Year 2022 turned out to be a high-profile year for student loans, with changes to repayment policies and a comprehensive one-time debt forgiveness plan.
But there are many unanswered questions regarding the student loan announcements. Some of these changes are yet to materialize, so we don’t yet know how, when, or if they will.
President Biden’s proposal to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for eligible borrowers and $20,000 for eligible Pell Grant recipients has been put on hold due to legal actions. Although 16 million borrowers have already been accepted into the plan, no debt will be forgiven unless the White House is successful in its legal challenge according to an article published by WITV on January 09, 2023.
The legal implications of Biden’s debt cancellation plan will determine when forbearance, the interest-free suspension of student loan payments that began in March 2020 ends.
However, Stanley Tate, a lawyer who focuses on student loans, advises borrowers who have been in repayment for at least 20 years to postpone any decisions until the new IDR waiver is applied to their accounts in July. Although borrowers can file bankruptcy cases now under the new rules, Tate advises that they do so cautiously.
According to Warner’s office, the Education Department is in possession of at least 13,000 joint consolidation loans. The law’s full implementation date, the application procedure, and the required paperwork are all unknowns at this time.