify for loan forgiveness. More information can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.  

If you already paid off your student loans before the COVID-19 pandemic, you won’t receive a refund for those payments.

Yes. All ED-held loans, including PLUS loans for parents and graduate students, are eligible for relief.

The Federal Aid Forms are available online and in paper form (downloadable via PDF) in English and Spanish. 

If you do not have internet access or need a paper version of the application, you can download a PDF copy of the Federal Aid Forms, print it, fill it out, and mail it to our fulfillment center as described on the application.

If you need help filling out any of the forms, you can reach the Federal Student Aid contact center. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, you can get help from their contact center through chat or email. You can also contact us using a Video Relay Service. If you speak a language other than English, their contact center provides support for over 100 common languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and French.

If you’re an American living outside the United States, you can access the Debt Relief Application without having to use a virtual private network (VPN). If you have any issues accessing the form while abroad, please reach out to their contact center.

No. If a student received a Pell Grant, up to $20,000 in debt relief will be applied to the student’s loans—not to any loans their parents may have taken out.

Canceled debt is generally taxable, but student loans that are forgiven will be exempt from federal income tax because of a provision in the government’s 2021 American Rescue Plan. The provision prevents taxation on student loans forgiven through 2025. States likely won’t impose taxes, but details are still developing.

It’s important to beware of scams. The federal Student Loan Debt Relief program sends emails to borrowers only from the following addresses: noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov, or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. If you receive emails from other, or similar email addresses, take caution as it may be a scam.

You could potentially 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 federal student aid. For more information visit the Federal Student Loan website 

Yes.  The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program helps student loan borrowers working in nonprofit or government jobs by forgiving the remaining balance on your loans after you have made 10 years of qualifying payments. For specific instructional videos on Public Service Loan Forgiveness go to the Student Borrower Protection Center website.