§ 685.209 Income-driven repayment plans. ( a ) *General.* Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans are repayment plans that base the borrower's monthly payment amount on the borrower's income and family size. The four IDR plans are— ( 1 ) The Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) plan, which may also be referred to as the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan;
( 2 ) The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan;
( 3 ) The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment plan; and
( 4 ) The Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan;
( b ) *Definitions.* The following definitions apply to this section: *Discretionary income* means the greater of $0 or the difference between the borrower's income as determined under paragraph (e)(1) of this section and— ( i ) For the REPAYE plan, 225 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline;
( ii ) For the IBR and PAYE plans, 150 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline; and
( iii ) For the ICR plan, 100 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline.
*Eligible loan,* for purposes of determining partial financial hardship status and for adjusting the monthly payment amount in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section means— ( i ) Any outstanding loan made to a borrower under the Direct Loan Program, except for a Direct PLUS Loan made to a parent borrower, or a Direct Consolidation Loan that repaid a Direct PLUS Loan or a Federal PLUS Loan made to a parent borrower; and
( ii ) Any outstanding loan made to a borrower under the FFEL Program, except for a Federal PLUS Loan made to a parent borrower, or a Federal Consolidation Loan that repaid a Federal PLUS Loan or a Direct PLUS Loan made to a parent borrower.
*Family size* means, for all IDR plans, the number of individuals that is determined by adding together— ( i ) ( A ) The borrower;
( B ) The borrower's spouse, for a married borrower filing a joint Federal income tax return;
( C ) The borrower's children, including unborn children who will be born during the year the borrower certifies family size, if the children receive more than half their support from the borrower and are not included in the family size for any other borrower except the borrower's spouse who filed jointly with the borrower; and
( D ) Other individuals if, at the time the borrower certifies family size, the other individuals live with the borrower and receive more than half their support from the borrower and will continue to receive this support from the borrower for the year for which the borrower certifies family size.
( ii ) The Department may calculate family size based on Federal tax information reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
*Income* means either— ( i ) The borrower's and, if applicable, the spouse's, Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as reported to the Internal Revenue Service; or
( ii ) The amount calculated based on alternative documentation of all forms of taxable income received by the borrower and provided to the Secretary.
*Income-driven repayment plan* means a repayment plan in which the monthly payment amount is primarily determined by the borrower's income.
*Monthly payment or the equivalent* means— ( i ) A required monthly payment as determined in accordance with paragraphs (k)(4)(i) through (iii) of this section;
( ii ) A month in which a borrower receives a deferment or forbearance of repayment under one of the deferment or forbearance conditions listed in paragraphs (k)(4)(iv) of this section; or
( iii ) A month in which a borrower makes a payment in accordance with procedures in paragraph (k)(6) of this section.
*New borrower* means— ( i ) For the purpose of the PAYE plan, an individual who— ( A ) Has no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan Program loan or a FFEL Program loan as of October 1, 2007, or who has no outstanding balance on such a loan on the date the borrower receives a new loan after October 1, 2007; and
( B ) Receives a disbursement of a Direct Subsidized Loan, a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, a Direct PLUS Loan made to a graduate or professional student, or a Direct Consolidation Loan on or after October 1, 2011, except that a borrower is not considered a new borrower if the Direct Consolidation Loan repaid a loan that would otherwise make the borrower ineligible under paragraph (1) of this definition.
( ii ) For the purposes of the IBR plan, an individual who has no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan on July 1, 2014, or who has no outstanding balance on such a loan on the date the borrower obtains a loan after July 1, 2014.
*Partial financial hardship* means— ( i ) For an unmarried borrower or for a married borrower whose spouse's income and eligible loan debt are excluded for purposes of determining a payment amount under the IBR or PAYE plans in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section, a circumstance in which the Secretary determines that the annual amount the borrower would be required to pay on the borrower's eligible loans under the 10-year standard repayment plan is more than what the borrower would pay under the IBR or PAYE plan as determined in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section. The Secretary determines the annual amount that would be due under the 10-year Standard Repayment plan based on the greater of the balances of the borrower's eligible loans that were outstanding at the time the borrower entered repayment on the loans or the balances on those loans that were outstanding at the time the borrower selected the IBR or PAYE plan.
