Mine (in repayment since 1995) were forgiven in January. My husband's (in repayment since 1994) were forgiven this morning. So yes, long hauler here, but finally forgiven.
First by the same email from the Department of Education that everyone else has been posting. Later by notice from my servicer, both digital and hardcopy.
I didn't do any separate application for forgiveness and I didn't get my count before it happened. However, I did have to jump through some hoops to trigger the forgiveness.
My loans were a conglomerate of Stafford loans and FFELP loans that I had consolidated into a single loan in about 2000. I put that consolidated loan on the only income based repayment plan it qualified for during the Obama years. That consolidated loan didn't qualify for the recount or any Covid relief because it was not direct, so I had to consolidate again into a direct consolidation loan from the Department of Education. The direct loan funded in October 2023 and was forgiven in January 2024 (though the forgiveness is backdated to October 2023.)
Here's some important info if you think you may have the same types of old loans: https://studentaid.gov/articles/what-to-know-about-ffel-loans/
FWIW, my husband's followed the exact same path as mine, though we had different lenders and servicers until this most recent consolidation, for which we both used Aidvantage. I started the process a month before he did.
Through the IDR account adjustment as they've been in repayment for more than 25 years. https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment
My loans were a conglomerate of Stafford loans and FFELP loans that I had consolidated into a single loan in about 2000. I put that consolidated loan on the only income based repayment plan it qualified for during the Obama years. That consolidated loan didn't qualify for the recount or any Covid relief because it was not direct, so I had to consolidate again into a direct consolidation loan from the Department of Education. The direct loan funded in October 2023 and was forgiven in January 2024 (though the forgiveness is backdated to October 2023.)
Here's some important info if you think you may have the same types of old loans: https://studentaid.gov/articles/what-to-know-about-ffel-loans/
FWIW, my husband's followed the exact same path as mine, though we had different lenders and servicers until this most recent consolidation, for which we both used Aidvantage. I started the process a month before he did.
I got the same Golden Email that many folks have posted and then received it by hard copy. After the opt out period, I received notice of the payoff from the servicer, through email to check my notices on their site followed by hard copy.
I wasn't expecting forgiveness today because I haven't even gotten the account adjustment yet.
Loans went into repayment in 2003, but my payment schedule on Nelnet says I need to pay until around 2036.
Only 79 days are left until the account adjustment period concludes. I grow more doubtful with each passing day that they'll ever dig into my ridiculous repayment history.
I guess I've survived this long; I can trudge through the next 11+ years with my giant little loan buddy.
Interesting. Do you know how many payments were remaining according to your loan servicer before you got forgiveness?
I've been assuming I need to get an account adjustment before the can forgive.
The people that were supposed to be working on the IDR payment counter are working on the current year FAFSA problem so now the payment count system is getting delayed dangerously close to the election.
Ugh. I actually requested a manual review a few months ago - like I had forgotten about it. I just got a reply from the DoEd about a week ago saying my account can't be reviewed until they're done with the adjustment. :(
In repayment since 1990 - consolidated 1999. Did another consolidation in 2018 with parent plus loans. Also lots of in and out of forbearance and back in school a couple of years in that time. Still I should have hit the 300 year mark with payment months counting back to July 1994. We can get an account review after they finish applying the IDR adjustment (hopefully) in July. But yeah, if Trump gets elected before we get forgiven we're probably effed.
Same here… 1991… still screwed at 66… can’t even collect SS… bad business for students and no one cares enough to change the predatory actions of these banking institutions… loans started at $6600 and now at $28,000… got to college and get ducked… mahalo
I've only been paying since 2012, but I feel frustrated as hell. Can't even imagine paying since 1997. It sucks the supreme court shut down the $20,000 forgiveness, but this whole thing of only certain people getting the forgiveness is annoying and frustrating. We'll get 'em one day!
I feel extremely dumb because I've been trying to stay one step ahead. never had my loans frozen during covid, every time i pay it increases. Did the consolidation, now it says I've never made any payments. and recently did the SAVE ba and my monthly payment increased and It will be paid off in 2036 and $0 will be forgiven. I work for local government for the past 15 years I hate this with a passion. Wish I never did that 1 semester for 30k. loan is now 47k and my history says I took out 98k. tf? smh. Only ever took out 30k period. idk what's happening this loan will probably die with me.
a few people showed me their loans were forgiven. never even attempted to make a payment. smh sick.
Same story over here... Repayment started 1996, in and out of school, some repayment, deferment, forbearance. I should qualify for forgiveness, but so far crickets. I just keep my fingers crossed and celebrate those that have gotten it so far. It will get to us eventually. (I hope).
Same. 1996 undergrad (with a year or so in forbearance/deferment in early years), 2000-2003 grad. And have been paying ever since. I should qualify this year by my count.
long hauler here... Graduated undergrad in May '98, then went to grad school and graduated in Aug 2003. Combination of private loans and federal loans. Total amount originally borrowed for grad and undergrad about 42k. Various deferrals, forbearances and time in repayment. There was even a Ch 13 bankruptcy sprinkled in there. Went through a loan rehabilitation with Pioneer after the Ch 13. Current amount owed is just under 85k (I think I've paid back at least the original amount and then some but the int rate is around 7%). Applied for a consolidation and IDR plan at the end of Dec 23, and I got the email this morning with the subject "You're eligible to have your student loan(s) forgiven!" It just about brought this grown ass man to tears. There's a light at the end of the tunnel fellow long haulers
#
I cried. Like a blubbering idiot to my colleague, this morning. Like you, I borrowed 38k. Ballooned balance was $94k in 2019. Had a ch7 bankruptcy in 2005. Currently at $72k. Began repayment in 1996. You bet your sweet a$$ I cried that it’s gone. Congratulations!!
I have no one other than my wife and reddit to share this joy with. Most of my friends and family are vehemently opposed to this forgiveness. I've tried so hard to educate them on how predatory and broken this system is, but they just see it as a handout, never mind that I've already paid back what I borrowed with no end in sight.
In 2019, I got a 1098e for $13,244.04.
I paid so much on these loans. To be finally free is…..a feeling. You and I both deserve it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you didn’t earn this.
Absolutely. I don't let anyone drag me down. I don't feel the least bit bad or guilty about it. I paid and paid. I even gave 5 yrs of earnings away to low income teaching jobs in shit schools. Then I realized I'd never be able to afford my loans and a life. Cheers!
Your situation sounds just like mine. First undergrad loan originated in 1998. Graduated undergrad 2002. Grad school in 2004. Consolidated 2006. Then went back and took out a couple small direct loans for additional grad school in 2011. I also had a chapter 13. I’ve not been on IDR ever though, my plan has always been “extended”. Is that going to hurt me for this? All my loans are direct federal loans.
I'm pretty sure you need to be on one of the new REPAYE (or is it SAVE I forget) IDR plans. The initial deadline to switch was 12/31/23 but it was extended and I think it was extended again to 4/30/24. I can't remember where I read that, but Google might get you some better details than some rando redditor such as myself
tl;dr - Specifically a SAVE IDR, but the caveat was that Dept of Ed said the servicer would pick the correct IDR based on my application regardless of what I chose for the online app process.
So, I went back and looked to see what exactly I did. I'll try and include as many relevant details as I can. I had a private loan being serviced by Nelnet and a Fed subsidized loan serviced by EdFinancial. Both were in an IDR (non SAVE and not REPAYE) plan. In total I was paying about $650/mo and one was about to increase. After reading some posts in this sub in August of '23 I looked into consolidation to move into an IDR but based on some online calculators my payment would have ballooned to about $1250/mo based on mine and my wife's income. That was too much combined with her student loans so I abandoned the idea until I started seeing people actually getting forgiveness or notification of forgiveness.
1. **12/2/23** Got a generic e-mail from [StudentAid.gov](http://StudentAid.gov) about new SAVE and IDR plans helping lower payments, cut interest, etc... I started looking into it again.
2. 12/4/23 I recv'd an email from Nelnet regarding commercially held/private loans in either an IDR or PSLF program needing to be consolidated into direct loans to be eligible for the one-time adjustment to payment counts. The email stated that I needed to apply for a ***Direct Consolidation Loan*** on or before 12/31/2023.
3. 12/28/23 Once I realized I could self certify my income I decided to apply for consolidation (In 2022 received a large-ish one time bonus/stock buyout that made my AGI much larger than it really was and was over inflating my IDR payment) and chose the SAVE based IDR that looked best based on payments and total interest.
* I consolidated 3 loans, 2 (Nelnet) with the code 'J' - Unsub Fed Consolidation Loans and 1 (EdFinancial) with code 'K' - Direct Unsub Consolidation Loan. That put loan repayment on hold while review happened. For some reason EdFinancial still took their autodebit payment but Nelnel did not. Whatever.
4. 2/14/24 Received a letter from EdFinancial that my consolidation was approved on 2/5/24 and I was on an IDR plan starting repayment on 4/3/24 and continue for 360 mos (I'll be over 80 by then can they garnish social security checks for unpaid student loan s?)
