Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Programs as of January 19, 2026
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The U.S.Department of Education currently offers several student loan forgiveness programs, providing potential debt relief to millions of borrowers. These programs are subject to change, but as of January 19, 2026, the primary options include Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) adjustments, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), adn specific programs for teachers and those with disabilities.
income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Account Adjustment
The Biden-Harris administration initiated a one-time account adjustment to IDR plans, designed to address historical inaccuracies in the calculation of qualifying payments. This adjustment, announced on April 19, 2022, and with a final implementation date of July 1, 2024, counts all eligible payments made on federal student loans toward IDR forgiveness, regardless of plan or payment amount. As of December 2025, the Department of Education reported that this adjustment has resulted in $44.1 billion in forgiveness for over 1.5 million borrowers.source: StudentAid.gov
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
PSLF offers forgiveness to borrowers employed full-time by a qualifying U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or nonprofit organization. Borrowers must make 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer. The program underwent significant revisions in October 2021, including a temporary limited waiver that allowed past payments under any repayment plan to count toward PSLF. As of January 15,2026,the Department of Education has approved $28.3 billion in PSLF for over 615,000 borrowers. Source: studentaid.gov
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Teachers who teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school are eligible for up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness. For teachers of specific subjects (mathematics, science, and special education) the forgiveness amount can be up to $26,000. The program is authorized under Title II, Part A of the Higher Education Act. In fiscal year 2024, $1.4 billion in Teacher Loan Forgiveness was approved for over 12,000 teachers. Source: StudentAid.gov
Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge
Borrowers who have a total and permanent disability can apply to have their federal student loans discharged. The Department of Education automatically discharges loans for borrowers identified as having a TPD through Social Security Administration data matches. As of November 2025,over 1.3 million borrowers have had over $33 billion in student loan debt discharged through the TPD program. Source: StudentAid.gov
SAVE Plan
The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, launched in July 2023, is a new income-driven repayment plan that replaces the Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) plan. It offers lower monthly payments and faster forgiveness for some borrowers. The Department of Education estimates that the SAVE plan will result in over $147 billion in forgiveness for borrowers over the next 10 years. Source: StudentAid.gov
Borrowers interested in these programs should visit StudentAid.gov for the most up-to-date facts and application details.