( ii ) For a married borrower whose spouse's income and eligible loan debt are included for purposes of determining a payment amount under the IBR or PAYE plan in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section, the Secretary's determination of partial financial hardship as described in paragraph (1) of this definition is based on the income and eligible loan debt of the borrower and the borrower's spouse.
*Poverty guideline* refers to the income categorized by State and family size in the Federal poverty guidelines published annually by the United States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). If a borrower is not a resident of a State identified in the Federal poverty guidelines, the Federal poverty guideline to be used for the borrower is the Federal poverty guideline (for the relevant family size) used for the 48 contiguous States.
*Support* includes money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothes, car, medical and dental care, and payment of college costs.
( c ) *Borrower eligibility for IDR plans.* ( 1 ) Except as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, defaulted loans may not be repaid under an IDR plan.
( 2 ) Any Direct Loan borrower may repay under the REPAYE plan if the borrower has loans eligible for repayment under the plan;
( 3 ) ( i ) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section, any Direct Loan borrower may repay under the IBR plan if the borrower has loans eligible for repayment under the plan and has a partial financial hardship when the borrower initially enters the plan.
( ii ) A borrower who has made 60 or more qualifying repayments under the REPAYE plan on or after July 1, 2024, may not enroll in the IBR plan.
( 4 ) A borrower may repay under the PAYE plan only if the borrower— ( i ) Has loans eligible for repayment under the plan;
( ii ) Is a new borrower;
( iii ) Has a partial financial hardship when the borrower initially enters the plan; and
( iv ) Was repaying a loan under the PAYE plan on July 1, 2024. A borrower who was repaying under the PAYE plan on or after July 1, 2024 and changes to a different repayment plan in accordance with § 685.210(b) may not re-enroll in the PAYE plan.
( 5 ) ( i ) Except as provided in (c)(5)(ii) or (c)(5)(iii) of this section, a borrower may enroll under the ICR plan only if the borrower— ( A ) Has loans eligible for repayment under the plan; and
( B ) Was repaying a loan under the ICR plan on July 1, 2024. A borrower who was repaying under the ICR plan on or after July 1, 2024, and changes to a different repayment plan in accordance with § 685.210(b) may not re-enroll in the ICR plan unless they meet the criteria in paragraph (c)(5)(ii) or (c)(5)(iii).
( ii ) A borrower may choose the ICR plan to repay a Direct Consolidation Loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 and that repaid a parent Direct PLUS Loan or a parent Federal PLUS Loan.
( iii ) A borrower who has a Direct Consolidation Loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2025, which repaid a Direct parent PLUS loan, a FFEL parent PLUS loan, or a Direct Consolidation Loan that repaid a consolidation loan that included a Direct parent PLUS or FFEL parent PLUS loan may not choose any IDR plan except the ICR plan.
( d ) *Loans eligible to be repaid under an IDR plan.* ( 1 ) The following loans are eligible to be repaid under the REPAYE and PAYE plans: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans made to graduate or professional students, and Direct Consolidation Loans that did not repay a Direct parent PLUS Loan or a Federal parent PLUS Loan;
( 2 ) The following loans, including defaulted loans, are eligible to be repaid under the IBR plan: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans made to graduate or professional students, and Direct Consolidation Loans that did not repay a Direct parent PLUS Loan or a Federal parent PLUS Loan.
( 3 ) The following loans are eligible to be repaid under the ICR plan: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans made to graduate or professional students, and all Direct Consolidation Loans (including Direct Consolidation Loans that repaid Direct parent PLUS Loans or Federal parent PLUS Loans), except for Direct PLUS Consolidation Loans made before July 1, 2006.
( e ) *Treatment of income and loan debt* — ( 1 ) *Income.* ( i ) For purposes of calculating the borrower's monthly payment amount under the REPAYE, IBR, and PAYE plans— ( A ) For an unmarried borrower, a married borrower filing a separate Federal income tax return, or a married borrower filing a joint Federal tax return who certifies that the borrower is currently separated from the borrower's spouse or is currently unable to reasonably access the spouse's income, only the borrower's income is used in the calculation.
( B ) For a married borrower filing a joint Federal income tax return, except as provided in paragraph (e)(1)(i)(A) of this section, the combined income of the borrower and spouse is used in the calculation.
( ii ) For purposes of calculating the monthly payment amount under the ICR plan— ( A ) For an unmarried borrower, a married borrower filing a separate Federal income tax return, or a married borrower filing a joint Federal tax return who certifies that the borrower is currently separated from the borrower's spouse or is currently unable to reasonably access the spouse's income, only the borrower's income is used in the calculation.