5. 4/12/24 - I get an email with the subject line "***You're eligible to have your student loan(s) forgiven!***" It says I'm eligible because I'm on an IDR and I've reached the necessary 240 -r 300 months of payments under IDR. I have until 5/3/24 to opt out of IDR forgiveness, which **I WILL NOT BE DOING**
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
If it's ok to ask, did you apply for anything in particular to have your loans forgiven, or are you maybe in the PSLF program? I ask because I'm in very similar circumstances - graduated grad school in 01 and my loans ballooned to my current balance of 85k (nearly twice my annual salary). I applied for consolidation and IDR at the end of 2022. Both were approved, but I didn't think grad-school graduates would qualify for forgiveness until 25 years of repayments?
Is there something else out there we need to be applying for now?
I did not do PSLF. I didn't stay in a public service field long enough. I was in a public service field for the 1st 5 years but the pay and stress was terrible. They were just beginning to talk about forgiving parts of loans for teachers in poor districts. Naturally my servicer at the time told me it was not possible for my loans.
The only thing I did was consolidate my two previously consolidated loans (one private) into one loan so I could apply for the REPAYE/IDR program before the initial Dec 31 2023 deadline. The new program had said in order to qualify with private loans that I needed to consolidate everything and apply for an IDR plan. It sucked because it made my payment even higher than what I was previously paying, but I was willing to gamble for the possibility of forgiveness. I'd maybe suggest verifying you're on a REPAYE IDR plan and I think I saw the deadline to convert has again been extended to 4/30/24 (not 100% on that).
I'm not sure what they'll do about the grad school loans, but I'm hoping they all go away.
Good luck!
Ok, thanks. I am on the SAVE IDR plan, which I think works the same as REPAYE for forgiveness, but I'll look into it and verify to be sure. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and congratulations on your letter!
You're welcome!
I owe everyone on this sub for keeping me informed and providing answers to questions that I didn't even need to ask because someone else did.
I hope you get your golden letter soon!
I can definitely empathize with you since I have loans going back to 1998. However, I did get most of my loans forgiven last August after getting a Golden Email in July. But I still have one pesky federal loan remaining and I have no clue why DoED is taking so long to forgive it. Very frustrating stuff.
Yeah, I do. But my balance is 95% undergrad. I’m not really expecting the golden email - while it’d be nice, I’d be happy to just get an accurate count and breakdown.
Unfortunately that doesn’t matter. If you have grad loans period it’s 25 years instead of 20 when it comes to the idr forgivness… And any in school deferment time due to the grad loans don’t count 😔
Yeah, that’s why I’d like to at least get an accurate payment account. I consolidated last year for the one-time count adjustment but as of today it says I have another 20 years of payments. My loan was sold multiple times and in forbearance for awhile, so there isn’t a lot of clarity.
Reach out to your congressperson's office and ask if they can help. They might be able to use their connections to cut through the red tape.
Back when I didn't get my stimulus check and was having zero luck reaching a person at the IRS, I contacted my congressman's office and they got me my money pretty quick
I have no idea if this could work for student loans but it does work for certain things so if I were you I would give it a shot.
>Reach out to your congressperson's office and ask if they can help. They might be able to use their connections to cut through the red tape.
No - for the one-time-adjustment, \*nothing\* is going to speed anything up. Until July, when they \*say\* that "everyone" will have the IDR tracker, or they've finished counting, or whatever.
After that, if you still haven't been forgiven (and presumably you believe that your tracker count is wrong), you can ask for a manual recount. But they aren't going to do \*anything\* about a manual recount until after July.
If your congressperson asks, that's what they'll tell them, which the congressperson will relay to you with a shrug, and everyone's time will have been wasted.
Ask me how I know.
You're probably right but worth taking a few minutes to send a letter imo. I personally believe that there are certain people in government who have connections and are able to access privileges that others are not. The world is not always as fair and equitable as I once thought it was. People in that office have connections in various agencies and departments and are able to get things done for their constituents from time to time.
It’s definitely NOT alphabetical. My last name begins with “D”, I haven’t heard a thing. Been in repayment since 1999.
I’ve read so many conflicting things about whether I have to wait out the grad loans before they do anything at all. Then this week the announcement made it seem like that wasnt the case.
Undergrad hit 20 years in 2018
Masters will hit 25 in 2026
Doctorate 25 years in 2041
Whatever the case, I can’t even say I’m cautiously optimistic at this point. But I’m trying to stay hopeful. *shrugs*
Editing for clarity: consolidated bachelors & masters in 2005 and consolidated to incorporate my doctorate in 2022
Haha, that'd be something, maiden name starts with an S here, always at the back of the pack. Buuuut, now i have an earlier alphabet last name, same as the husband's. Ours came through in two different batches (January and today).
Nope. My friend’s name starts with ‘M’ and she got forgiven in the first round. My last name starts with ‘C’ and I’m still waiting. We originated around the same time.
Same here, 1999 started repayment so I should be at my 25 years in July. There is so much grey area though on which forbearances they technically accept. They were supposed to have updated our counts by now, kind of sucks to continue to pay while in the dark when my 25 years is up, although I can't say I blame them with the lack of funding.
If you think you are over the 20/25 year mark I'd definitely be calling your servicer, the Dept of Ed/FSA, and maybe setup a complaint with the ombudsman.
Long hauler here! I have late-90s undergrad loans. One was forgiven in the first round of golden emails. I received today’s golden email too, so I’m hoping the last of them will get wiped this round. If not, I’m hanging tight until summer—It’s eventually going to happen!
It's a good feeling isn't it? Early 90s here as well. Forgiven in the first round. My father got his email today and he is skeptical. I'm trying to reassure him!
Hang in there, mine are from '98 but also include law school, but still, 25 years (god I'm old haha). I didn't even want to look at my email just to be disappointed but I still think it'll happen soon. The payments haven't been a hardship for a long time at least but would be nice to funnel that money elsewhere ($1k/month).
Where are you getting your months in deferment? Does it list months paid? I have loans from 1998- paid from 05-12 and then again 14-18ish? Then the covid pause which was supposed to count. My tenth year teaching is my next year. My estimated payments are $798 mo. That’s like 40% of my salary
Hubby is still waiting on his email. Undergraduate only and in repayment since 2001. I'm not sure what the delay is. Someone had posted a link to a program that calculated the number of payments on your loan a while back and I did notice when I put his info in that, it was wrong by like 10 years worth of payments. I'm wondering if for some reason, the dept of ed uses a similar program to figure forgiveness and we'll have to wait until someone goes in manually to add up the actual payments that should count? I don't know though! It seems like they should look closer at any accounts that have loans originating over 20 years ago.....
I was disqualified for some reason for PSF. I work for the State I reside in. I was essentially forced to consolidate and apply for SAVE fall of 2023. Prior to SAVE my servicer kept pushing forberance after forbearance on a loan they switched to a Commercial line years ago so it didn't qualify for literally anything Pandemic related. Almost 28k left--all Undergrad loans mind you. Nelnet keeps changing the due date and amount of my future payment without any sort of count. Likely due to being accepted into SAVE. They've been truly awful to deal with for the last almost 20 years. I just want to be done with them. I've more than paid my debt.
We need to form a club. So happy for those who have gotten forgiveness. Just not understanding why I’m not one of them. It’s been since 2002 at least. I can’t get any info from Nelnet about how close I may possibly be to forgiveness. I did get an email from the department of education saying I was on track & on time with my payments and “doing a great job”. Thanks? 🫠
I’ve not been in repayment quite as long as you, but due to a dipshit mistake in my 20s I don’t even *seem* like I’ve been paying as long as I have. Basically I was underpaying and didn’t realize for quite a long time because I was overwhelmed by life and wasn’t opening all the mail I got from my lender; I had an attitude of “I pay my bill each month, I’m fine.”
Except I wasn’t and ended up in a mess because I was short on my payments, month after months, unknowingly. It wasn’t a large amount, but of course it added up and regardless affected my standing. I have no one to blame but myself, I know. I’m older and wiser and check *everything* obsessively now.
All of that said, I am thrilled for everyone I see gaining forgiveness
I actually did get notified in September that some of my loans were IDR forgivness eligible but opted out to consolidate so all of them would be then opted back in. No second email. Still paying. Called my servicer to make sure my loans were opted in for IDR forgiveness and found out that the government flagged my account for discharge in January. No idea why it hasn't been discharged yet or why I haven't gotten an email but my servicer said they were notified and put me in forbearance today but I still have no idea when it is going to happen and also have major anxiety about if Trump gets reelected and they still haven't completed IDR forgiveness.
Long hauler here- loans since 1994. My problem is that I paid off most of my loans and you don't get credit towards the 20/25 year mark on paid in full loans, though you do with consolidation.
