Payments must cover at least the interest that accrues between scheduled payments. The maximum payment may never exceed three times the amount of any previously scheduled payment amount. Graduated Repayment Payments start low and gradually increase during the repayment period. The total interest paid on the loan is higher through the income sensitive and graduate repayment plans than the standard repayment plan. The Federal government will pay the interest that accrues during one of these authorized deferment periods only on the loans included in the consolidation that are subsidized loans.
Married couples are eligible for deferments only if both parties meet the deferment requirements.