Escape Student Loan Debt Podcast

EPISODE RESOURCES

Schedule A Private Student Loan Review

Apply for a Live Student Loan Review

Health Savings Accounts Explained

FSAs and Dependent Care FSAs

Federal Student Loan Updates: New Default Portal, PSLF Risks on RAP, and Year-End Tax Moves to Lower IDR Payments

The host shares quick federal student loan updates and year-end planning reminders, including options to get a private, abbreviated, extended, or free de-identified live loan review via escapestudentloandebt.com/session and escapestudentloandebt.com/review. Key updates include a new Treasury/Department of Education portal to centralize information for borrowers exiting default, with a note that loan rehabilitation remains once for now but will be allowed up to twice starting July 2027. The host also relays Stanley Tate’s warning that missed or late payments under the Repayment Assistance Plan can leave borrowers perpetually one month behind, potentially preventing future payments from counting toward PSLF unless a double payment is made. Finally, the episode explains how lowering Adjusted Gross Income via year-end pre-tax retirement contributions and benefits (HSA/FSA/Dependent Care FSA) and evaluating Married Filing Jointly vs Separately—especially before the tax deadline—can reduce IDR-based payments.

00:00 Federal Loan Updates
00:25 Loan Review Options
02:27 Default Portal Launch
04:32 RAP Late Payment Trap
07:40 Year End Tax Moves
08:51 Retirement And HSA Planning
09:53 Open Enrollment Decisions
10:50 Married Filing Strategy
11:56 Common Law Example
14:17 Community Property Twist
16:56 You Can Amend Later
18:59 Wrap Up And Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES
New Payment Guidelines Details

Repayment Assistance Plan Explained

Two Federal Student Loan “Deadlines” SAVE 90-Day Notices and the Auto-Pay Interest Discount Extension

In an off-schedule New Money, New Problems/Escape Student Loan Debt episode, Brenton Harrison explains two federal student loan “pseudo deadlines” and related policy changes. First, some SAVE plan borrowers received a July 1 notice starting a 90-day window to switch repayment plans; those who don’t switch risk being moved to a potentially unaffordable Standard Repayment Plan, and Brenton recommends using studentaid.gov, reviewing whether IRS tax access should be granted or revoked, and using alternative income documentation when needed. He emphasizes the real deadline depends on each borrower’s notice date, with some not receiving notices until as late as spring 2027. Second, a hard September 30 deadline to enroll in auto-pay for a temporary 1% interest rate reduction was extended to December 31, 2026; he discusses savings, servicer autopay errors, and why autopay may help ensure forgiveness credit given new rules. He also warns that borrowers receiving RAP interest subsidies and principal reductions should not pay extra due to Department of Education processing limitations, and urges careful documentation and staying current on Department of Education announcements.

00:00 Two Key Deadlines
01:13 Back From Brazil
02:11 SAVE Plan 90 Days
03:54 Switch Plans Smartly
06:09 Your Real Deadline
07:24 Autopay Discount Update
11:35 Why Autopay Matters
13:05 RAP Subsidy Explained
15:33 Dont Pay Extra Yet
16:48 Document Everything

EPISODE RESOURCES
Details on SAVE Forbearance

PSLF Buyback Under Fire: New Rules, SAVE Off-Ramp Deadlines, Refinancing Headwinds, and How to Protect Your Loan Records

The episode reviews major recent federal student loan changes, focusing on a new Department of Education restriction that effectively blocks new borrowers from using the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback program. The host explains PSLF eligibility (Direct Loans, full-time qualifying employment, and an income-driven repayment plan) and how Buyback, created in 2023, lets eligible borrowers repay what they would have owed during deferment/forbearance to restore PSLF credit. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, SAVE is eliminated and older IDR plans will be phased out; borrowers taking loans on/after July 1 are limited to Tiered Standard or the Repayment Assistance Plan, and deferment/forbearance months from those plans can’t be bought back, making Buyback unusable for new borrowers. The host also covers SAVE forbearance 90-day notices and default standard-plan placements, warns refinancing is harder due to higher yields, and urges manual tracking and downloading StudentAid.gov aid data amid servicing errors.

