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# Biden-Harris Administration Releases State-By-State Data on $39 Billion in Loan Forgiveness for 804,000 Borrowers as a Result of Fixes to Income-Driven Repayment Plans 

# Biden-Harris Administration Releases State-By-State Data on $39 Billion in Loan Forgiveness for 804,000 Borrowers as a Result of Fixes to Income-Driven Repayment Plans 

July 18, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
*Last  week, the Department of Education began notifying impacted borrowers they were  eligible for automatic loan relief** ** *  

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today  released state-by-state data on the number of borrowers who are eligible for  automatic loan relief under fixes to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans  implemented by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure all borrowers have an  accurate count of the number of monthly payments that qualify toward  forgiveness. On Friday, the Department started notifying 804,000 borrowers who  have a total of $39 billion in Federal student loans that will be automatically  discharged in the coming weeks. Today’s data show how many borrowers and the  total amount that is eligible for relief in each state and territory as a  result of this action. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration,  the Department has approved more than $116 billion in student loan forgiveness  for more than 3.4 million borrowers.

  The discharges announced on Friday are part of the Department’s  commitment to address historical failures in the administration of the Federal  student loan program in which qualifying payments made under IDR plans that  should have moved borrowers closer to forgiveness were not accurately accounted  for. Borrowers are eligible for forgiveness if they have accumulated the  equivalent of either 20 or 25 years of qualifying months depending on their  loan type and IDR plan. Friday’s action is a result of the Biden-Harris  Administration’s implementation of the payment count adjustmentannounced in April  2022. 

  The state-by-state breakdown of relief and eligible  borrowers can be found below:

**Borrowers Approved for IDR Discharge under the Account Adjustment by Location**
**State**

**Borrower    Count**

**Debt    Eligible for Discharge (in millions)**

Alabama

12,720

$553.90

Alaska

970

$51.40

Arizona

20,530

$1,030.40

Arkansas

6,940

$342.60

California

61,890

$2,958.80

Colorado

15,010

$805.40

Connecticut

7,230

$309.90

Delaware

2,430

$113.10

District of Columbia

2,230

$130.20

Florida

56,930

$3,036.80

Georgia

38,590

$2,130.40

Hawaii

1,690

$90.20

Idaho

5,720

$252.90

Illinois

28,450

$1,316.00

Indiana

19,470

$932.80

Iowa

10,730

$465.10

Kansas

8,410

$424.50

Kentucky

11,180

$447.70

Louisiana

15,190

$824.70

Maine

4,790

$212.50

Maryland

16,750

$918.30

Massachusetts

12,530

$592.00

Michigan

26,980

$1,267.30

Minnesota

13,610

$645.20

Mississippi

9,480

$450.90

Missouri

18,800

$956.80

Montana

3,700

$185.20

Nebraska

5,700

$268.90

Nevada

6,820

$330.00

New Hampshire

3,090

$143.80

New Jersey

17,290

$788.00

New Mexico

5,410

$260.30

New York

42,070

$1,924.10

North Carolina

24,870

$1,135.10

North Dakota

2,110

$100.60

Ohio

37,070

$1,736.90

Oklahoma

11,530

$548.40

Oregon

11,780

$572.80

Pennsylvania

29,840

$1,343.50

Rhode Island

2,580

$109.70

South Carolina

16,330

$855.20

South Dakota

3,030

$147.40

Tennessee

16,970

$867.90

Texas

63,730

$3,091.80

Utah

3,940

$212.00

Vermont

1,930

$95.80

Virginia

21,560

$1,042.50

Washington

16,310

$777.10

West Virginia

4,950

$196.20

Wisconsin

12,220

$576.10

Wyoming

1,230

$61.50

All Other Locations

8,710

$350.30

**TOTAL**

**803,990**

**$38,980.90**

On Friday, President Biden released the following statement on  his Administration’s action to deliver $39 billion in relief to more than  800,000 borrowers: 

  “I have long said that college should be a ticket to the  middle class - not a burden that weighs down on families for  decades.  

  “My Administration is delivering on that commitment.  Starting today, over 800,000 student loan borrowers who have been repaying  their loans for 20 years or more will see $39 billion of their loans discharged  because of steps my Administration took to fix failures of the past. These  borrowers will join the millions of people that my Administration has provided  relief to over the past two years – resulting in over $116 billion in loan  relief to over 3 million borrowers under my Administration.  

  “But we’re not stopping there. My Administration has  worked hard to secure the largest increases to Pell Grants in a decade, fixed  broken loan programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and created a new  income-driven repayment plan that will cut undergraduate loan payments in half  and bring monthly payments to zero for low-income borrowers. And, when the  Supreme Court made the wrong decision, I immediately announced a new plan to  open an alternative path to relief for as many borrowers as possible, as soon  as possible. 

  “Republican lawmakers – who had no problem with the  government forgiving millions of dollars of their own business loans – have  tried everything they can to stop me from providing relief to hardworking  Americans. Some are even objecting to the actions we announced today, which  follows through on relief borrowers were promised, but never given, even when  they had been making payments for decades. The hypocrisy is stunning, and the  disregard for working and middle-class families is outrageous. 

  “As long as I’m in office, I will continue to work to  bring the promise of college to every American.” 

  Vice President Harris also issued a statement, available here.  

  Eligible borrowers were notified by the Department  starting last Friday that they qualify for forgiveness without further action  on their part. Discharges will begin 30 days after those emails were sent.  Borrowers who wish to opt out of the discharge for any reason should contact  their loan servicer during this period. Borrowers will be notified by their  servicer after their debt is discharged. Those receiving forgiveness will have  repayment on those loans paused until their discharge is processed, while those  who opt out of the discharge will return to repayment once payments  resume. 

  “For far too long, borrowers fell through the cracks of a  broken system that failed to keep accurate track of their progress towards  forgiveness,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Friday.  “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking another historic step to  right these wrongs and announcing $39 billion in debt relief for another  804,000 borrowers. By fixing past administrative failures, we are ensuring  everyone gets the forgiveness they deserve, just as we have done for public  servants, students who were cheated by their colleges, and borrowers with  permanent disabilities, including veterans. This Administration will not stop  fighting to level the playing field in higher education.” 

  The Department will continue to identify and notify  borrowers who reach the applicable forgiveness thresholds (240 or 300  qualifying monthly payments, depending on their repayment plan and type of  loan) every two months until next year when all borrowers who are not yet  eligible for forgiveness will have their payment counts updated. Any month  counted for this purpose can also be counted toward PSLF if the borrower  documents qualifying employment for that same period.

  The data released today builds on the Biden-Harris  Administration’s unparalleled record of student debt relief to date,  including: 
- $45 billion for 653,800       public servants through improvements to PSLF;  
- $10.5 billion for       491,000 borrowers who have a total and permanent disability; and  
- $22 billion for nearly       1.3 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their schools       precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.  

President Biden and the  Department have also taken steps to help borrowers access affordable payments  going forward. The Department recently issued final regulations creating the  most affordable payment plan ever—the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE)  plan. The SAVE plan will cut payments on undergraduate loans in half compared  to other IDR plans, ensure that borrowers never see their balance grow as long  as they keep up with their required payments, and protect more of a borrower’s income  for basic needs. A single borrower who makes less than $15 an hour will not  have to make any payments. Borrowers earning above that amount will save more  than $1,000 a year on their payments compared to other IDR plans. Benefits from  the SAVE plan will start becoming available this summer.
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