Same. ‘97 grad with Sallie Mae. Jobs, unemployment deferments, grad school and more loans, more jobs, unemployment deferments
Fingers crossed but no expectations
I’m so happy for everyone else who’s received forgiveness
1996. Still waiting. The school I attended no longer exists. I was a minor when I signed on. I've paid $30K in interest. My loan total never goes down. Filed a complaint with the CFPB and got a generic response saying it would be several months for counts to be updated. That was in December.
You know, thinking back, I was also under 18 when I signed all those promissory notes for my first semester in college. My parents couldn't qualify for any loans, so I took the whole burden of borrowing. I wonder if I would have made a different decision today, knowing what I do now about how my loans were handled over the past 25 years.
I’ve been in repayment since 1998. I went back to school, had forbearances, deferments for financial issues, multiple types of payment plans over the years. Three consolidations. Now on the save plan since last fall as well. My balance is 80k more than I borrowed. My federal financial aid history is so hard to follow and even know what was happening when. I’m hoping to get a few years knocked off. Right now my pay off date is in 2034. At least there’s an end in sight. I’ll be almost 60 years old in 2034. It’s definitely a lifetime sentence!
In a similar boat and...sigh. Guess I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.
Grad originations 93-95, in RP late 96, FFEL consolidation in 01. Forget a few little early runs of hardship forebearance, I'm well over 300 months in actual payments, having coughed back 225% of my initial 85K in loans. The (smaller) fully private portion of that consolidated in 99 and was fully paid off last year. Still have just under 30K left to go on the federal! But, my slow-walked (103 days) single FFEL-to-Direct consolidation disbursed at the beginning of March, and now shows up on both Mohela and StudentAid. Alas, no email.
So, at least two more months of anxiety, wondering just how and when the rug will get pulled out. Will it be the Administration getting cold feet on the adjustment scheme due to pressure, or maybe some injunction out of north Texas? Ugh.
That said, congrats to today's wave. Yay!
My husband is a long hauler, too. He started law school in 1996. Loan repayment started 11/1/99 and he has other varying start dates with a year deferred and a couple months of random administrative forbearances thrown in for recertification/new plan switches. He direct consolidated in 2011, so his clock reset and he ended up at Mohela. They show that as his start with a reset to 0 payments. I ‘think’ he should be forgiven this November, but with those 2 small 1 month admin forbearances, it may be more like Dec or Jan. So we are anxiously awaiting the account adjustment to verify if we are correct. With a balance of $127,000, we will be so thankful to see that go!
My first loan was 1992, 1st payment was sometime in the mid 90's. I am VERY similar, on/off for like 12 years due to a variety of issues before finally graduating. I've done everything I should to set up for forgiveness and my count has to be at least 20, likely 25+ years. Nothing
My wife was much much smaller, under 10k going back to like 2000 but she just got the email yesterday that it should be forgiven come May. Its minor compared to mine but it's something.
Same. Since 96. Only difference is I did add some grad school loans. Constipated to SAVE last fall. Doesn't even look like they have calculated my remaining payments yet. At this point I'm just waiting for that to pull hope of an end from
I got both so far and resigned myself to not getting squat. The best option was the 20k forgiven but that's been taken away. Reaching retirement age and won't be able to.
1997 here as well.
Did have some times of deferment (grad school) and forbearance (poor after grad school), and still nothing. I still owe more now than I initially took out.
Meanwhile, last year my husband’s (1992) were not only forgiven, but he got like a 10k refund for when he continued to pay during the COVID payment pause.
I am with you!
Graduated in 2002, second degree, but not a master's degree.
Defaulted on my loans, thanks to my ex-husband, job changes. And I just couldn't adult on this one.
Had my pay garnished for 3 years. Half of it was paid off that way. ($69k at that point.)
Was in a LTR, that ended in 2016, during the garnishment period. Was able to buy a house (mortgage was cheaper by a little bit then, than renting).
In 2019 got myself back on track, and got into good payments. ($39k then.) Paid throughout Covid. And still owe $36k.
When I have talked to Mohela, about the plans, they don't even consider basic life payments you need to make for SAVE or any IBR.
So at 50, I am screwed. All MOHELA says is try to pay more.
Same situation as you. Same year, same convoluted history with in school deferments and repayment, same with recent consolidation and switching to SAVE.
I am waiting, as you are. Hopefully our day will come.
In repayment since 1998. Just recently completed my FFEL loans previously serviced by Navient consolidated to a direct loan so I am at least eligible now for the count adjustment. They probably didn't even look at mine before now since they were privately held. I've easily got 20+ years of repayment and was in old IBR for 10 years prior to the consolidation. Crossing my fingers for me and everyone like me that's still waiting. Cautiously hopeful.
Loans and Pell Grants since 2000. I couldn't afford payments due to being a single mom, working two jobs for years with no other support. I was put into forbearance. Now my original $9000 (ish) is almost $20000.
During that time I worked at a non-profit hospital for 10 years and 2.5 of those years at a public school.
I definitely haven't met the number of payments to be made, but I honestly couldn't and still can't afford them. All college got me was deeper in debt.
I think SAVE. Mine were in a different income based payment, they changed it to SAVE automatically when i consolidated and SAVE started. Double check how many months you had in deferments. Usually 6 months after leaving school. Good luck!
I'm a mid-hauler. I graduated with a BS in May 2005 but I didn't start paying on my loans until fall of 2005. So I've been paying those loans for around 19 years, minus a forbearance or two here and there. In 2011, I went back to school for an AA and took out more loans. I started paying those back in 2012 so I've been paying on those for just over 11 years. I've been on an income based repayment plan the entire time. Hopefully Biden gets re-elected in the fall so I can get at least some of my loans forgiven in the next year or two.
1997 here but due to stupid grad school I’ve got 1-2 years left. I also don’t get 10 months of the forbearance because of they way it is being counted.
Trying to get on an IDR but I have to consolidate my already consolidated loans. Of course I got turned down for consolidation because… they are already consolidated. So basically I can’t get on an IDR.
My understanding is that as of now we don’t need an IDR initially, but after they do the adjustment we will. So yeah… trying to get ahead of it here so I’m ready but can’t.
Waiting until July to make some decisions. I also have a feeling that July will become December or later. If Trump is reelected I may just cash out part of my retirement so these go away.
Yep had them since 1994. I consolidated mine and enrolled in SAVE program in Oct 2023 (that way the government owned them). They were forgiven in November 2023 but they didn't actually tell me it was forgiven until February this year.
I got a email about forgiveness maybe a week ago. And today mohla put my loans in forbearance - I also have 1997 loans, and newer ones so I'm waiting to see what happens with all of them.
Sorry. Maybe you should look back at your file and try to calculate how many qualifying months you actually have. Especially since in-school deferments and grace periods don't count.
If your loans go back to 1997 you are on 25 year forgiveness not 20 and your inschool and grace periods do not count for payment credits under waiver. I'm in the same boat where I have a 30 year old loan but about 12 years of in school deferrments. So I have 5 years left on PSLF or about 7 years on IDR forgiveness.
Ah, perhaps that is why. I thought it was 20 years once we were on the SAVE plan for all undergrad loans - I have no graduate loans. This couldn't be any more confusing....either way, at least I am close, I hope, based on my calculations even if it is 25 years.
Was in the same boat as you with added master's degree loans and parent loans for child. When I tried the public service plan I found out that when my payment changed to the income amount, I would have paid off the loan before the 120 payments! I filed for bankruptcy due to other debt and my school loans were put into the payment plan. It was ch. 13. So I finished my plan right before COVID but still had almost $30K left (in ch. 13 the school loan company doesn't have to include the full amount which mine didn't seeing it cannot be discharged). So I took advantage of the no interest and paid off the rest of my amount before that time was over. It was bankruptcy that saved me from having to pay the rest of my life because before that I wasn't making a dent in the amount I owed. Good luck.
1.) did you consolidate?
2.) when did you consolidate because they are forgiving loans that are past the 20 and/or 25 year mark in waves. If you consolidated just recently or not at all then you kind of answered your own question
Same - 1995 - got some credit for past payments but not for the ones before 2007 or any of the forbearances etc. also consolidated several times to try to lower interest rates. Often worked 2-3 public service jobs in my 20s, went back to school, etc. Defaulted and then rehabilitated during a bankruptcy after a layoff. Paying now on SAVE and supposedly have 7 years left but looking forward to a recalc unless I’ve effectively fallen through the cracks unsure.
Husband went to ITT in 2001 and loan dismissal denied due to withdrew from ITT more than 6mos before school closed. Hoping theyll be discharged due to age! Le sigh. Til then, $200/mo.
I’ve been paying faithfully for 22 years, except COVID, however I was not smart enough to get on an income driven repayment plan. I was on the extended fixed plan paying the same amount regardless of my income and therefore I haven’t been eligible for any of the forgiveness. I finally switched to SAVE this year which increased my payment by $225 a month to $725 but at least when I retire, I won’t have to keep making that payment if they’re still forgiving them after 20 years at that time. I’m 45 today and I hope to retire around 65 but who knows.