( B ) For married borrowers (regardless of tax filing status) who elect to repay their Direct Loans jointly under the ICR Plan or (except as provided in paragraph (e)(1)(ii)(A) of this section) for a married borrower filing a joint Federal income tax return, the combined income of the borrower and spouse is used in the calculation.
( 2 ) *Loan debt.* ( i ) For the REPAYE, IBR, and PAYE plans, the spouse's eligible loan debt is included for the purposes of adjusting the borrower's monthly payment amount as described in paragraph (g) of this section if the spouse's income is included in the calculation of the borrower's monthly payment amount in accordance with paragraph (e)(1) of this section.
( ii ) For the ICR plan, the spouse's loans that are eligible for repayment under the ICR plan in accordance with paragraph (d)(3) of this section are included in the calculation of the borrower's monthly payment amount only if the borrower and the borrower's spouse elect to repay their eligible Direct Loans jointly under the ICR plan.
( f ) *Monthly payment amounts.* ( 1 ) For the REPAYE plan, the borrower's monthly payments are— ( i ) $0 for the portion of the borrower's income, as determined under paragraph (e)(1) of this section, that is less than or equal to 225 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline; plus
( ii ) 5 percent of the portion of income as determined under paragraph (e)(1) of this section that is greater than 225 percent of the applicable poverty guideline, prorated by the percentage that is the result of dividing the borrower's original total loan balance attributable to eligible loans received for the borrower's undergraduate study by the original total loan balance attributable to all eligible loans, divided by 12; plus
( iii ) For loans not subject to paragraph (f)(1)(ii) of this section, 10 percent of the portion of income as determined under paragraph (e)(1) of this section that is greater than 225 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guidelines, prorated by the percentage that is the result of dividing the borrower's original total loan balance minus the original total loan balance of loans subject to paragraph (f)(1)(ii) of this section by the borrower's original total loan balance attributable to all eligible loans, divided by 12.
( 2 ) For new borrowers under the IBR plan and for all borrowers on the PAYE plan, the borrower's monthly payments are the lesser of— ( i ) 10 percent of the borrower's discretionary income, divided by 12; or
( ii ) What the borrower would have paid on a 10-year standard repayment plan based on the eligible loan balances and interest rates on the loans at the time the borrower began paying under the IBR or PAYE plans.
( 3 ) For those who are not new borrowers under the IBR plan, the borrower's monthly payments are the lesser of— ( i ) 15 percent of the borrower's discretionary income, divided by 12; or
( ii ) What the borrower would have paid on a 10-year standard repayment plan based on the eligible loan balances and interest rates on the loans at the time the borrower began paying under the IBR plan.
( 4 ) ( i ) For the ICR plan, the borrower's monthly payments are the lesser of— ( A ) What the borrower would have paid under a repayment plan with fixed monthly payments over a 12-year repayment period, based on the amount that the borrower owed when the borrower began repaying under the ICR plan, multiplied by a percentage based on the borrower's income as established by the Secretary in a Federal Register notice published annually to account for inflation; or
( B ) 20 percent of the borrower's discretionary income, divided by 12.
( ii ) ( A ) Married borrowers may repay their loans jointly under the ICR plan. The outstanding balances on the loans of each borrower are added together to determine the borrowers' combined monthly payment amount under paragraph (f)(4)(i) of this section;
( B ) The amount of the payment applied to each borrower's debt is the proportion of the payments that equals the same proportion as that borrower's debt to the total outstanding balance, except that the payment is credited toward outstanding interest on any loan before any payment is credited toward principal.
( g ) *Adjustments to monthly payment amounts.* ( 1 ) Monthly payment amounts calculated under paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section will be adjusted in the following circumstances: ( i ) In cases where the spouse's loan debt is included in accordance with paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section, the borrower's payment is adjusted by— ( A ) Dividing the outstanding principal and interest balance of the borrower's eligible loans by the couple's combined outstanding principal and interest balance on eligible loans; and
( B ) Multiplying the borrower's payment amount as calculated in accordance with paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section by the percentage determined under paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this section.
