See Biden’s student loan forgiveness application form

• The application for federal student loan forgiveness is expected to come out later this month
• The federal government is warning borrowers about possible scams
• Michigan student loan borrowers will not have to pay state income tax on their forgiven loans

The U.S. The Department of Education has released new details on how student loan borrowers can apply for debt forgiveness, previewing on Twitter the application form expected to be released later this month

President Joe Biden announced in August up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness for student loan borrowers and up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness for borrowers who had Pell Grants while in school.

Borrowers will need to fill out a form to apply for the debt forgiveness. That form will be available through the end of next year. On Tuesday, the White House also released a short video on social media previewing the application process. 

Related:

• Biden student loan forgiveness plan: What it means for Michigan
• Micro-grants and life credits: How Michigan is reducing barriers to college
• Michigan Achievement Scholarship: How to apply and get your college funds

The form will be available in English and Spanish and applicants can submit the form on their phones or computers, the White House said in another post.

Student Debt Relief Update:

Today, the U.S. Department of Education is previewing the student debt relief application form. Here’s the latest: pic.twitter.com/efSzRbions

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 11, 2022

Borrowers will need to submit their name, social security number, date of birth, phone number and email when they complete the form.

They will not need to submit income information immediately but do have to agree to provide income verification if asked. An applicant will also have to affirm that he or she met one of the following scenarios in 2020 or 2021:

• Made less than the required income to file federal taxes
• Filed as a single filer and made less than $125,000
• Was married, filed taxes separately and made less than $125,000
• Was married, filed taxes jointly and made less than $250,000
• Filed as a head of household and made less than $250,000
• Filed as a qualifying widow(er) and made less than $250,000

If you filed federal taxes, the income requirements are based on your adjusted gross income. This can be found on line 11 of the IRS Form 1040.

Once an applicant has submitted a form, the Federal Student Aid office will review the application, work with the student loan servicer to determine the applicant’s availability and then process the relief. 

For those who will still have debt after the one-time forgiveness is processed, payment collection is expected to resume in January. 

Student loan collections and interest on those loans have been paused since the early days of the pandemic. Former President Donald Trump first initiated the program and Biden has extended this pause several times. The Biden administration has said it will not extend the pause again. 

Be careful of scams

The federal government is also warning student loan borrowers of potential scams. Borrowers should get their information about the application from the Department of Education and Federal Student Aid and will never be asked to pay for help with federal student aid, the Department of Education said in an email.

“Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education and our loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone,” the email states.

Emails to borrowers will come from the following email addresses: noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov, or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. 

If you believe you received a scam attempt, you can report that to the Federal Trade Commission on its website reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-382-4357.