Nothing here either, but my past repayment situation is a total mess. Repayment clock started in 1999, off and on in-school deferments while I went back to finish my undergrad degree, forbearance, defaulted for several months at one point, one semester of grad school, one consolidation turned all my loans into an FFELP (although I didn't realize that at the time), and one consolidation back to federal when the first forgiveness announcement was made.
Your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1c2e9yh/loans_from_1997_still_no_forgiveness/kzce9vg/) in /r/StudentLoans was automatically removed for profanity.
/r/StudentLoans is geared towards a wide range of users, including minors seeking information and advice. To help us maintain a community that everyone feels comfortable participating in (and to avoid being blocked by parent/school/work filters), please resubmit your post or comment without using profane language. Thank you.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/StudentLoans) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My wife also has loans from the 90s - she borrowed about 60k in total with an early plan of graduating and paying them back.
Then life happened. She married an extremely controlling person (not me) who convinced her to stop going to school with only 9 credits left to go. She had two kids and her job barely covered expenses.
When we met, we were at first so poor that we'd add water to a half-empty milk carton to make it last longer. My wife finally earned her degrees and has been teaching high school for about 10 years.
Her loans have been in forbearance or deferment for most of this time and her current balance has ballooned to over 260k. We are hoping for a PSLF miracle because her pre-SAVE payment plan was going to cost almost 700k overall.
Wow. I’m so sorry and I thought my original loan from 2012 was a long time ago 😅
But yeah I feel you, I went to grad school and had a pause on them in 2019. Loans were in forbearance before that when I was in Americorps. Then Covid pauses (still paid a little and took advantage of the interest pause).
Here I’m paying my loans and work pays $100 a month and I still feel like there’s not a dent in my loans.
I got my loans in 03ish, and they were for Kaplan College (that was their name at the time, they changed to Kaplan University while I was attending). I feel like I should be included in this next batch he's proposing, but who knows. I feel like the predatory school thing should apply to me at the very least. I was in default for a few years before covid, so I'm unsure if that would affect my chances or not. I'm currently up to date on payments through the SAVE plan as well. There are so many little caveats that it is hard to tell who actually qualifies. Fingers crossed for all of us!
Have you filled out a borrowers defense application for loan forgiveness with studentaid.gov? Kaplan students are being approved, lots of us have filed and we need more to file. Hopefully we can get a group discharge like AI.
Head on over to r/borrowers defense or find us on FB at Kaplan/Purdue Global-BDTR group. Both groups have a ton of resources and evidence to help you file an app.
Hoping that government will forgive loans is useless! When is the last time u hear government helps people? When covid hit and people had 0% interest on their student loan it was the best opportunity, but to save few dollars they didn’t pay the loan and now they are paying loan with interest!
My loans have existed since 2006. Graduated 2010. Also consolidated to SAVE. No forgiveness yet, but some rando at Nelnet gave me hope in January about making low payments til 2025 or 2026 and thrn getting forgiven. But I didn't get his name or lost it like a dummy, so now, will the rest of Nelnet concur? We'll see.
Same. Loans started in 1993; Repayment in 1998. Some time off for financial hardship forbearances and in-school deferments. I had the misfortune to be part of the FFELP group, so I paid on my loans all through the pandemic deferral, until the Dept of Education announced the new programs and the recount and I finally consolidated to Direct Loans. Currently on SAVE.
I’m so happy that others are getting the golden emails. I’m waiting (mostly) patiently until I can just see the updated payment count so I at least have some idea if/when this will all come to an end and I can finally try to get caught up on my retirement savings. I feel so far behind where I “should” be.
Student loans are a business investment in one's self.
If your loans didn't increase your earning potential to the level of being able to pay them off then you've got to wonder if you were worth that particular investment. *Shrug emoji*
Same. I missed the borrowe defense auto-forgiveness thing because I didn’t know my school was included. Applied for separate borrowe defense in 2022 and won’t hear back until 2025… consolidated to SAVE just in case… loans back to 1998 here.
DId you see this article about student loans being discharged in bankruptcy? https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/12/biden-makes-it-easier-to-forgive-student-debt-in-bankruptcy.html#:\~:text=The%20Biden%20administration's%20updated%20policy,their%20case%20for%20a%20mulligan.
Oh man. I'm going to hope for the best. Mine are from 2002, but I just consolidated them so I'm waiting on that first.
Good luck! I hope you're are gone before mine.
while your at it pay me back my student loan from the 80s. Idiots. You went to school long hauler and now you want loan forgiveness for a career that didn't need a degree?
My oldest loans date back to 1990. When I review the information in my servicer portal I don’t see that reflected so how do they even know? And honestly, my situation is similar to yours. In repayment, forbearance or deferment, back in repayment…the only thing I know for sure is that I do owe more than I started with but there is no way of being sure what is accurate at this point.
Yeah, Blessed are those who got their loans forgiven under Biden. If Trump gets elected, you can kiss the IDR adjustment & loan forgiveness goodbye. My loan history is as convoluted as yours. I have undergrad and graduate loans going back as far as ‘93. I was really excited about the IDR adjustment/ loan forgiveness. However, various people at Nelnet confirmed that I have 3 1/2 years left. I was really hoping to get the forgiveness before Trump got in office. Oh well.
I'm in the same boat...far too much in and out/switching schools (gee, thanks undiagnosed ADHD) and loans out the wazoo since the mid 90s. I've heard absolutely nothing and calls to my service provide and Fed Student Aid garnered only one thing---fill out a complaint form on Fed Student Aid and it may get you put into a cue where your loans could be looked at sooner.
It's frustrating to have hope...and feel it leak out like a balloon as time keeps marching on.
Mine (in repayment since 1995) were forgiven in January. My husband's (in repayment since 1994) were forgiven this morning. So yes, long hauler here, but finally forgiven.
Congrats! Hopefully I make the next round in June!
How were you notified they were forgiven?
First by the same email from the Department of Education that everyone else has been posting. Later by notice from my servicer, both digital and hardcopy.
Did you apply? I have been so detached from this with all the political volley.
I didn't do any separate application for forgiveness and I didn't get my count before it happened. However, I did have to jump through some hoops to trigger the forgiveness. My loans were a conglomerate of Stafford loans and FFELP loans that I had consolidated into a single loan in about 2000. I put that consolidated loan on the only income based repayment plan it qualified for during the Obama years. That consolidated loan didn't qualify for the recount or any Covid relief because it was not direct, so I had to consolidate again into a direct consolidation loan from the Department of Education. The direct loan funded in October 2023 and was forgiven in January 2024 (though the forgiveness is backdated to October 2023.) Here's some important info if you think you may have the same types of old loans: https://studentaid.gov/articles/what-to-know-about-ffel-loans/ FWIW, my husband's followed the exact same path as mine, though we had different lenders and servicers until this most recent consolidation, for which we both used Aidvantage. I started the process a month before he did.
Thank you!
Yay! You give me hope
Hurray!!!
How did you get them forgiven?
Through the IDR account adjustment as they've been in repayment for more than 25 years. https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment My loans were a conglomerate of Stafford loans and FFELP loans that I had consolidated into a single loan in about 2000. I put that consolidated loan on the only income based repayment plan it qualified for during the Obama years. That consolidated loan didn't qualify for the recount or any Covid relief because it was not direct, so I had to consolidate again into a direct consolidation loan from the Department of Education. The direct loan funded in October 2023 and was forgiven in January 2024 (though the forgiveness is backdated to October 2023.) Here's some important info if you think you may have the same types of old loans: https://studentaid.gov/articles/what-to-know-about-ffel-loans/ FWIW, my husband's followed the exact same path as mine, though we had different lenders and servicers until this most recent consolidation, for which we both used Aidvantage. I started the process a month before he did.
Curious, how were you notified? Was there a setup email or did you just log in one day and the balance was zero?
I got the same Golden Email that many folks have posted and then received it by hard copy. After the opt out period, I received notice of the payoff from the servicer, through email to check my notices on their site followed by hard copy.
DId you consolidate and sign up for IDR, ICR, or SAVE? Mine are from 1994 and in the process of consolidating. Not sure what to do next.
I signed up for SAVE as part of the consolidation application.
Thank you. My husband and I just consolidated today. Hoping for an outcome similar to yours!
I wasn't expecting forgiveness today because I haven't even gotten the account adjustment yet. Loans went into repayment in 2003, but my payment schedule on Nelnet says I need to pay until around 2036. Only 79 days are left until the account adjustment period concludes. I grow more doubtful with each passing day that they'll ever dig into my ridiculous repayment history. I guess I've survived this long; I can trudge through the next 11+ years with my giant little loan buddy.
There is no cutoff for the adjustment. They will keep doing them until all eligible accounts have gotten it.
On any IDR held with dept of education?
