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Millions of student-loan borrowers kicked off Biden's affordable plan are required to restart payments this fall

Ayelet Sheffey
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The Education Department is notifying 7 million student-loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan to transition to new repayment options by July 1, ending the paused payments under Biden’s blocked program. Borrowers have 90 days to select a new plan or be automatically shifted to a standard repayment plan, which typically carries higher monthly costs and less flexibility than SAVE. The SAVE plan, created under Biden to lower payments and shorten forgiveness timelines, was blocked in 2024 due to litigation and fully eliminated after a federal settlement with the Trump administration. Trump’s policy replaces SAVE with the less generous Repayment Assistance Plan, offering loan forgiveness only after 30 years and stricter borrowing caps under his 2028 spending legislation. Servicers will provide specific deadlines, but borrowers can proactively contact them to enroll in alternative lawful plans before the 90-day window expires.
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Millions of student-loan borrowers kicked off Biden's affordable plan are required to restart payments this fall

Student-loan borrowers enrolled in SAVE will soon need to find a new repayment plan. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images 2026-03-27T20:26:59.934Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

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The Education Department is sending notices on the next steps to student-loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan. Beginning July 1, SAVE borrowers will have 90 days to select a new plan and begin payments. Those who do not select a new plan will be moved to a standard repayment plan. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What is the new Repayment Assistance Plan? Why was the SAVE plan blocked? How does Trump's policy impact borrowers? How is the standard repayment plan different? What options do borrowers have now? The Department of Education to millions of student-loan borrowers: Get off SAVE — and pay up. Loading audio narration... The department announced on Friday that it will begin sending notices to the 7 million borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan detailing their next steps for repayment.Starting on July 1, according to the department, servicers will notify borrowers enrolled in SAVE that they have 90 days to select a new repayment plan and resume making payments. Borrowers who do not select a new repayment plan will be moved to a standard repayment plan, and loan servicers will notify them of their specific enrollment deadline. "The 90-day period provides borrowers with ample time to explore repayment options that best suit their needs and plan accordingly," the department said. "A borrower who wishes to transition before their loan servicer communicates a specific 90-day deadline may contact their servicer at any time to enroll in a lawful repayment plan."Nicholas Kent, the undersecretary of education, said in a Friday statement that borrowers will receive further guidance "over the next week." "For years, borrowers have been caught in a confusing cycle of uncertainty, but the Trump Administration's policy is simple: if you take out a loan, you must pay it back," Kent said.SAVE was created by former President Joe Biden to give borrowers cheaper monthly payments and a shorter timeline to loan forgiveness. The plan had been blocked since the summer of 2024 due to litigation, and borrowers on it have not been required to make monthly payments. A federal judge recently approved a settlement with President Donald Trump and Missouri — one of the states that filed the litigation — to eliminate SAVE altogether. The settlement allowed the administration to eliminate SAVE and move borrowers to new plans ahead of schedule. Trump's "big beautiful" spending legislation, which included new repayment plans and borrowing caps, would have eliminated SAVE by 2028. The Department of Education said that SAVE borrowers will have the option to enroll in the new Repayment Assistance Plan, which is less generous than existing plans and allows for relief after 30 years.Have a story to share about student loans? Contact this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

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