Student Loan Forgiveness: What do I need to do and when?

A checklist for ensuring you get your financial relief from the student loan forgiveness program!

1. [ASAP] Find out if you are eligible for student loan forgiveness.
2. [ASAP] Please don’t assume you didn’t get one! It is worth checking since Pell Grant recipients can get up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness instead of just the $10,000. Find out now.
3. [ASAP] If you paid off your federal student loan(s) during the pandemic (made payments since March 10, 2020), call your loan servicer to ask for a refund.
4. [Before November 15, 2022] Apply for student loan forgiveness to receive debt relief before the payment pause ends. The application is now open!
5. [Before December 31, 2023] If you didn’t apply before Nov. 15th, you can still apply for student loan forgiveness, except debt relief may come after the payment pause ends.
6. [Before January 1, 2023] If possible, pay off student loans to avoid accruing more interest, especially if you received a refund for a paid-off loan and have a small balance.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on September 19, 2022, and was last reviewed on October 24, 2022. Updated the article to include a link to the online application. The Biden Administration released the application in a “Beta Launch” on October 17th.

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