Biden declared a $10,000 reserve for students who earn less than $125,000 per year and another $20,000 for Pell Grant beneficiaries. (Video Michael Cadenhead/The Washington Post)
Students who have loans began seeking up to $20,000 in debt relief on Friday after the Education Department launched a beta test of its website before the official launch of the relief program.
Anyone who applies during the beta testing phase will be processed once the form launches officially, as per the department. However, the federal agency has said it will accept applications to help improve procedures before the document’s official launch.
The agency said the portal — available at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application — would be functional on and off during the beta test. The department’s technical staff will check the site at various times to conduct reviews, improvements, and routine maintenance. The agency encourages borrowers who cannot use the form to return later or be patient until the application is accessible to all. It’s not a benefit to apply before the launch date, it said.
“Borrowers do not have to apply again if they submitted applications during the beta testing, and the application process will not begin until the website is officially launched in the coming months,” a spokesperson for the department said. “This test period will permit the Department to evaluate the performance of the website using real-world applications and evaluate the site before the launch of the application as well as refine processes and discover any issues before the official launch.”
The department continues to build the foundations to roll out the plan as the forgiveness program faces numerous legal hurdles. The application HTML2 is expected to open for all loan holders at the end of this month.
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The most important details about Biden’s student loan forgiveness
- The Biden administration is expected to suspend student loan repayments since legal disputes have placed the plan to ease debt into limbo.
- Are you confused about the status of the student loan forgiven? What do we know?
- Are you unsure of your eligibility? Find out the amount of your loan debt that could be paid off.
- In October, a Federal appeals court ruled against the imminent end of federal student loans.
- President Biden’s proposal will end some federal student loans millions Americans own.
- Borrowers are eligible for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness for student loans, and recipients of Pell Grants can receive an additional $10,000 of forgiveness.
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In the last week this week, earlier this week, the Biden administration offered an early preview of the application form for President Biden’s plan to grant loan forgiveness of up to $20,000 of federal loans for eligible borrowers. It was previously announced that this application form would be short and that the borrowers would not have to submit documents or a Federal student ID number.
The application requires borrowers to supply their Social Security numbers and attest that they earn less than the income limits set to be relieved. The program is only available to borrowers who make less than $125,000 during 2020 or 2021, less than the $250,000 limit for married couples. According to the White House, nearly 95 percent of those who receive federal student loans satisfy the income requirements for the program and can qualify for relief.
Since President Biden announced it in August, many borrowers have demanded more information on the forgiveness program. Unfortunately, the announcement had to shut down the website of the Education Department at the time of notification. The application portal is being tested and could prevent the administration from repeating the same mistake.