Borrowers can automatically cancel their student loan debt after 2 weeks

How legal challenges to President Joe Biden’s plan forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt continue in the courts, the White House continues to call on eligible borrowers file debt collection lawsuits. After the recent court decision to suspend one-time student debt relief, White House press secretary Karyn Jean-Pierre announced that “the temporary order does not prevent borrowers from applying for student debt relief at studentaid.gov.”

While most of the 40 million borrowers who qualify for one-time student loan debt relief will have to apply online, others will receive student loan debt relief without doing anything. Federal debt default could happen automatically for about 8 million Americans as early as November 14.

October 18 Department of Education sent to e-mail those people who will receive debt forgiveness automatically. The message reads: “We will work with your service provider to process any benefits you are entitled to after November 14 unless you opt out. If you want us to start processing your aid sooner, you can apply now. Borrowers who do not want to receive any student loan debt relief should contact their credit servicer by November 14 for exclusion purposes.

Find out which borrowers will have their student loan debt automatically canceled without having to apply and how the process works. To learn more about student loan debt relief, learn more will your forgiveness be taxable by your state and How debt forgiveness can affect your credit score.

Who Gets Automatic Student Loan Debt Relief?

Borrowers whose income data is already available to the federal government will not need to apply for student loan debt forgiveness, the Biden administration said. Because the Department of Education can use the information it has to verify the income eligibility of these borrowers, it will work with loan services to automatically write off $10,000 or $20,000.

The largest group of borrowers who have income data submitted to the department income-driven repayment programs. These plans allow those with student loans to pay off their debt by paying a fixed monthly amount based on their income, usually over 20 to 25 years.

To cancel student loan debt, members of IDR plans must re-verify their income for 2020 or 2021.

Other borrowers who can count on automatic student loan debt relief are those who have applied FAFSA — Free application for student aid — for the 2022-2023 academic year. Income data included in the application will be used to determine the amount of student loan debt.

The Department of Education says all borrowers eligible for automatic student loan debt relief will receive an email explaining that they do not need to apply and the option to opt out of student loan debt forgiveness. If you have a Federal Student Aid account and have text notifications turned on, you will receive a text message with similar information.

If I have income registered with the government, should I still apply for student debt relief?

yes. Even if you received an email from the department explaining that your debt will be canceled automatically, there is nothing wrong with applying for debt forgiveness.

This student loan debt relief program is still new and there is a risk of glitches and errors. Applying for debt relief, even if you expect to receive it automatically, shouldn’t have a negative impact.

The student loan debt relief application form very short and can be done in two minutes. All you need to enter is your name, social security number, date of birth, email address and phone number, and a signed statement that you are eligible for benefits.

How do I know if I’m eligible for student debt relief?

All borrowers with federal student loans are eligible for $10,000 forgiveness if they earned less than $125,000 in 2020 or 2021 as a single taxpayer or $250,000 as a head of household or married filing together. Eligible borrowers who received Pell Grants can receive another $10,000 in aid to eliminate a total of $20,000 in debt.

If you’re not sure of your exact income in 2020 and 2021 and you filed a federal tax return in those years, you can easily find your income on your tax returns using free online IRS calculator.

To learn more about student loans, learn how teachers and other government employees can erase all student debt with Loan forgiveness for government services program.