Overview
- At the end of December, 734,221 income-driven repayment transfer requests and 83,370 PSLF Buyback applications remained pending, according to a court filing and Education Department data.
- The department processed more than 277,000 IDR applications in December with over 242,000 approvals, and it issued 3,400 IBR discharges, but no loans were canceled under ICR or PAYE.
- Officials said forgiveness currently applies only to IBR borrowers who reached eligibility before April 2025 because an injunction tied to the SAVE case blocks counting certain periods after that date.
- PSLF Buyback processing reached 1,930 applications in December with 1,690 approvals, yet the queue grew to 83,370, as new inflows included 258,465 IDR requests and 5,090 buyback filings.
- The administration has begun wage garnishments and experts warn of possible tax refund seizures, while advocates link the ongoing delays to March layoffs and the earlier court block of the SAVE plan.