I have federal student loans and want forgiveness

More than 45 million borrowers have federal student loans1 and forgiveness may help relieve some debt for those who qualify. But what about the rest of your federal student loan debt or your private student loan debt? Here’s how you can tackle it.

Explore Federal Student Loans

Tips for staying on top of your debt

With the CARES Act, federal student loan payments have been paused since March 2020. Here’s how to stay on top of your federal student loans. 

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov
Know your loan types and repayment plans
Keep tabs on what you owe
Visit individual servicers’ websites

Explore the tips

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov
Know your loan types and repayment plans
Keep tabs on what you owe
Visit individual servicers’ websites

Visit StudentAid.gov

This is your one-stop shop for information about your federal student loans. Check your account. Remember, though, you won’t see information here about any private loans you may have.

 Quick tip

Confirm your contact information is up to date.

Explore the tips

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov
Know your loan types and repayment plans
Keep tabs on what you owe
Visit individual servicers’ websites

Know your loan types and repayment plans

There’s more than one kind of federal aid, and it’s OK if you can’t remember the type you have. Take an inventory of your loans and grants and their details.

 Quick tip

Loan simulators and charts can help you visualize your loans and different repayment scenarios.

Explore the tips

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov
Know your loan types and repayment plans
Keep tabs on what you owe
Visit individual servicers’ websites

Keep tabs on what you owe

In your account, review the remaining balances on all of your federal student loans. Review the interest rates and APR and use their simulator tools to see how long it will take to pay them.

 Quick tip

Create a spreadsheet with each of your loan's details. Include their full balance, remaining balance and interest rates.

Explore the tips

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov
Know your loan types and repayment plans
Keep tabs on what you owe
Visit individual servicers’ websites

Visit individual servicers’ websites

Check your servicers’ websites for information on your loans. They know your records and can answer your questions. Not sure who your servicer is? Check out your account dashboard at StudentAid.gov.


 Quick tip

Each servicer will provide different repayment options including deferment and income-based repayment. Call your servicers to learn your options.

Explore the tips

Visit StudentAid.gov

This is your one-stop shop for information about your federal student loans. Check your account. Remember, though, you won’t see information here about any private loans you may have.

 Quick tip

Confirm your contact information is up to date.

Know your loan types and repayment plans

There’s more than one kind of federal aid, and it’s OK if you can’t remember the type you have. Take an inventory of your loans and grants and their details.

 Quick tip

Loan simulators and charts can help you visualize your loans and different repayment scenarios.

Keep tabs on what you owe

In your account, review the remaining balances on all of your federal student loans. Review the interest rates and APR and use their simulator tools to see how long it will take to pay them.

 Quick tip

Create a spreadsheet with each of your loans, the full balance, the remaining balance and the interest rate.

Visit individual servicers’ websites

Check your servicers’ websites for information on your loans. They know your records and can answer your questions. Not sure who your servicer is? Check out your account dashboard at StudentAid.gov.


 Quick tip

Each servicer will provide different repayment options including deferment and income-based repayment. Call your servicers to learn your options.

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Apply for federal student loan forgiveness

Start with these steps
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Check your eligibility

Two numbers to know: $125,000 annual income for individuals and $250,000 annual income for households. If you have federal student loans and earned less than those, you may qualify for loan forgiveness under the Biden administration’s recent plan. The number you want to check is your adjusted gross income, or AGI, for 2020 or 2021. You can find it on the front page of your tax return.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Figure out how much relief you may get

If you received a Pell grant, you’ll be eligible for up to $20,000. For other student loan federal borrowers, it’s $10,000. Not sure if you received a Pell grant? Go to the “My Aid” section of your account on StudentAid.gov.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Apply for federal loan forgiveness

Fill out the application on StudentAid.gov. The sooner, the better.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Check out other forgiveness options

The Biden administration’s recent program isn’t the only game in town. You may qualify for other plans based on income or your job. Government and nonprofit employees, as well as members of the military, for instance, may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
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How Much Can You Save?

Plug your student loan information into our calculator to find out how much you can save by refinancing with Citizens—monthly and over the life of your loan. More than one loan? Combine them and average their principal.

Enter Your Current Loan

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Federal loan refinancing: what to know

You can simplify your life and potentially save money by making changes to your federal student loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

You can refinance federal loans with a private lender.

You can combine both federal and private loans.

Private loans are not eligible for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s plan.

There are income requirements for the federal forgiveness program.

Federal loan refinancing: what to know

You can simplify your life and potentially save money by making changes to your federal student loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

You can refinance federal loans with a private lender.

Refinancing can be a good option, but you’ll lose the protections and benefits that come with federal student loans in exchange for your new student loan refinance benefits†. If you want to hold onto those federal benefits, you may want to consider other options through the federal government.

 

You can combine both federal and private loans.

Private loans are not eligible for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s plan.

There are income requirements for the federal forgiveness program.

Federal loan refinancing: what to know

You can simplify your life and potentially save money by making changes to your federal student loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

You can refinance federal loans with a private lender.

You can combine both federal and private loans.

Both federal and private loans can be refinanced together with a private lender. But remember, you’ll lose access to any existing federal loan benefits.

 

Private loans are not eligible for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s plan.

There are income requirements for the federal forgiveness program.

Federal loan refinancing: what to know

You can simplify your life and potentially save money by making changes to your federal student loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

You can refinance federal loans with a private lender.

You can combine both federal and private loans.

Private loans are not eligible for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s plan.

Your private loan isn’t covered by the recent forgiveness plan, even if it started as a federal loan. Generally, the plan covers most federal student loans.

There are income requirements for the federal forgiveness program.

Federal loan refinancing: what to know

You can simplify your life and potentially save money by making changes to your federal student loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

You can refinance federal loans with a private lender.

You can combine both federal and private loans.

Private loans are not eligible for forgiveness under the Biden administration’s plan.

There are income requirements for the federal forgiveness program.

Borrowers are eligible if their individual annual income is less than $125,000 or $250,000 for married couples.

 

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Did you know?

More than 40 million people could see their federal student loan debt reduced under the Biden administration’s forgiveness plan. And nearly 20 million could see their debt erased completely.2

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Additional resources

Student Loan Federal Forbearance Hub

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How to Find Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

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Should I Refinance My Private or Federal Loans? If So, How?

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Disclosures/Sources

+ For additional information, please click the + symbols throughout this page to view our student lending disclosures.

1 Whitehouse.gov, Fact Sheet: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most, August 24, 2022.

2 Whitehouse.gov, Fact Sheet: The Biden-⁠Harris Administration’s Plan for Student Debt Relief Could Benefit Tens of Millions of Borrowers in All Fifty States, September 20, 2022.

Federal Loan vs. Private Loan Benefits: Some federal student loans include unique benefits that the borrower may not receive with a private student loan, some of which we do not offer. Borrowers should carefully review federal benefits, especially if they work in public service, are in the military, are considering possible loan forgiveness options, are currently on or considering income based repayment options or are concerned about a steady source of future income and would want to lower their payments at some time in the future. When the borrower refinances, they waive any current and potential future benefits of their federal loans. For more information about federal student loan benefits and federal loan consolidation, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov. We also have several resources available to help the borrower make a decision on our Should I Refinance My Student Loans? and our FAQs. Should I Refinance My Student Loans? includes a comparison of federal and private student loan benefits that we encourage the borrower to review

 

Your future starts now

You had plans before the big student loan repayment pause. Now you can take control of the rest of your student loan debt with a Citizens Education Refinance Loan™.