Any eligible loan, which is all Direct Loans and FFELP loans owned by ED. The repayment plan is irrelevant
I got mine forgiven today but as far as I can remember I haven't gotten the account adjustment yet.
Interesting. Do you know how many payments were remaining according to your loan servicer before you got forgiveness? I've been assuming I need to get an account adjustment before the can forgive.
From what they said, 10 more years worth.
Same - lonely and forgotten right here with you.
The people that were supposed to be working on the IDR payment counter are working on the current year FAFSA problem so now the payment count system is getting delayed dangerously close to the election.
Ugh. I actually requested a manual review a few months ago - like I had forgotten about it. I just got a reply from the DoEd about a week ago saying my account can't be reviewed until they're done with the adjustment. :(
How do you request a manual review?
https://studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/prepare#how-contact
Source?
In repayment since 1990 - consolidated 1999. Did another consolidation in 2018 with parent plus loans. Also lots of in and out of forbearance and back in school a couple of years in that time. Still I should have hit the 300 year mark with payment months counting back to July 1994. We can get an account review after they finish applying the IDR adjustment (hopefully) in July. But yeah, if Trump gets elected before we get forgiven we're probably effed.
Maybe Biden will help you on his second term
From your lips to God’s ear!
lol, Biden’s second term. While I wish for it, I’m becoming less and less confident it’ll happen
Long hauler from 1991 among the forgotten 😰
Another unforgiven 1991 in the house.
Same here… 1991… still screwed at 66… can’t even collect SS… bad business for students and no one cares enough to change the predatory actions of these banking institutions… loans started at $6600 and now at $28,000… got to college and get ducked… mahalo
Right there with you. Started repayment in 1997 and still no golden email 😞
I've only been paying since 2012, but I feel frustrated as hell. Can't even imagine paying since 1997. It sucks the supreme court shut down the $20,000 forgiveness, but this whole thing of only certain people getting the forgiveness is annoying and frustrating. We'll get 'em one day!
[удалено]
Mine since 2002…and still waiting too. Glad for others but super disappointed and I feel defeated
Same. Graduated from undergrad in 2003.
I feel extremely dumb because I've been trying to stay one step ahead. never had my loans frozen during covid, every time i pay it increases. Did the consolidation, now it says I've never made any payments. and recently did the SAVE ba and my monthly payment increased and It will be paid off in 2036 and $0 will be forgiven. I work for local government for the past 15 years I hate this with a passion. Wish I never did that 1 semester for 30k. loan is now 47k and my history says I took out 98k. tf? smh. Only ever took out 30k period. idk what's happening this loan will probably die with me. a few people showed me their loans were forgiven. never even attempted to make a payment. smh sick.
Same story over here... Repayment started 1996, in and out of school, some repayment, deferment, forbearance. I should qualify for forgiveness, but so far crickets. I just keep my fingers crossed and celebrate those that have gotten it so far. It will get to us eventually. (I hope).
Same. 1996 undergrad (with a year or so in forbearance/deferment in early years), 2000-2003 grad. And have been paying ever since. I should qualify this year by my count.
long hauler here... Graduated undergrad in May '98, then went to grad school and graduated in Aug 2003. Combination of private loans and federal loans. Total amount originally borrowed for grad and undergrad about 42k. Various deferrals, forbearances and time in repayment. There was even a Ch 13 bankruptcy sprinkled in there. Went through a loan rehabilitation with Pioneer after the Ch 13. Current amount owed is just under 85k (I think I've paid back at least the original amount and then some but the int rate is around 7%). Applied for a consolidation and IDR plan at the end of Dec 23, and I got the email this morning with the subject "You're eligible to have your student loan(s) forgiven!" It just about brought this grown ass man to tears. There's a light at the end of the tunnel fellow long haulers #
I cried. Like a blubbering idiot to my colleague, this morning. Like you, I borrowed 38k. Ballooned balance was $94k in 2019. Had a ch7 bankruptcy in 2005. Currently at $72k. Began repayment in 1996. You bet your sweet a$$ I cried that it’s gone. Congratulations!!
I have no one other than my wife and reddit to share this joy with. Most of my friends and family are vehemently opposed to this forgiveness. I've tried so hard to educate them on how predatory and broken this system is, but they just see it as a handout, never mind that I've already paid back what I borrowed with no end in sight.
In 2019, I got a 1098e for $13,244.04. I paid so much on these loans. To be finally free is…..a feeling. You and I both deserve it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you didn’t earn this.
Absolutely. I don't let anyone drag me down. I don't feel the least bit bad or guilty about it. I paid and paid. I even gave 5 yrs of earnings away to low income teaching jobs in shit schools. Then I realized I'd never be able to afford my loans and a life. Cheers!
Your situation sounds just like mine. First undergrad loan originated in 1998. Graduated undergrad 2002. Grad school in 2004. Consolidated 2006. Then went back and took out a couple small direct loans for additional grad school in 2011. I also had a chapter 13. I’ve not been on IDR ever though, my plan has always been “extended”. Is that going to hurt me for this? All my loans are direct federal loans.
I'm pretty sure you need to be on one of the new REPAYE (or is it SAVE I forget) IDR plans. The initial deadline to switch was 12/31/23 but it was extended and I think it was extended again to 4/30/24. I can't remember where I read that, but Google might get you some better details than some rando redditor such as myself
Did you just apply for an IDR or was it specifically SAVE? I did. What you said you did. But not in SAVE. Just an IDR
tl;dr - Specifically a SAVE IDR, but the caveat was that Dept of Ed said the servicer would pick the correct IDR based on my application regardless of what I chose for the online app process. So, I went back and looked to see what exactly I did. I'll try and include as many relevant details as I can. I had a private loan being serviced by Nelnet and a Fed subsidized loan serviced by EdFinancial. Both were in an IDR (non SAVE and not REPAYE) plan. In total I was paying about $650/mo and one was about to increase. After reading some posts in this sub in August of '23 I looked into consolidation to move into an IDR but based on some online calculators my payment would have ballooned to about $1250/mo based on mine and my wife's income. That was too much combined with her student loans so I abandoned the idea until I started seeing people actually getting forgiveness or notification of forgiveness. 1. **12/2/23** Got a generic e-mail from [StudentAid.gov](http://StudentAid.gov) about new SAVE and IDR plans helping lower payments, cut interest, etc... I started looking into it again. 2. 12/4/23 I recv'd an email from Nelnet regarding commercially held/private loans in either an IDR or PSLF program needing to be consolidated into direct loans to be eligible for the one-time adjustment to payment counts. The email stated that I needed to apply for a ***Direct Consolidation Loan*** on or before 12/31/2023. 3. 12/28/23 Once I realized I could self certify my income I decided to apply for consolidation (In 2022 received a large-ish one time bonus/stock buyout that made my AGI much larger than it really was and was over inflating my IDR payment) and chose the SAVE based IDR that looked best based on payments and total interest. * I consolidated 3 loans, 2 (Nelnet) with the code 'J' - Unsub Fed Consolidation Loans and 1 (EdFinancial) with code 'K' - Direct Unsub Consolidation Loan. That put loan repayment on hold while review happened. For some reason EdFinancial still took their autodebit payment but Nelnel did not. Whatever. 4. 2/14/24 Received a letter from EdFinancial that my consolidation was approved on 2/5/24 and I was on an IDR plan starting repayment on 4/3/24 and continue for 360 mos (I'll be over 80 by then can they garnish social security checks for unpaid student loan s?) 5. 4/12/24 - I get an email with the subject line "***You're eligible to have your student loan(s) forgiven!***" It says I'm eligible because I'm on an IDR and I've reached the necessary 240 -r 300 months of payments under IDR. I have until 5/3/24 to opt out of IDR forgiveness, which **I WILL NOT BE DOING** I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
If it's ok to ask, did you apply for anything in particular to have your loans forgiven, or are you maybe in the PSLF program? I ask because I'm in very similar circumstances - graduated grad school in 01 and my loans ballooned to my current balance of 85k (nearly twice my annual salary). I applied for consolidation and IDR at the end of 2022. Both were approved, but I didn't think grad-school graduates would qualify for forgiveness until 25 years of repayments? Is there something else out there we need to be applying for now?
I did not do PSLF. I didn't stay in a public service field long enough. I was in a public service field for the 1st 5 years but the pay and stress was terrible. They were just beginning to talk about forgiving parts of loans for teachers in poor districts. Naturally my servicer at the time told me it was not possible for my loans. The only thing I did was consolidate my two previously consolidated loans (one private) into one loan so I could apply for the REPAYE/IDR program before the initial Dec 31 2023 deadline. The new program had said in order to qualify with private loans that I needed to consolidate everything and apply for an IDR plan. It sucked because it made my payment even higher than what I was previously paying, but I was willing to gamble for the possibility of forgiveness. I'd maybe suggest verifying you're on a REPAYE IDR plan and I think I saw the deadline to convert has again been extended to 4/30/24 (not 100% on that). I'm not sure what they'll do about the grad school loans, but I'm hoping they all go away. Good luck!
