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If you're one of the eight million borrowers who signed up for the Saving on a Valuable Education student loan repayment plan, you're probably wondering what's next for your student loans.
There has been a barrage of student loan updates since President Donald Trump's administration came into office, including proposed changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, an effort to restart collections on defaulted student loan accounts and a new Republican-fronted bill seeking to change existing income-driven repayment plan options.
Yet, aside from an expected court ruling blocking SAVE, little has been said about what's actually happening for borrowers enrolled in this payment plan.
For now, your loan payments remain paused in a general forbearance and your balance isn't collecting interest. That also means you're not making progress toward a loan forgiveness program like PSLF during the payment pause. While you can choose to switch to an alternative repayment plan, most experts are encouraging borrowers to wait it out. I talked to experts to help you understand what's next for your student loans so you can prepare for when the forbearance ends.
When will SAVE borrowers restart repayments?
It's not clear when payments will start again for borrowers on the SAVE plan but it's looking like the end of this year would be the earliest timeframe.
The Department of Education's website says SAVE plan borrowers will stay in a general forbearance until at least the fall. It also directed loan servicers to adjust the income recertification deadline to no earlier than Feb. 1, 2026.
Robert Farrington, student loan expert and founder of The College Investor, expects the general forbearance to last even longer.
"Borrowers will likely see the SAVE forbearance end in mid-to-late 2026," says Farrington. "Many borrowers are already reporting the end date of their forbearance moving to September 2026."
Should PSLF borrowers take action to get debt relief sooner?
If you're a teacher, nurse or other public servant pursuing PSLF, you may be worried that the payment pause is not counting toward your 120-payment requirement. That leaves you with three options.
First, you could switch from SAVE to another income-driven repayment plan (ICR, IBR or PAYE). That way, your payments will count toward PSLF's 120-payment requirement.
Alternatively, if you would have hit 120 months of on-time payments if not for the pause, you can apply for the PSLF Buyback program to get credit for your time in forbearance.
"This program [allows borrowers] to make a lump-sum payment for any months spent in administrative forbearance under SAVE, ensuring those months count towards PSLF," explains Megan Walter, NASFAA senior policy analyst.
The downside of these first two options is that borrowers have been reporting processing delays. So don't expect a fast response.
Last, if you've recently enrolled in PSLF or are not close to receiving forgiveness, you might prefer to wait until you're moved into a new payment plan. Yes, your months in forbearance won't count toward your 120-payment goal, but this could give you time to start saving for a potentially higher student loan payment.
Whether you decide to change plans now or wait, make sure your decisions align with your financial goals. With SAVE no longer an option, it's important to understand all your avenues for paying back your student loans.
What can SAVE borrowers do now?
That doesn't mean you should sit back and do nothing, though. Take this time to prepare for the likelihood that your payments will increase in the future. You can use the Federal Student Aid's Loan Simulator tool to help calculate how much your monthly payment will be under different payment plans.
While your payments are paused, you won't have to worry about your account being moved to collections. Although borrowers with defaulted loans are once again subject to collections, including wage garnishment, those enrolled in the SAVE plan don't have to worry about those consequences for now.
Use this time to improve your finances, suggested Farrington. "This is a great time to pay off other debts (including private loans), build an emergency fund, contribute to an IRA and more."
If you have the wiggle room in your budget, start paying yourself each month the same amount you'd pay your student loan servicer. Put this money into a high-yield savings account to earn a little extra interest on your savings.
Rebecca Safier is a personal finance writer and certified student loan counselor who specializes in student debt, personal loans, and budgeting. Previously a senior writer for LendingTree and Student Loan Hero, Rebecca's work has been published in NextAdvisor with TIME, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor, MarketWatch, and other publications. She has also contributed expert commentary to Fortune, Entrepreneur, NBC, and more. When she's not writing about all things personal finance, Rebecca is teaching people how to blog on her website Remote Bliss, traveling to new places, or taking her Boston terrier to the beach.
