Student loan forgiveness: What you need to know under Trump’s new agreement

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If you’re paying back student loans, it's time to double-check your repayment plan. A recent agreement from the Trump administration is bringing back income-based student loan forgiveness, which means a changed landscape for payback plans. This is great news for individuals who have been anticipating having their student loans forgiven this year, according to Upjohn Institute Senior Economist Brad Hershbein. “Everything has kind of been on pause,” Hershbein said. “You didn’t know if your debt was going to get forgiven as it was winding its way through the courts.” Under the new federal agreement, the majority of income-based student loan repayment plans are being reinstated, with future plans to consolidate them into a simplified, one-plan approach. Except, anyone enrolled in the “SAVE” plan, established by former President Joe Biden, which according to Hershbein makes up about 60% of all borrowers, will not have their debt automatically forgiven. Hershbein told News Channel 3 that those under the "SAVE" plan will need to take immediate steps in order to keep their eligibility for debt forgiveness. “If you’re in that plan, your debt will not be automatically forgiven,” Hershbein said. “You have to proactively transfer to one of the other income-driven repayment plans in order to qualify.” That change affects an estimated 7.7 million people nationwide, with a collective $430 billion in student loans, under the "SAVE" plan. In Michigan alone, an estimated 400,000 borrowers are enrolled in the "SAVE" plan, according to Hershbein. Hershbein said that while the Trump administration's goal is to consolidate the system into one simplified repayment plan in the coming year, those transitions may not happen automatically. With the ongoing government shutdown and uncertainty around the U.S. Department of Education, he said even many loan servicers are waiting for clarity. “It’s unclear whether that’s going to happen automatically (or) if students are going to have to contact their lenders and apply for this,” Hershbein said. “A lot of those rules would normally still be being written, but the Education Department isn’t operating right now.” Read: https://wwmt.com/news/local/student-loan-forgiveness-what-you-need-to-know-under-trumps-new-agreement _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WWMT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wwmtnews WWMT on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wwmtnews Subscribe to WWMT on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAYwomlsmN0DsPeeumEKFXg/?sub_confirmation=1 WWMT Daily News Digest: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-oNVYSgKM8IBYJOY5M-p37vKcILekLNz For more information, visit https://www.wwmt.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 800.875.3333 WWMT is a MI based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WWMT #NEWSCHANNEL3 #Kalamazoo #Michigan #Trump #StudentLoans #Forgiveness #Repayment #Loans #Education #University #College #loanforgiveness #TrumpAdministration #SAVE #AbigailTaylor #Economy #HigherEducation