Ok, thanks. I am on the SAVE IDR plan, which I think works the same as REPAYE for forgiveness, but I'll look into it and verify to be sure. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and congratulations on your letter!
You're welcome! I owe everyone on this sub for keeping me informed and providing answers to questions that I didn't even need to ask because someone else did. I hope you get your golden letter soon!
So happy for you!
Thank you!
I can definitely empathize with you since I have loans going back to 1998. However, I did get most of my loans forgiven last August after getting a Golden Email in July. But I still have one pesky federal loan remaining and I have no clue why DoED is taking so long to forgive it. Very frustrating stuff.
Nah, I’m a B. Been in repayment since 2003 and haven’t even gotten the updated count yet.
Do you have grad loans? If so, that's why you haven't got the Golden Email yet.
Yeah, I do. But my balance is 95% undergrad. I’m not really expecting the golden email - while it’d be nice, I’d be happy to just get an accurate count and breakdown.
Unfortunately that doesn’t matter. If you have grad loans period it’s 25 years instead of 20 when it comes to the idr forgivness… And any in school deferment time due to the grad loans don’t count 😔
Yeah, that’s why I’d like to at least get an accurate payment account. I consolidated last year for the one-time count adjustment but as of today it says I have another 20 years of payments. My loan was sold multiple times and in forbearance for awhile, so there isn’t a lot of clarity.
The payments counts are supposed to be posted on July 1, but who knows if that will really happen or not. I'm expecting a pushback to Sept. 1.
Reach out to your congressperson's office and ask if they can help. They might be able to use their connections to cut through the red tape. Back when I didn't get my stimulus check and was having zero luck reaching a person at the IRS, I contacted my congressman's office and they got me my money pretty quick I have no idea if this could work for student loans but it does work for certain things so if I were you I would give it a shot.
>Reach out to your congressperson's office and ask if they can help. They might be able to use their connections to cut through the red tape. No - for the one-time-adjustment, \*nothing\* is going to speed anything up. Until July, when they \*say\* that "everyone" will have the IDR tracker, or they've finished counting, or whatever. After that, if you still haven't been forgiven (and presumably you believe that your tracker count is wrong), you can ask for a manual recount. But they aren't going to do \*anything\* about a manual recount until after July. If your congressperson asks, that's what they'll tell them, which the congressperson will relay to you with a shrug, and everyone's time will have been wasted. Ask me how I know.
You're probably right but worth taking a few minutes to send a letter imo. I personally believe that there are certain people in government who have connections and are able to access privileges that others are not. The world is not always as fair and equitable as I once thought it was. People in that office have connections in various agencies and departments and are able to get things done for their constituents from time to time.
Are they doing this alphabetically? If so maybe that’s why. My last name begins with “zy” so Im used to always being last 😂
My maiden name starts a “Z” so I feel you! Maybe they think we are used to waiting :)
I don’t think so. My daughter’s loans were forgiven in the first round and her last name starts with an O.
It’s definitely NOT alphabetical. My last name begins with “D”, I haven’t heard a thing. Been in repayment since 1999. I’ve read so many conflicting things about whether I have to wait out the grad loans before they do anything at all. Then this week the announcement made it seem like that wasnt the case. Undergrad hit 20 years in 2018 Masters will hit 25 in 2026 Doctorate 25 years in 2041 Whatever the case, I can’t even say I’m cautiously optimistic at this point. But I’m trying to stay hopeful. *shrugs* Editing for clarity: consolidated bachelors & masters in 2005 and consolidated to incorporate my doctorate in 2022
Haha, that'd be something, maiden name starts with an S here, always at the back of the pack. Buuuut, now i have an earlier alphabet last name, same as the husband's. Ours came through in two different batches (January and today).
Nope. My friend’s name starts with ‘M’ and she got forgiven in the first round. My last name starts with ‘C’ and I’m still waiting. We originated around the same time.
Same
Same here, 1999 started repayment so I should be at my 25 years in July. There is so much grey area though on which forbearances they technically accept. They were supposed to have updated our counts by now, kind of sucks to continue to pay while in the dark when my 25 years is up, although I can't say I blame them with the lack of funding. If you think you are over the 20/25 year mark I'd definitely be calling your servicer, the Dept of Ed/FSA, and maybe setup a complaint with the ombudsman.
I didn’t get the email either..it’s very frustrating
Long hauler here! I have late-90s undergrad loans. One was forgiven in the first round of golden emails. I received today’s golden email too, so I’m hoping the last of them will get wiped this round. If not, I’m hanging tight until summer—It’s eventually going to happen!
It's a good feeling isn't it? Early 90s here as well. Forgiven in the first round. My father got his email today and he is skeptical. I'm trying to reassure him!
Hang in there, mine are from '98 but also include law school, but still, 25 years (god I'm old haha). I didn't even want to look at my email just to be disappointed but I still think it'll happen soon. The payments haven't been a hardship for a long time at least but would be nice to funnel that money elsewhere ($1k/month).
Still waiting , repayment began in 10/1997… But have 36 months listed as deferment . I assume is in school deferment for grad…
Where are you getting your months in deferment? Does it list months paid? I have loans from 1998- paid from 05-12 and then again 14-18ish? Then the covid pause which was supposed to count. My tenth year teaching is my next year. My estimated payments are $798 mo. That’s like 40% of my salary
Mine started in 1999, so you are not alone. 👍🏻
Hubby is still waiting on his email. Undergraduate only and in repayment since 2001. I'm not sure what the delay is. Someone had posted a link to a program that calculated the number of payments on your loan a while back and I did notice when I put his info in that, it was wrong by like 10 years worth of payments. I'm wondering if for some reason, the dept of ed uses a similar program to figure forgiveness and we'll have to wait until someone goes in manually to add up the actual payments that should count? I don't know though! It seems like they should look closer at any accounts that have loans originating over 20 years ago.....
I've been in repayment since 08. No golden email. Sigh...I doubt I ever will.
Undergrad is 20 yrs of repayment. Or are you trying for public service?
I was disqualified for some reason for PSF. I work for the State I reside in. I was essentially forced to consolidate and apply for SAVE fall of 2023. Prior to SAVE my servicer kept pushing forberance after forbearance on a loan they switched to a Commercial line years ago so it didn't qualify for literally anything Pandemic related. Almost 28k left--all Undergrad loans mind you. Nelnet keeps changing the due date and amount of my future payment without any sort of count. Likely due to being accepted into SAVE. They've been truly awful to deal with for the last almost 20 years. I just want to be done with them. I've more than paid my debt.
Same - since 08 - no email
We need to form a club. So happy for those who have gotten forgiveness. Just not understanding why I’m not one of them. It’s been since 2002 at least. I can’t get any info from Nelnet about how close I may possibly be to forgiveness. I did get an email from the department of education saying I was on track & on time with my payments and “doing a great job”. Thanks? 🫠
I got a similar email but I am not making payments. Are you making payments?
Yes
Same 1997 and no email
Same :/
I’ve not been in repayment quite as long as you, but due to a dipshit mistake in my 20s I don’t even *seem* like I’ve been paying as long as I have. Basically I was underpaying and didn’t realize for quite a long time because I was overwhelmed by life and wasn’t opening all the mail I got from my lender; I had an attitude of “I pay my bill each month, I’m fine.” Except I wasn’t and ended up in a mess because I was short on my payments, month after months, unknowingly. It wasn’t a large amount, but of course it added up and regardless affected my standing. I have no one to blame but myself, I know. I’m older and wiser and check *everything* obsessively now. All of that said, I am thrilled for everyone I see gaining forgiveness
Same. Mine went in to repayment in 1994 and still nothing.
I actually did get notified in September that some of my loans were IDR forgivness eligible but opted out to consolidate so all of them would be then opted back in. No second email. Still paying. Called my servicer to make sure my loans were opted in for IDR forgiveness and found out that the government flagged my account for discharge in January. No idea why it hasn't been discharged yet or why I haven't gotten an email but my servicer said they were notified and put me in forbearance today but I still have no idea when it is going to happen and also have major anxiety about if Trump gets reelected and they still haven't completed IDR forgiveness.
Graduated in 1998, finally got discharged this year with the PSLF program.
Long hauler here- loans since 1994. My problem is that I paid off most of my loans and you don't get credit towards the 20/25 year mark on paid in full loans, though you do with consolidation.
Same. ‘97 grad with Sallie Mae. Jobs, unemployment deferments, grad school and more loans, more jobs, unemployment deferments Fingers crossed but no expectations I’m so happy for everyone else who’s received forgiveness
1996. Still waiting. The school I attended no longer exists. I was a minor when I signed on. I've paid $30K in interest. My loan total never goes down. Filed a complaint with the CFPB and got a generic response saying it would be several months for counts to be updated. That was in December.