( ii ) In cases where the borrower has outstanding eligible loans made under the FFEL Program, the borrower's calculated monthly payment amount, as determined in accordance with paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section or, if applicable, the borrower's adjusted payment as determined in accordance with paragraph (g)(1) of this section is adjusted by— ( A ) Dividing the outstanding principal and interest balance of the borrower's eligible loans that are Direct Loans by the borrower's total outstanding principal and interest balance on eligible loans; and
( B ) Multiplying the borrower's payment amount as calculated in accordance with paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section or the borrower's adjusted payment amount as determined in accordance with paragraph (g)(1) of this section by the percentage determined under paragraph (g)(2)(i) of this section.
( iii ) In cases where the borrower's monthly payment amount calculated under paragraphs (f)(1) through (3) of this section or the borrower's adjusted monthly payment as calculated under paragraphs (g)(1)(i) or (g)(1)(ii) of this section is— ( A ) Less than $5, the monthly payment is $0; or
( B ) Equal to or greater than $5 but less than $10, the monthly payment is $10.
( 2 ) Monthly payment amounts calculated under paragraph (f)(4) of this section will be adjusted to $5 in circumstances where the borrower's calculated payment amount is greater than $0 but less than or equal to $5.
( h ) *Interest.* If a borrower's calculated monthly payment under an IDR plan is insufficient to pay the accrued interest on the borrower's loans, the Secretary charges the remaining accrued interest to the borrower in accordance with paragraphs (h)(1) through (3) of this section. ( 1 ) Under the REPAYE plan, during all periods of repayment on all loans being repaid under the REPAYE plan, the Secretary does not charge the borrower's account any accrued interest that is not covered by the borrower's payment;
( 2 ) ( i ) Under the IBR and PAYE plans, the Secretary does not charge the borrower's account with an amount equal to the amount of accrued interest on the borrower's Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Subsidized Consolidation Loans that is not covered by the borrower's payment for the first three consecutive years of repayment under the plan, except as provided for the IBR and PAYE plans in paragraph (h)(2)(ii) of this section;
( ii ) Under the IBR and PAYE plans, the 3-year period described in paragraph (h)(2)(i) of this section excludes any period during which the borrower receives an economic hardship deferment under § 685.204(g); and
( 3 ) Under the ICR plan, the Secretary charges all accrued interest to the borrower.
( i ) *Changing repayment plans.* A borrower who is repaying under an IDR plan may change at any time to any other repayment plan for which the borrower is eligible, except as otherwise provided in § 685.210(b).
( j ) *Interest capitalization.* ( 1 ) Under the REPAYE, PAYE, and ICR plans, the Secretary capitalizes unpaid accrued interest in accordance with § 685.202(b).
( 2 ) Under the IBR plan, the Secretary capitalizes unpaid accrued interest— ( i ) In accordance with § 685.202(b);
( ii ) When a borrower's payment is the amount described in paragraphs (f)(2)(ii) and (f)(3)(ii) of this section; and
( iii ) When a borrower leaves the IBR plan.
( k ) *Forgiveness timeline.* ( 1 ) In the case of a borrower repaying under the REPAYE plan who is repaying at least one loan received for graduate or professional study, or a Direct Consolidation Loan that repaid one or more loans received for graduate or professional study, a borrower repaying under the IBR plan who is not a new borrower, or a borrower repaying under the ICR plan, the borrower receives forgiveness of the remaining balance of the borrower's loan after the borrower has satisfied 300 monthly payments or the equivalent in accordance with paragraph (k)(4) of this section over a period of at least 25 years;
( 2 ) In the case of a borrower repaying under the REPAYE plan who is repaying only loans received for undergraduate study, or a Direct Consolidation Loan that repaid only loans received for undergraduate study, a borrower repaying under the IBR plan who is a new borrower, or a borrower repaying under the PAYE plan, the borrower receives forgiveness of the remaining balance of the borrower's loans after the borrower has satisfied 240 monthly payments or the equivalent in accordance with paragraph (k)(4) of this section over a period of at least 20 years;
( 3 ) Notwithstanding paragraphs (k)(1) and (k)(2) of this section, a borrower receives forgiveness if the borrower's total original principal balance on all loans that are being paid under the REPAYE plan was less than or equal to $12,000, after the borrower has satisfied 120 monthly payments or the equivalent, plus an additional 12 monthly payments or the equivalent over a period of at least 1 year for every $1,000 if the total original principal balance is above $12,000.
