The Finish Of The Pupil Mortgage Double-Consolidation Loophole

Federal Father or mother PLUS loans aren’t straight eligible for income-driven compensation plans. Nevertheless, there are two loopholes involving consolidation of Father or mother PLUS loans that may make them eligible for income-contingent compensation or all income-driven compensation plans.

The second, which is called the scholar mortgage double-consolidation loophole, will finish on July 1, 2025. 

Eligibility for Earnings Contingent Compensation

If a Father or mother PLUS mortgage is included in a Federal Direct Consolidation Mortgage and the borrower entered compensation on or after July 1, 2006, the consolidation mortgage is eligible for the income-contingent compensation (ICR) plan. [34 CFR 685.208(a)(2)]

The Father or mother PLUS mortgage just isn’t straight eligible for any income-driven compensation plan. The consolidation mortgage can be not eligible for every other income-driven compensation plan. [34 CFR 685.209(a)(1)(ii), 34 CFR 685.209(c)(1)(ii) and 34 CFR 685.221(a)(2)]

These laws comply with the statutory language within the Larger Schooling Act of 1965 [20 USC 1087e(d)(1)(D) and (E)], which specifies that the income-contingent compensation (ICR) plan is “not out there to the borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS mortgage made on behalf of a dependent scholar” and the income-based compensation (IBR) plan just isn’t “out there to the borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS Mortgage made on behalf of a dependent scholar or a Federal Direct Consolidation Mortgage, if the proceeds of such mortgage have been used to discharge the legal responsibility on such Federal Direct PLUS Mortgage or a [FFEL PLUS Loan] made on behalf of a dependent scholar.”

All income-driven compensation plans are based mostly on the statutory authority for ICR or IBR.

How Double Consolidation Works

If a borrower consolidates a consolidation mortgage that repaid a Father or mother PLUS Mortgage, generally the income-driven compensation plans can be out there to the brand new consolidation mortgage as a result of the mortgage servicer just isn’t conscious that the consolidation mortgage initially got here from a Father or mother PLUS Mortgage. The unique sort of mortgage will get misplaced when the loans are consolidated for the second time.

The U.S. Division of Schooling has maintained that this double-consolidation just isn’t eligible for an income-driven repayment plan, as it’s opposite to the intent of Congress. Nevertheless, they’ve been unable to implement their interpretation of the legislation and laws due to insufficient monitoring of the unique sort of the loans that have been consolidated.

Double consolidation is a multi-step course of.

• The borrower should consolidate their Father or mother PLUS loans with two totally different servicers. To do that, they have to submit paper consolidation mortgage purposes. (In the event that they consolidate on-line, the 2 consolidation loans can be merged.) 
• Two consolidation loans are essential to allow the borrower to later consolidate the consolidation loans collectively.
• The borrower ought to embody a request for the income-contingent compensation plan with these consolidation mortgage purposes to forestall the consolidation mortgage purposes from being rejected due to a failure to specify a compensation plan.
• The borrower should look forward to affirmation that the consolidation loans are full earlier than consolidating once more. This sometimes takes 30-45 days.
• The borrower should consolidate the 2 consolidation loans with a 3rd servicer. This consolidation might be performed on-line at StudentAid.gov. One should use a brand new servicer as a result of the opposite two servicers are conscious that the borrower consolidated Father or mother PLUS loans. The brand new consolidation mortgage will then have misplaced the tag displaying the origin of the consolidation mortgage as together with a Father or mother PLUS Mortgage.
• Usually, one must wait 180 days earlier than consolidating a consolidation mortgage, as in any other case the loans can be merged into one of many present consolidation loans. Utilizing a 3rd servicer bypasses this limitation.

The Finish of the Pupil Mortgage Double-Consolidation Loophole

The new income-driven repayment plan regulations, which have been revealed within the Federal Register on July 10, 2023, eradicate the double-consolidation loophole efficient July 1, 2025.

Particularly, the U.S. Division of Schooling specifies on web page 43836 of quantity 88, quantity 130 of the Federal Register:

“The Division is taking some extra steps on this last rule to affirm our place in regards to the therapy of guardian PLUS loans or Direct consolidation loans that repaid a guardian PLUS mortgage being solely eligible for the ICR plan. Up to now, limitations in Division information could have enabled a guardian PLUS mortgage that was consolidated after which re-consolidated to enroll in any IDR plan, regardless of the Division’s place that such loans are solely eligible for the ICR plan.

The Division won’t undertake this clarification for debtors on this scenario at present on an IDR plan as a result of we don’t suppose it might be acceptable to take such a profit away. On the identical time, the Division is conscious that quite a few debtors have consolidated or are within the means of consolidating in response to current administrative actions, together with the restricted PSLF waiver and the one-time fee rely adjustment.