Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR)

IBR at a Glance

The Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR) is based off of your house hold income, family size and student loan balance. 

  • Monthly payment amount is effective for 12 months 
  • Recertification is done yearly with new income documentation
  • May lead to forgiveness after 25 years of qualifying payments

Recertification

Every year you will be required to recertify your IDR plan. We encourage you to recertify your plan at least 60 days before your IDR anniversary date. By doing so, you will continue to have a monthly payment amount based off your financial situation, and you will not experience a lapse in your plan.

The Plan

  • Possible $0.00 monthly payment
  • Monthly payments calculated using 15% of your *discretionary income.
  • Extended repayment period
*discretionary income is the money you have left after the deduction of taxes and other mandatory charges.  

Avoiding Processing Delays

These common issues may cause a delay when processing an IBR plan: 

  1. Missing tax returns or house hold income documentation
  2. Missing or illegible pages of application or supporting documentation 
  3. Incomplete applications in which the answers to a required questions are missing. 
  4. Missing a valid signatures 
  5. Sending applications in 90 days or more before you enter repayment or your recertification
The best way to avoid the issue stated above is to apply online via Studentloans.gov. The online application is user friendly and allows you to attach your current tax documentation through the IRS’s website. Once submitted, your application will be sent electronically to all your loan servicers within 24-48 business hours.