( 4 ) For all IDR plans, a borrower receives a month of credit toward forgiveness by— ( i ) Making a payment under an IDR plan or having a monthly payment obligation of $0;
( ii ) Making a payment under the 10-year standard repayment plan under § 685.208(b);
( iii ) Making a payment under a repayment plan with payments that are as least as much as they would have been under the 10-year standard repayment plan under § 685.208(b), except that no more than 12 payments made under paragraph (l)(9)(iii) of this section may count toward forgiveness under the REPAYE plan;
( iv ) Deferring or forbearing monthly payments under the following provisions: ( A ) A cancer treatment deferment under section 455(f)(3) of the Act;
( B ) A rehabilitation training program deferment under § 685.204(e);
( C ) An unemployment deferment under § 685.204(f);
( D ) An economic hardship deferment under § 685.204(g), which includes volunteer service in the Peace Corps as an economic hardship condition;
( E ) A military service deferment under § 685.204(h);
( F ) A post active-duty student deferment under § 685.204(i);
( G ) A national service forbearance under § 685.205(a)(4) on or after July 1, 2024;
( H ) A national guard duty forbearance under § 685.205(a)(7) on or after July 1, 2024;
( I ) A Department of Defense Student Loan Repayment forbearance under § 685.205(a)(9) on or after July 1, 2024;
( J ) An administrative forbearance under § 685.205(b)(8) or (9) on or after July 1, 2024; or
( K ) A bankruptcy forbearance under § 685.205(b)(6)(viii) on or after July 1, 2024 if the borrower made the required payments on a confirmed bankruptcy plan.
( v ) Making a qualifying payment as described under § 685.219(c)(2),
( vi ) ( A ) Counting payments a borrower of a Direct Consolidation Loan made on the Direct Loans or FFEL program loans repaid by the Direct Consolidation Loan if the payments met the criteria in paragraph (k)(4) of this section, the criteria in § 682.209(a)(6)(vi) that were based on a 10-year repayment period, or the criteria in § 682.215.
( B ) For a borrower whose Direct Consolidation Loan repaid loans with more than one period of qualifying payments, the borrower receives credit for the number of months equal to the weighted average of qualifying payments made rounded up to the nearest whole month.
( C ) For borrowers whose Joint Direct Consolidation Loan is separated into individual Direct Consolidation loans, each borrower receives credit for the number of months equal to the number of months that was credited prior to the separation; or,
( vii ) Making payments under paragraph (k)(6) of this section.
( 5 ) For the IBR plan only, a monthly repayment obligation for the purposes of forgiveness includes— ( i ) A payment made pursuant to paragraph (k)(4)(i) or (k)(4)(ii) of this section on a loan in default;
( ii ) An amount collected through administrative wage garnishment or Federal Offset that is equivalent to the amount a borrower would owe under paragraph (k)(4)(i) of this section, except that the number of monthly payment obligations satisfied by the borrower cannot exceed the number of months from the Secretary's receipt of the collected amount until the borrower's next annual repayment plan recertification date under IBR; or
( iii ) An amount collected through administrative wage garnishment or Federal Offset that is equivalent to the amount a borrower would owe on the 10-year standard plan.
( 6 ) ( i ) A borrower may obtain credit toward forgiveness as defined in paragraph (k) of this section for any months in which a borrower was in a deferment or forbearance not listed in paragraph (k)(4)(iv) of this section by making an additional payment equal to or greater than their current IDR payment, including a payment of $0, for a deferment or forbearance that ended within 3 years of the additional repayment date and occurred after July 1, 2024.
( ii ) Upon request, the Secretary informs the borrower of the months for which the borrower can make payments under paragraph (k)(6)(i) of this section.
