{"id":41264,"date":"2026-02-17T20:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=41264"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:23:10","slug":"student-loan-forgiveness-eligibility-reaches-more-borrowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=41264","title":{"rendered":"Student loan forgiveness eligibility reaches more borrowers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"RegularArticle-ArticleBody-5\" data-module=\"ArticleBody\" data-test=\"articleBody-2\" data-analytics=\"RegularArticle-articleBody-5-2\"><span class=\"HighlightShare-hidden\" style=\"top:0;left:0\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"InlineImage-imageEmbed\" id=\"ArticleBody-InlineImage-108167611\" data-test=\"InlineImage\">\n<div class=\"InlineImage-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Andreypopov | Istock | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/donald-trump\/\">Trump administration<\/a> has identified more than 40,000 borrowers eligible for federal student loan forgiveness in January, a recent court filing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69753739\/61\/american-federation-of-teachers-v-us-department-of-education\/\" target=\"_blank\">revealed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>More than 10,800 of the borrowers who qualified for the debt cancellation were enrolled in the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/repayment\/plans\/income-driven\" target=\"_blank\">Income-Based Repayment Plan<\/a>; another over 10,700 were in the <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/repayment\/plans\/income-driven\" target=\"_blank\">Income-Contingent Repayment Plan<\/a>; and 820 borrowers were enrolled in the <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/repayment\/plans\/income-driven\" target=\"_blank\">Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Those three programs are all known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/08\/28\/student-loan-repayment-plan-changes.html\">income-driven repayment plans<\/a>. IDRs limit a borrower\u2019s monthly bill to a share of their discretionary income and cancel any remaining debt after a certain period, typically 20 or 25 years. <\/p>\n<p>Another 18,160 federal student loan borrowers had their debts cancelled in January through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the Education Department said in its recent court filing. Signed into law in 2007 by President George W. Bush, PSLF offers debt cancellation to those who\u2019ve worked for 10 years at certain not-for-profit organizations or the federal government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-relatedContent\" id=\"RegularArticle-RelatedContent-1\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-container\">\n<div class=\"RelatedContent-nonCollapsibleContent\">\n<h2 id=\"read-more-cnbc-personal-finance-coverage\" class=\"RelatedContent-header\">Read more CNBC personal finance coverage<\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/16\/student-loan-parent-plus-forgiveness.html\">Parents with student debt face deadline to secure affordable repayment, forgiveness<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/15\/emergency-savings-401ks.html\">Secure 2.0 let employers pair emergency savings and 401(k)s, but few have done so<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/14\/home-sellers-start-getting-lower-prices-at-70-research-shows.html\">Home sellers start getting lower prices at 70, research shows \u2014 here\u2019s why<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/average-tax-refund-early-irs-data.html\">Average IRS tax refund is up 10.9% so far this season, early filing data shows<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/social-security-cola-2027-early-estimates.html\">Early estimates point to lower Social Security COLA for 2027<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/social-security-fairness-act-lump-sum-payment-timeline.html\">Senators call for longer Social Security Fairness Act lump-sum payment timeline<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/heres-the-inflation-breakdown-for-january-2026-in-one-chart.html\">Here\u2019s the inflation breakdown for January 2026 \u2014 in one chart<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/average-tax-refund.html\">Average tax refund is up 22%, Bessent says \u2014 what filers can expect this season<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/13\/k-shaped-economy-middle-class-spending.html\">K-shaped economy looks like \u2018jaws of a crocodile,\u2019 economist says: Here\u2019s why<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/12\/epa-endangerment-finding-repeal.html\">How EPA \u2018endangerment finding\u2019 repeal could impact your wallet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/12\/medical-debt-bankruptcy.html\">Medical emergencies can lead to debt and bankruptcy \u2014 even for insured Americans<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/12\/tax-return-audit-key-tax-forms.html\">Bigger tax refunds may be coming \u2014 but missing key forms could risk an audit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/11\/social-security-fairness-act-taxes.html\">How Social Security Fairness Act payments may affect beneficiaries\u2019 taxes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/10\/new-york-fed-credit-card-debt-tops-1point28-trillion.html\">Credit card debt tops $1.28 trillion, consistent with \u2018K-shaped\u2019 economy: NY Fed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/10\/affordability-led-to-a-chasm-between-stock-prices-consumer-optimism.html\">How affordability led to a chasm between stock prices, consumer optimism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/09\/cfpb-student-loan-complaints.html\">Student loan complaints at record high, CFPB finds, but agency omits details<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/10\/01\/best-financial-advisors.html\">CNBC\u2019s Financial Advisor 100: Best financial advisors, top firms ranked<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>The January numbers suggest the Trump administration is increasing its efforts to ease the financial burden of student loan debt.