00:00 Big PSLF Buyback Shakeup
01:08 PSLF Rules Refresher
02:11 Why Buyback Exists
05:34 New Rule Blocks Borrowers
08:39 Plan Choice Strategy
09:44 SAVE Forbearance Deadlines
10:47 Forced Standard Plans Explained
12:27 Refinancing Gets Harder
13:46 Track Everything Manually
15:31 Wrap Up and Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES

Updated Payment Guidance from Department of Ed

Federal Student Loan Updates: MOHELA Default Letters, IDR Recertification Tips, New On‑Time Rules, PSLF Tracker Issues, Borrowing Limits Lawsuit, and PSLF Buyback Progress

In this episode, we share major federal student loan updates, focusing on errors and rule changes affecting forgiveness and repayment. MOHELA mistakenly sent default-risk notices to thousands of borrowers who were current. With income recertification restarting after the 2020 pause, we share alternate forms of documentation that might be preferable to a tax return. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the grace period for on-time payments is removed for IDR and PSLF credit, creating concerns about weekends and autopay timing; Repayment Assistance Plan borrowers also risk losing interest subsidy and $50 principal reduction if late, and guidance suggests extra payments may disrupt subsidies. The PSLF tracker temporarily disappeared and some counts were reduced, potentially correcting prior adjustment-era credits. A lawsuit has temporarily paused lower graduate borrowing limits, and PSLF Buyback processing appears to be improving after streamlining to a button-based application.

00:00 Student Loan News Intro
01:49 MOHELA Default Letter Error
03:11 Recertify Income Smartly
07:19 Grace Period Removed
10:17 RAP Subsidy Rules
13:32 PSLF Tracker Disappears
17:45 Borrowing Limits Lawsuit
19:56 PSLF Buyback Speeds Up
21:31 Wrap Up Next Steps

Post–July 1 Federal Student Loan Updates: SAVE Forbearance Delays, Recertification Strategies, Rate Discounts, and Lawsuit Wins

In this episode, we share some unexpectedly-positive updates post the July 1st deadline, including SAVE forbearance potentially being extended for some borrowers until deep into 2027. The episode covers common studentaid.gov application errors, income recertification strategies (IRS access vs. manual documents, pay stubs, and temporarily increasing pre-tax contributions), and revoking IRS data consent on studentaid.gov.  Additional updates include a temporary interest-rate discount up to 1%, and two lawsuit-related wins: a court blockage of the proposed PSLF employer restrictions, and a pause on lower graduate borrowing caps, allowing up to $200,000 for certain graduate borrowers enrolling next semester.

00:00 Upbeat Loan Updates
01:12 SAVE Forbearance Timeline
02:45 More Time and Tradeoffs
04:35 Recertification System Glitches
06:07 Lowering Payments Strategies
10:00 Revoke IRS Access Steps
10:43 High Income IBR Cap Hack
13:36 New Interest Rate Discount
15:29 Court Wins PSLF and Grad Loans
19:41 Wrap Up Key Takeaways

EPISODE RESOURCES

New Money New Problems Podcast


July 1 Deadline Changes, SAVE Ending, New Borrowing Caps, and Myth-Busting

In this episode we explore major federal student loan changes tied to the key July 1 deadline and dispels common myths about what's to come. Key updates include new borrowing caps for Parent PLUS loans and the important distinction between a "standard" graduate student and a "professional" student. A new income-driven option, the Repayment Assistance Plan, arrives July 1, while PAYE and ICR will be phased out by July 1, 2028. Parent PLUS borrowers can lose access to IDR and PSLF after July 1 without required steps, and any new Parent PLUS borrowing after July 1 removes IDR/PSLF eligibility. SAVE is ending, with a 90-day window starting July 1 to choose a new plan. Consolidation must be completed and disbursed before July 1, and unnecessary consolidation can erase forgiveness credit. The episode also covers plan-switching credit rules, exemptions for already-enrolled students from new caps, and pending lawsuits challenging PSLF employer restrictions and graduate borrowing limits.

00:00 July 1st Changes Overview

01:45 New Borrowing Limits

04:01 New Repayment Plans

05:15 Parent PLUS PSLF Cutoff

06:20 SAVE Plan Ending

07:05 Consolidation Deadline

07:30 PSLF Employer Rule

08:48 Myths After Break

10:11 Parent PLUS Consolidation

11:16 Avoid Unneeded Consolidation

13:16 SAVE Letters Explained

14:54 PAYE Eligibility Update

17:05 IBR Hardship Removed

18:05 Switching Plan Credits

20:03 New Loans Change Options

21:08 Borrowing Limits Exemptions

21:39 Lawsuits And Hope

23:45 Wrap Up And Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES

Student Aid Website

How to Download and Read Your NSLDS File on StudentAid.gov (and Spot Forgiveness/Credit Errors)

As student loan guidelines change and they apply past credit to borrowers' accounts, it's important you know how to review your loan history.

In this episode, we discuss how to download and review your NSLDS data file, and easter eggs in the document that could lead to faster loan forgiveness than you think.