( l ) *Application and annual recertification procedures.* ( 1 ) To initially enter or recertify their intent to repay under an IDR plan, a borrower provides approval for the disclosure of applicable tax information to the Secretary either as part of the process of completing a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note or a Direct Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note in accordance with sections 455(e)(8) and 493C(c)(2) of the Act or on application form approved by the Secretary;
( 2 ) If a borrower does not provide approval for the disclosure of applicable tax information under sections 455(e)(8) and 493C(c)(2) of the Act when completing the promissory note or on the application form for an IDR plan, the borrower must provide documentation of the borrower's income and family size to the Secretary;
( 3 ) If the Secretary has received approval for disclosure of applicable tax information, but cannot obtain the borrower's AGI and family size from the Internal Revenue Service, the borrower and, if applicable, the borrower's spouse, must provide documentation of income and family size to the Secretary;
( 4 ) After the Secretary obtains sufficient information to calculate the borrower's monthly payment amount, the Secretary calculates the borrower's payment and establishes the 12-month period during which the borrower will be obligated to make a payment in that amount;
( 5 ) The Secretary then sends to the borrower a repayment disclosure that— ( i ) Specifies the borrower's calculated monthly payment amount;
( ii ) Explains how the payment was calculated;
( iii ) Informs the borrower of the terms and conditions of the borrower's selected repayment plan; and
( iv ) Informs the borrower of how to contact the Secretary if the calculated payment amount is not reflective of the borrower's current income or family size;
( 6 ) If the borrower believes that the payment amount is not reflective of the borrower's current income or family size, the borrower may request that the Secretary recalculate the payment amount. To support the request, the borrower must also submit alternative documentation of income or family size not based on tax information to account for circumstances such as a decrease in income since the borrower last filed a tax return, the borrower's separation from a spouse with whom the borrower had previously filed a joint tax return, the birth or impending birth of a child, or other comparable circumstances;
( 7 ) If the borrower provides alternative documentation under paragraph (l)(6) of this section or if the Secretary obtains documentation from the borrower or spouse under paragraph (l)(3) of this section, the Secretary grants forbearance under § 685.205(b)(9) to provide time for the Secretary to recalculate the borrower's monthly payment amount based on the documentation obtained from the borrower or spouse;
( 8 ) Once the borrower has 3 monthly payments remaining under the 12-month period specified in paragraph (l)(4) of this section, the Secretary follows the procedures in paragraphs (l)(3) through (l)(7) of this section.
( 9 ) If the Secretary requires information from the borrower under paragraph (l)(3) of this section to recalculate the borrower's monthly repayment amount under paragraph (l)(8) of this section, and the borrower does not provide the necessary documentation to the Secretary by the time the last payment is due under the 12-month period specified under paragraph (l)(4) of this section— ( i ) For the IBR and PAYE plans, the borrower's monthly payment amount is the amount determined under paragraph (f)(2)(ii) or (f)(3)(ii) of this section;
( ii ) For the ICR plan, the borrower's monthly payment amount is the amount the borrower would have paid under a 10-year standard repayment plan based on the total balance of the loans being repaid under the ICR Plan when the borrower initially entered the ICR Plan; and
( iii ) For the REPAYE plan, the Secretary removes the borrower from the REPAYE plan and places the borrower on an alternative repayment plan under which the borrower's required monthly payment is the amount the borrower would have paid on a 10-year standard repayment plan based on the current loan balances and interest rates on the loans at the time the borrower is removed from the REPAYE plan.
( 10 ) At any point during the 12-month period specified under paragraph (l)(4) of this section, the borrower may request that the Secretary recalculate the borrower's payment earlier than would have otherwise been the case to account for a change in the borrower's circumstances, such as a loss of income or employment or divorce. In such cases, the 12-month period specified under paragraph (l)(4) of this section is reset based on the borrower's new information.
( 11 ) The Secretary tracks a borrower's progress toward eligibility for forgiveness under paragraph (k) of this section and forgives loans that meet the criteria under paragraph (k) of this section without the need for an application or documentation from the borrower.
( m ) *Automatic enrollment in an IDR plan.* The Secretary places a borrower on the IDR plan under this section that results in the lowest monthly payment based on the borrower's income and family size if— ( 1 ) The borrower is otherwise eligible for the plan;
( 2 ) The borrower has approved the disclosure of tax information under paragraph (l)(1) of this section;
( 3 ) The borrower has not made a scheduled payment on the loan for at least 75 days or is in default on the loan and is not subject to a Federal offset, administrative wage garnishment under section 488A of the Act, or to a judgment secured through litigation; and
( 4 ) The Secretary determines that the borrower's payment under the IDR plan would be lower than or equal to the payment on the plan in which the borrower is enrolled.
( n ) *Removal from default.* The Secretary will no longer consider a borrower in default on a loan if— ( 1 ) The borrower provides information necessary to calculate a payment under paragraph (f) of this section;
( 2 ) The payment calculated pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section is $0; and
( 3 ) The income information used to calculate the payment under paragraph (f) of this section includes the point at which the loan defaulted.
[88 FR 43900, July 10, 2023; 89 FR 46331, May 29, 2024]