How to fill out the student loan forgiveness application
The student loan forgiveness application is now available. Here's how to fill it out to get up to $20,000 of debt forgiven.
Those with federal student loan debt can now officially start applying for forgiveness. It’s simple, it’s easy and it should take you less than 30 seconds to complete — not bad considering it’s the first step to cancelling between $10,000 and $20,000 of student debt.
Last Friday, a beta version of the application was released to to test the process and make improvements before the application was made more broadly available on Monday. Over the weekend, 8 million people applied for forgiveness. A total of 40 million student loan borrowers are eligible. Here’s a breakdown on eligibility.
Those who submitted their application during beta testing will not have to resubmit the application and, if eligible, their debt relief will start processing now.
How to fill out the application
Go to studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application. Here you will find the application and a quick rundown of the eligibility requirements and how it works. The Education Department has been warning people about scammers, so be sure to apply directly through this official online application portal — do not go through any third party company.
You won’t need to log-in with your FSA ID or provide any official documents. All you need is:
Full name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Phone number
Email
The Department of Education will use this information to verify your income on your 2020 or 2021 tax returns, and make sure you’re eligible for the one-time student loan forgiveness. Quick reminder: To qualify, annual income must be $125,000 or less for individuals, and $250,000 or less for married couples who file their taxes jointly.
Here’s a breakdown of how the process works.
Important student loan forgiveness deadlines
Here are some key dates to keep in mind now that the application is live:
Nov. 15, 2022: Recommended Deadline to Apply (to receive forgiveness before student loan repayments resume in January)
Dec. 31, 2023: Application Closes
After you submit the application
Once you click “Submit” on the application page, a confirmation receipt will pop-up. You’ll also receive the same confirmation receipt to the email you provided in the application.
For now, you can sigh in relief as your information has been submitted and you won’t have to resubmit, according to the Department of Education.
When can I expect to see relief?
The Education Department recommends submitting your application by Nov. 15 to receive forgiveness before student loan payments resume in January. Once you submit your application, you can expect relief within 4-6 weeks if approved.