We walk listeners through creating/logging into a studentaid.gov account, navigating to My Aid, viewing details, and using “Download My Aid Data” to obtain the NSLDS file, which initially looks confusing but includes critical data. Using a de-identified sample, We show how to verify and update contact information, review total disbursements and balance growth over time, check Pell Grant lifetime usage, identify which loans are Direct vs. FFEL/Perkins and may require consolidation for forgiveness eligibility, and read loan status timelines to spot improper long consecutive forbearances that may need correction. We end by previewing deeper guidance on consolidated loans, PSLF, and updated income-driven repayment rules in the next episode.

00:00 Why Your Aid Data Matters
00:54 NSLDS File Overview
02:20 Create Your StudentAid Account
03:02 Find and Download Aid Data
04:31 What You’ll Learn Next
05:45 Read the Top of the File
06:40 Loan Totals and Balance Growth
08:00 Loan Types and Consolidation Clues
09:34 Decode Status and Payment History
11:32 Spot Forbearance Rule Violations
13:28 Wrap Up and Next Episode

EPISODE RESOURCES

The Debt Trap

The History of Student Loans, Pt. 2

How Student Loans Started: From GI Bill Direct Loans to Federally Backed Bank Loans (1944–1965)

During a light week for federal student loans, we replay our very first Escape Student Loan Debt episode on how the student loan system began. Join us as Brenton covers key student debt milestones: the 1944 GI Bill’s uneven access for Black, brown, and some female veterans; the 1958 National Defense Student Loan Program that produced Perkins Loans; the 1960 creation of the United Student Aid Fund to guarantee bank loans; and the 1965 Higher Education Act creating the Guaranteed Student Loan Program (later Stafford/FFEL), a public-private model that obscured federal costs until defaults. 

00:00 Weekly Update And Replay
01:19 Podcast Intro And Host
02:07 Why History Matters
02:53 Two Minute Crisis Summary
04:28 GI Bill Origins 1944
05:31 Perkins Loans 1958
06:06 Budget Reporting Problem
07:44 USA Fund And Bank Guarantees
09:07 Midroll And Assessment
09:44 Higher Education Act 1965
10:47 FFEL Model Explained
11:55 Wrap Up And Next Episode

EPISODE RESOURCES

RISE Student Loan Regulations Fact Sheet

...I Just Lost $33,709 Episode

Repayment Assistance Plan Explained

Finalized DOE Student Loan Rules: New Caps, Repayment Assistance Plan, and Default Rehab Changes (Effective 2026–2027)

In this episode we share newly finalized Department of Education regulations tied to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and explain how they may affect student loan borrowers starting in 2026–2027. We outline new federal loan caps beginning July 1, 2026: graduate loans limited to $20,500 annually/$100,000 total; professional programs (11 fields including law, medicine, dentistry, and clinical psychology) to $50,000 annually/$200,000 total; and Parent PLUS capped at $20,000 annually/$65,000 per dependent, plus a $257,500 lifetime limit for new borrowers. We also cover repayment changes including a new Repayment Assistance Plan becoming the only income-driven option for first-time borrowers after July 1, 2026, a tiered 10–25 year standard plan, expanded loan rehabilitation to twice per loan with IDR opt-in at agreement signing, revised forbearance limits, sunsetting certain deferments for loans after July 1, 2027, and new institutional and part-time borrowing rules, warning current borrowers to be cautious about taking new loans.

00:00 New Rules Overview
00:20 Community Updates
01:36 Fact Sheet Breakdown
02:24 Graduate Loan Caps
03:13 Professional Degree Definition
04:53 Parent PLUS Limits
07:10 Lifetime Borrowing Cap
07:54 Repayment Plan Overhaul
09:17 Tiered Standard Plan
10:41 Default Rehab Changes
13:04 Deferment Forbearance Shifts
14:01 School Part Time Limits
15:16 Key Takeaways Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES

Download the updated IDR Guide!

Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) Explained: Eligibility, Payment Calculation, Subsidies, and Who Should Use It

The episode breaks down the forthcoming Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)! We dig into all the details ranging from who's eligible for RAP, to how Discretionary Income and protected income are thrown out the window when it comes to calculating payments. We cover scenarios where RAP saves money as compared to other options, and how to determine whether it's worth paying 5 to 10 years longer on RAP as compared to more conventional plans like IBR and PAYE.

Check it out!

00:00 RAP Overview
02:00 New IDR Deadlines
03:35 Guide Walkthrough
04:05 Eligibility Basics
04:35 No Protected Income
06:02 Payment Formula
08:00 Income Cliffs
09:24 Dependent Discount
09:57 No Hardship Cap
11:17 Interest Subsidy
15:08 30 Year Forgiveness
15:48 Married Filing Separately
16:27 Who Should Use RAP
17:39 Low Income Example
19:20 High Income Example
21:53 Mega Borrower Tax Bomb
27:27 Final Recommendations
28:10 Wrap Up