What happens if we forgive student loans?

Asked by: Tillman Littel  |  Last update: August 17, 2023
Score: 4.6/5 (40 votes)

If you qualify for student loan forgiveness or discharge in full, you will get a notification and will no longer need to make payments. In some cases, you may even get a refund. If only some of your debt is canceled or discharged, you'll still be responsible for repaying the rest of what you owe.

What are the consequences of student loan forgiveness?

Canceling student loan debt may result in higher inflation rates. Canceling student loan debt may also result in higher interest rates.

What is the downside of forgiving student loans?

Potentially the most significant drawback of student loan forgiveness is the taxes. With a few exceptions, including PSLF, the IRS considers the amount of your forgiven balance to be taxable income. Depending on how much is forgiven, that could amount to tens of thousands of dollars you owe in taxes.

Is forgiving student loans bad for the economy?

“Having that shock where you see that bill come to them is going to affect their spending.” If the debt forgiveness program is permitted to move forward, at a time when consumer spending already is high, it could lead to more inflation, Jones said.

Will I get money back from student loan forgiveness?

If you made federal student loan payments from March 13, 2020 through the end of the payment pause in August 2023, the CARES Act states that you are entitled to a refund if you want it. The refund is a worthwhile possibility for those who need the funds now or want to take advantage of a forgiveness option.

What happens now? Student loan forgiveness plan struck down by Supreme Court

27 related questions found

Who benefits from student loan forgiveness?

Top earners benefit the most from Biden's student loan giveaway, despite the Administration's efforts to target low-income borrowers. According to the CFRB, “57 percent to 65 percent of the extended pause and cancellation will go to those in the top half of the income spectrum.”

How will I know if my student loan will be forgiven?

Under IDR plans, borrowers become eligible to have any remaining balances forgiven after 20 or 25 years of repayment, depending on the loan type and when it was taken out. The regulation stipulates that borrowers make 240 or 300 monthly payments to qualify for forgiveness.

Does student loan forgiveness affect taxpayers?

Bottom line. Student loan forgiveness in 2022 will not increase your federal taxable income, thanks to the latest American Rescue Plan that makes all student loan forgiveness tax-free.

Will cancelling student debt raise inflation?

There could also be some stimulating impact, as the debt cancellation could free up borrowers' cash flow, and the additional spending may create more tax revenue. However, at the same time, this is also likely to be inflationary.

What will student loan forgiveness do to inflation?

Student Loan Forgiveness is Unlikely to Impact Inflation Rates | Bankrate.

Why is student debt forgiveness unfair?

And the moral hazard is massive. Students will understandably expect their loans to be forgiven going forward, and that expectation could lead to increases in borrowing and decisions to delay payment. Past borrowers who repaid their debt have been handed an unfair bill for someone else's loan.

Why student loan forgiveness could hurt your credit score?

Your credit mix refers to the different types of loans you have, from revolving debt like credit cards to installment debt like student loans, car loans and mortgages. Lenders like to see a variety of credit types, and eliminating one type from your profile could have a negative impact on your score.

Who is most affected by student loan forgiveness?

It's estimated Black and Hispanic women are expected to experience some of the largest reductions in the percentage with any student loans from the $10,000 relief plan: 5.4 and 4.7 percentage points, respectively. White men are expected to experience among the smallest reductions (2.4 percentage points).

What would cancelling student debt do?

If federal student loans held by the U.S. Department of Education are canceled, “the loan balances get reduced or set to zero, depending on the amount of debt and the amount of loan forgiveness,” explains Mark Kantrowitz, a federal student loan expert and author of How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid.

How will $10,000 loan forgiveness work?

Borrowers with Federal Family Education Loan Program debt owned by the government will see $10,000 in cancellation. If your FFELP loan is commercially owned by a private company, you will not qualify unless you applied to consolidate your debt into a direct loan by Sept. 29, 2022.

How does Biden's student loan forgiveness affect inflation?

The Center for American Progress said any impact on inflation from student loan forgiveness would be marginal, and loan forgiveness would help households afford the cost of living and pay down other debt.

How much will student loan forgiveness cost the government?

Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will cost $400 billion, budget office says The cost of the White House's student loan forgiveness plan is an estimate over a 30-year period and will add to the country's deficit, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report.

Do student loans help or hurt your tax return?

Student loans are not considered taxable income because you're obligated to pay them back. Whether you're still in school or have graduated, your loans may reduce the amount you owe to the IRS through the student loan interest deduction, the American opportunity tax credit and the lifetime earning credit.

How much will it cost each taxpayer for student loan forgiveness?

The average burden per U.S. taxpayer will be $2,503.22, according to new estimates from the National Taxpayers Union based on the specifics of Biden's plan. The federal student loan debt forgiveness applies to individuals with less than $125,000 in income and couples with less than $250,000.

Is Biden paying off student loans?

The Biden administration will cancel $39 billion in student debt. Here's who is eligible. The more than 804,000 borrowers affected by the relief have been paying on their student loans for decades.

Who pays for Biden debt forgiveness?

Canceling federal student loans will cost the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars— and the general public will eventually end up footing the bill. According to an official estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, Biden's student loan cancellation plan will cost $400 billion.

How long until I see the student loan forgiveness?

Top administration officials indicated that applications will be processed on a rolling basis through 2023, and they expected a four-to-six week turnaround time between when a borrower submits an application and when they receive student loan forgiveness.

What race holds the most student debt?

Black adults are 1.5 times more likely than white adults to have student loan debt. The following graph includes federal and private student loan debt among all adults. On average, Black, non-Hispanic adults in the U.S. also hold higher student loan debt balances than borrowers of other races.

Why is it so hard to pay off student loans?

Capitalized interest can make it challenging to make a dent in your total student loan balance. If you're wondering, why do student loans take so long to pay off? Capitalized interest may be the culprit.