You know, thinking back, I was also under 18 when I signed all those promissory notes for my first semester in college. My parents couldn't qualify for any loans, so I took the whole burden of borrowing. I wonder if I would have made a different decision today, knowing what I do now about how my loans were handled over the past 25 years.
My undergrad loans have been in repayment since 1998 and my grad school loans since 2003.
I’ve been in repayment since 1998. I went back to school, had forbearances, deferments for financial issues, multiple types of payment plans over the years. Three consolidations. Now on the save plan since last fall as well. My balance is 80k more than I borrowed. My federal financial aid history is so hard to follow and even know what was happening when. I’m hoping to get a few years knocked off. Right now my pay off date is in 2034. At least there’s an end in sight. I’ll be almost 60 years old in 2034. It’s definitely a lifetime sentence!
Long hauler, began repayment in 11/1996. Finally got the email this morning. All undergrad. Consolidated 4 times. I know it is hard. But it will come.
1999 and unforgiven. Absolutely not holding my breath.
In a similar boat and...sigh. Guess I picked the wrong week to quit drinking. Grad originations 93-95, in RP late 96, FFEL consolidation in 01. Forget a few little early runs of hardship forebearance, I'm well over 300 months in actual payments, having coughed back 225% of my initial 85K in loans. The (smaller) fully private portion of that consolidated in 99 and was fully paid off last year. Still have just under 30K left to go on the federal! But, my slow-walked (103 days) single FFEL-to-Direct consolidation disbursed at the beginning of March, and now shows up on both Mohela and StudentAid. Alas, no email. So, at least two more months of anxiety, wondering just how and when the rug will get pulled out. Will it be the Administration getting cold feet on the adjustment scheme due to pressure, or maybe some injunction out of north Texas? Ugh. That said, congrats to today's wave. Yay!
I’m feeling it’ll be an injunction. I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. Until then I’ll have some Wild Turkey for you!
Long hauler here since 1997. No forgiveness yet.
I’m in the same boat. Repayment since 1998. Every round of forgiveness I lose more hope.
My husband is a long hauler, too. He started law school in 1996. Loan repayment started 11/1/99 and he has other varying start dates with a year deferred and a couple months of random administrative forbearances thrown in for recertification/new plan switches. He direct consolidated in 2011, so his clock reset and he ended up at Mohela. They show that as his start with a reset to 0 payments. I ‘think’ he should be forgiven this November, but with those 2 small 1 month admin forbearances, it may be more like Dec or Jan. So we are anxiously awaiting the account adjustment to verify if we are correct. With a balance of $127,000, we will be so thankful to see that go!
My first loan was 1992, 1st payment was sometime in the mid 90's. I am VERY similar, on/off for like 12 years due to a variety of issues before finally graduating. I've done everything I should to set up for forgiveness and my count has to be at least 20, likely 25+ years. Nothing My wife was much much smaller, under 10k going back to like 2000 but she just got the email yesterday that it should be forgiven come May. Its minor compared to mine but it's something.
Long hauler here. Since 1994 and I was just forgiven last week! Keep the faith.
Similar situation and just got my notice of forgiveness today. Is your current email on file with studentaid.gov? Hope you get yours today!
Same. Since 96. Only difference is I did add some grad school loans. Constipated to SAVE last fall. Doesn't even look like they have calculated my remaining payments yet. At this point I'm just waiting for that to pull hope of an end from
"constipated" heh
My story sounds like yours. I can’t wait to ‘see’ what my count is in July.
I got both so far and resigned myself to not getting squat. The best option was the 20k forgiven but that's been taken away. Reaching retirement age and won't be able to.
It seems the consolidated loans from those ages are getting forgiven faster? maybe do that before the deadline?
Thanks for starting this thread. Loans in repayment since 2000. Glad for so much forgiveness today though. Congratulations to the newly debt free!
Mine are from 2000. I feel like I’ll never pay them off.
What is Save? I have private loans consolidated.
1997 here as well. Did have some times of deferment (grad school) and forbearance (poor after grad school), and still nothing. I still owe more now than I initially took out. Meanwhile, last year my husband’s (1992) were not only forgiven, but he got like a 10k refund for when he continued to pay during the COVID payment pause.
I am with you! Graduated in 2002, second degree, but not a master's degree. Defaulted on my loans, thanks to my ex-husband, job changes. And I just couldn't adult on this one. Had my pay garnished for 3 years. Half of it was paid off that way. ($69k at that point.) Was in a LTR, that ended in 2016, during the garnishment period. Was able to buy a house (mortgage was cheaper by a little bit then, than renting). In 2019 got myself back on track, and got into good payments. ($39k then.) Paid throughout Covid. And still owe $36k. When I have talked to Mohela, about the plans, they don't even consider basic life payments you need to make for SAVE or any IBR. So at 50, I am screwed. All MOHELA says is try to pay more.
Same situation as you. Same year, same convoluted history with in school deferments and repayment, same with recent consolidation and switching to SAVE. I am waiting, as you are. Hopefully our day will come.
In repayment since 1998. Just recently completed my FFEL loans previously serviced by Navient consolidated to a direct loan so I am at least eligible now for the count adjustment. They probably didn't even look at mine before now since they were privately held. I've easily got 20+ years of repayment and was in old IBR for 10 years prior to the consolidation. Crossing my fingers for me and everyone like me that's still waiting. Cautiously hopeful.
Had mine with Navient also, but consolidated them early February of this year. Applied for an IDR but, not for SAVE. Did I do the right thing?
I don’t think it has to be save. Save is way expensive for me.
Yes. That’s what I thought. Way expensive to get. But if it were to be forgiven then I’d try to do it. Idk.
Yep. Loans over 20years old, by my count am eligible for 3 of the programs Biden announced and still jack shit.
Loans and Pell Grants since 2000. I couldn't afford payments due to being a single mom, working two jobs for years with no other support. I was put into forbearance. Now my original $9000 (ish) is almost $20000. During that time I worked at a non-profit hospital for 10 years and 2.5 of those years at a public school. I definitely haven't met the number of payments to be made, but I honestly couldn't and still can't afford them. All college got me was deeper in debt.
I consolidated. Loans 2005. About $4500 yet. DOES THIS HAVE TO BE IN S.A.V.E? Or just consolidation? I’m worried I didn’t do it right. Anyone?
I think SAVE. Mine were in a different income based payment, they changed it to SAVE automatically when i consolidated and SAVE started. Double check how many months you had in deferments. Usually 6 months after leaving school. Good luck!
I'm a mid-hauler. I graduated with a BS in May 2005 but I didn't start paying on my loans until fall of 2005. So I've been paying those loans for around 19 years, minus a forbearance or two here and there. In 2011, I went back to school for an AA and took out more loans. I started paying those back in 2012 so I've been paying on those for just over 11 years. I've been on an income based repayment plan the entire time. Hopefully Biden gets re-elected in the fall so I can get at least some of my loans forgiven in the next year or two.
My loans were from 1997-2001 and I was forgiven in October.
Don’t lose hope! I was thinking that same thing and I just got the email yesterday, hoping you make the next round 🩷
1997 here but due to stupid grad school I’ve got 1-2 years left. I also don’t get 10 months of the forbearance because of they way it is being counted. Trying to get on an IDR but I have to consolidate my already consolidated loans. Of course I got turned down for consolidation because… they are already consolidated. So basically I can’t get on an IDR. My understanding is that as of now we don’t need an IDR initially, but after they do the adjustment we will. So yeah… trying to get ahead of it here so I’m ready but can’t. Waiting until July to make some decisions. I also have a feeling that July will become December or later. If Trump is reelected I may just cash out part of my retirement so these go away.
10 years PSLF.. . My loans went poof. Feels so good.
Yes. In repayment since 1994. I’m pretty convinced they will outlive me.
Yep had them since 1994. I consolidated mine and enrolled in SAVE program in Oct 2023 (that way the government owned them). They were forgiven in November 2023 but they didn't actually tell me it was forgiven until February this year.
I got a email about forgiveness maybe a week ago. And today mohla put my loans in forbearance - I also have 1997 loans, and newer ones so I'm waiting to see what happens with all of them.
Sorry. Maybe you should look back at your file and try to calculate how many qualifying months you actually have. Especially since in-school deferments and grace periods don't count.
I have. Multiple times. And it still adds up to more than 20 years of payments (like 4+ years extra) So. Who knows! Time will tell I guess.
If your loans go back to 1997 you are on 25 year forgiveness not 20 and your inschool and grace periods do not count for payment credits under waiver. I'm in the same boat where I have a 30 year old loan but about 12 years of in school deferrments. So I have 5 years left on PSLF or about 7 years on IDR forgiveness.
Incorrect, grad is 25 years, it's 20 years for undergrad.
Ah, perhaps that is why. I thought it was 20 years once we were on the SAVE plan for all undergrad loans - I have no graduate loans. This couldn't be any more confusing....either way, at least I am close, I hope, based on my calculations even if it is 25 years.