<\/p>\n<p>Amid a barrage of recent changes to the federal lending system and sweeping layoffs at the Education Department in March, many student loan holders have struggled to access the loan-forgiveness opportunities available under their borrowing terms. <\/p>\n<p>More than 42 million Americans hold student loans, with total outstanding debt exceeding\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/crs-product\/IF10158#:~:text=Nearly%2043%20million%20individuals%E2%80%94one,portfolio%20now%20exceeds%20%241.6%20trillion.\" target=\"_blank\">$1.6 trillion<\/a>, according to the Congressional Research Service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>Education Department officials agreed to share status updates on the processing of student loan discharges as part of an October settlement with the American Federation of Teachers, a teachers\u2019 union representing some 1.8 million members. The AFT sued the Trump administration last year, accusing officials of denying student loan borrowers their legal rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks to our lawsuit, 20,000 more teachers, nurses, firefighters and public service workers finally got their debt discharged,\u201d said AFT president Randi Weingarten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"golden-emails-on-student-loan-forgiveness\" class=\"ArticleBody-subtitle\"><a id=\"headline0\"\/>\u2018Golden emails\u2019 on student loan forgiveness <\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>The borrowers deemed eligible for IDR forgiveness in January have not yet had their debts discharged, Education Department officials said in the court filing. The department usually provides borrowers with a short period to opt out of the debt cancellation. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese people should be getting their notices in February,\u201d said Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn fact, we have several clients who got the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/StudentLoans\/comments\/1r34ozc\/is_this_the_golden_email\/\" target=\"_blank\">golden email<\/a>\u2018 this month,\u201d Nierman said, referencing the term some borrowers use to describe the Education Department electronic message confirming their debt cancellation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"backlog-remains-for-affordable-repayment-plans\" class=\"ArticleBody-subtitle\"><a id=\"headline1\"\/>Backlog remains for affordable repayment plans <\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>More than 626,000 federal student loan holders remain stuck in a backlog of applications for an affordable repayment plan, the Education Department reported. Many borrowers rely on IDR plans in order to afford their monthly payments, consumer advocates say.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Education Department has made progress on processing the applications: Approximately 734,000 requests\u00a0were pending in December, compared with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69753739\/39\/american-federation-of-teachers-v-us-department-of-education\/\" target=\"_blank\">nearly 1.4 million<\/a>\u00a0in July. <\/p>\n<p>However, the PSLF buyback pileup continues to grow, with more than 86,520 borrowers in the queue in January, <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/forgiveness-cancellation\/public-service\/public-service-loan-forgiveness-buyback?os=f&amp;amp;ref=app\" target=\"_blank\">up from <\/a>83,370 in December and 80,210 in November. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/forgiveness-cancellation\/public-service\/public-service-loan-forgiveness-buyback?os=f&amp;amp;ref=app\" target=\"_blank\">The buyback<\/a>\u00a0option allows borrowers pursuing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/forgiveness-cancellation\/public-service\" target=\"_blank\">PSLF<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/08\/15\/public-service-loan-forgiveness-buyback-has-a-72730-person-backlog.html\">retroactively pay<\/a>\u00a0for any months they missed because of a forbearance or deferment, accelerating their timeline to forgiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Education Department said in January it had approved 1,980 buyback applications. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/17\/student-loan-forgiveness-eligibility-reaches-more-borrowers-.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andreypopov | Istock | Getty Images The Trump administration has identified more than 40,000 borrowers eligible for federal&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":41265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-investing","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}