A beta version of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness application is now open — the first time borrowers have been able to apply for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation.
The early opening is a test to help the Education Department find problems with the site before its official launch, which is expected later this month.
The department is only offering periodic access to the form — so borrowers may have to refresh the page or keep checking back.
Biden’s plan is to cancel up to $10,000 in debt for those earning less than $125,000 per year and up to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants.
It’s hard to imagine a more anticipated form than the one tens of millions of federal student loan borrowers will need to complete to qualify for Biden’s debt relief plan. Earlier this week,senior administration officials revealed new details about the application. Here’s what else we know:
How long the application will be up: In a legal filing, the department said it “will not discharge any student loan debt under the debt relief plan prior to October 23, 2022.”
The application will be available through Dec. 31, 2023.
Where the application is posted: The application is live at studentaid.gov, and it’s available in English and Spanish.
What the application asks for: As U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told NPR a few weeks ago, the application is quite simple. It requires only basic information, including name, birth date, Social Security number, phone number and an e-mail address.
Borrowers will not need what’s known as an FSA ID to log into the application, nor will they need to upload any documents, including tax records.
Click here for the application https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application