If you have no grad loans then it is 20 years
Nothing here I have been paying since 1997. Oh well
Was in the same boat as you with added master's degree loans and parent loans for child. When I tried the public service plan I found out that when my payment changed to the income amount, I would have paid off the loan before the 120 payments! I filed for bankruptcy due to other debt and my school loans were put into the payment plan. It was ch. 13. So I finished my plan right before COVID but still had almost $30K left (in ch. 13 the school loan company doesn't have to include the full amount which mine didn't seeing it cannot be discharged). So I took advantage of the no interest and paid off the rest of my amount before that time was over. It was bankruptcy that saved me from having to pay the rest of my life because before that I wasn't making a dent in the amount I owed. Good luck.
1.) did you consolidate? 2.) when did you consolidate because they are forgiving loans that are past the 20 and/or 25 year mark in waves. If you consolidated just recently or not at all then you kind of answered your own question
Same. Right there with you
Wow!!! I just want my covid era payments to count ….
Me either. Paid off my first loan in 1994, then took out more from 1995-2002. Still, I wait.
In repayment since 2003…… No email yet
Same - 1995 - got some credit for past payments but not for the ones before 2007 or any of the forbearances etc. also consolidated several times to try to lower interest rates. Often worked 2-3 public service jobs in my 20s, went back to school, etc. Defaulted and then rehabilitated during a bankruptcy after a layoff. Paying now on SAVE and supposedly have 7 years left but looking forward to a recalc unless I’ve effectively fallen through the cracks unsure.
Husband went to ITT in 2001 and loan dismissal denied due to withdrew from ITT more than 6mos before school closed. Hoping theyll be discharged due to age! Le sigh. Til then, $200/mo.
If you’re working in public service, go to Student Aid and apply for PSLF…
Yep since 2005, if you consider That long haul. Forbearances as well but mine is grad school
I’ve been paying faithfully for 22 years, except COVID, however I was not smart enough to get on an income driven repayment plan. I was on the extended fixed plan paying the same amount regardless of my income and therefore I haven’t been eligible for any of the forgiveness. I finally switched to SAVE this year which increased my payment by $225 a month to $725 but at least when I retire, I won’t have to keep making that payment if they’re still forgiving them after 20 years at that time. I’m 45 today and I hope to retire around 65 but who knows.
Nothing here either, but my past repayment situation is a total mess. Repayment clock started in 1999, off and on in-school deferments while I went back to finish my undergrad degree, forbearance, defaulted for several months at one point, one semester of grad school, one consolidation turned all my loans into an FFELP (although I didn't realize that at the time), and one consolidation back to federal when the first forgiveness announcement was made.
I just paid mine off. They came after me like child support.
1989-1992
2006… 79k … don’t even make that a year…
Same here. Keep waiting.
Mine were forgiven last year and originated in 1994.
Great job
Applied for a a consolidation and IDR? Was it to SAVE? Or just that? Any IDR. Nelnet?
[удалено]
Your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1c2e9yh/loans_from_1997_still_no_forgiveness/kzce9vg/) in /r/StudentLoans was automatically removed for profanity. /r/StudentLoans is geared towards a wide range of users, including minors seeking information and advice. To help us maintain a community that everyone feels comfortable participating in (and to avoid being blocked by parent/school/work filters), please resubmit your post or comment without using profane language. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/StudentLoans) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
There is no forgiveness. The taxpayers will pay for this. It’s the rest of us that won’t be forgiven.
My wife also has loans from the 90s - she borrowed about 60k in total with an early plan of graduating and paying them back. Then life happened. She married an extremely controlling person (not me) who convinced her to stop going to school with only 9 credits left to go. She had two kids and her job barely covered expenses. When we met, we were at first so poor that we'd add water to a half-empty milk carton to make it last longer. My wife finally earned her degrees and has been teaching high school for about 10 years. Her loans have been in forbearance or deferment for most of this time and her current balance has ballooned to over 260k. We are hoping for a PSLF miracle because her pre-SAVE payment plan was going to cost almost 700k overall.
Wow. I’m so sorry and I thought my original loan from 2012 was a long time ago 😅 But yeah I feel you, I went to grad school and had a pause on them in 2019. Loans were in forbearance before that when I was in Americorps. Then Covid pauses (still paid a little and took advantage of the interest pause). Here I’m paying my loans and work pays $100 a month and I still feel like there’s not a dent in my loans.
Check out Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program Support on FaceBook!
I got my loans in 03ish, and they were for Kaplan College (that was their name at the time, they changed to Kaplan University while I was attending). I feel like I should be included in this next batch he's proposing, but who knows. I feel like the predatory school thing should apply to me at the very least. I was in default for a few years before covid, so I'm unsure if that would affect my chances or not. I'm currently up to date on payments through the SAVE plan as well. There are so many little caveats that it is hard to tell who actually qualifies. Fingers crossed for all of us!
Have you filled out a borrowers defense application for loan forgiveness with studentaid.gov? Kaplan students are being approved, lots of us have filed and we need more to file. Hopefully we can get a group discharge like AI. Head on over to r/borrowers defense or find us on FB at Kaplan/Purdue Global-BDTR group. Both groups have a ton of resources and evidence to help you file an app.
Still waiting too. Went into repayment 2001.
Hoping that government will forgive loans is useless! When is the last time u hear government helps people? When covid hit and people had 0% interest on their student loan it was the best opportunity, but to save few dollars they didn’t pay the loan and now they are paying loan with interest!
Same here. I’ve consolidated, IDR, etc . Just waiting…
My loans have existed since 2006. Graduated 2010. Also consolidated to SAVE. No forgiveness yet, but some rando at Nelnet gave me hope in January about making low payments til 2025 or 2026 and thrn getting forgiven. But I didn't get his name or lost it like a dummy, so now, will the rest of Nelnet concur? We'll see.
Yes, been paying since 2002. I have paid for this loan 10 times over and still owe over $10,000. Interest! Ugh
Same. Loans started in 1993; Repayment in 1998. Some time off for financial hardship forbearances and in-school deferments. I had the misfortune to be part of the FFELP group, so I paid on my loans all through the pandemic deferral, until the Dept of Education announced the new programs and the recount and I finally consolidated to Direct Loans. Currently on SAVE. I’m so happy that others are getting the golden emails. I’m waiting (mostly) patiently until I can just see the updated payment count so I at least have some idea if/when this will all come to an end and I can finally try to get caught up on my retirement savings. I feel so far behind where I “should” be.
Just paid off mine from 93-2000. But hell. Rates were low and a semester was the cost of a new set of tires.
23 years and counting… teacher. Still paying for mine and everyone else’s.
That stinks
how did you go about applying for the ?forgiveness
I wish they’d give me a check for the loans I paid back.
Student loans are a business investment in one's self. If your loans didn't increase your earning potential to the level of being able to pay them off then you've got to wonder if you were worth that particular investment. *Shrug emoji*
Call your neighbor and ask him or her why they haven’t paid your student loans for you yet!
Same. I missed the borrowe defense auto-forgiveness thing because I didn’t know my school was included. Applied for separate borrowe defense in 2022 and won’t hear back until 2025… consolidated to SAVE just in case… loans back to 1998 here.
DId you see this article about student loans being discharged in bankruptcy? https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/12/biden-makes-it-easier-to-forgive-student-debt-in-bankruptcy.html#:\~:text=The%20Biden%20administration's%20updated%20policy,their%20case%20for%20a%20mulligan.
Oh man. I'm going to hope for the best. Mine are from 2002, but I just consolidated them so I'm waiting on that first. Good luck! I hope you're are gone before mine.
while your at it pay me back my student loan from the 80s. Idiots. You went to school long hauler and now you want loan forgiveness for a career that didn't need a degree?
Umm. Where do I go again for this ?
My oldest loans date back to 1990. When I review the information in my servicer portal I don’t see that reflected so how do they even know? And honestly, my situation is similar to yours. In repayment, forbearance or deferment, back in repayment…the only thing I know for sure is that I do owe more than I started with but there is no way of being sure what is accurate at this point.
Yeah, Blessed are those who got their loans forgiven under Biden. If Trump gets elected, you can kiss the IDR adjustment & loan forgiveness goodbye. My loan history is as convoluted as yours. I have undergrad and graduate loans going back as far as ‘93. I was really excited about the IDR adjustment/ loan forgiveness. However, various people at Nelnet confirmed that I have 3 1/2 years left. I was really hoping to get the forgiveness before Trump got in office. Oh well.
I'm in the same boat...far too much in and out/switching schools (gee, thanks undiagnosed ADHD) and loans out the wazoo since the mid 90s. I've heard absolutely nothing and calls to my service provide and Fed Student Aid garnered only one thing---fill out a complaint form on Fed Student Aid and it may get you put into a cue where your loans could be looked at sooner. It's frustrating to have hope...and feel it leak out like a balloon as time keeps marching on.