What Happens to My Parent PLUS Loan When I Retire? (2024)

FAQs

What Happens to My Parent PLUS Loan When I Retire? ›

Parent PLUS Loans can be forgiven when you retire

Are student loans forgiven when you retire? No, the federal government doesn't forgive student loans at age 50, 65, or when borrowers retire and start drawing Social Security benefits. So, for example, you'll still owe Parent PLUS Loans, FFEL Loans, and Direct Loans after you retire.

The repayment period is then stretched out over 25 years. Any remaining loan balance after that time is forgiven. To be clear, the PLUS loans made to parents cannot be repaid directly under the ICR plan.

Though limited, borrowers of Parent PLUS loans do have a number of options for repayment as well as potential paths to forgiveness, including Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

There is no specific age when students get their loans written off in the United States, but federal undergraduate loans are forgiven after 20 years, and federal graduate school loans are forgiven after 25 years.

The Education Department doesn't forgive loan balances for parents when they retire. It will keep sending bills and adding interest until you pay off the debt, die or become totally and permanently disabled, or qualify for one of the department's student loan forgiveness programs.

There is no forgiveness available to Parent PLUS Loan borrowers looking to retire. Remember that Parent PLUS Loan forgiveness is only possible through the Income-Contingent Repayment Plan or PSLF after first consolidating your Parent PLUS Loan into a federal Direct Consolidation Loan.

The double consolidation loophole is a way of making your Parent PLUS Loans eligible for the generous repayment terms of the SAVE program. You can do this by changing the source of your loan through multiple consolidations, changing it from an ineligible Parent PLUS Loan to an eligible Direct Consolidation Loan.

You can get out of Parent PLUS Loans through forgiveness programs like PSLF or, in rare cases, by discharging the loan in bankruptcy. Otherwise, refinancing or consolidating may help lower your payments, but won't remove your obligation to repay.

If you're a parent or graduate student seeking a Direct PLUS Loan, one of the requirements to qualify is that you must not have an adverse credit history. If your application is denied because of an adverse credit history, don't give up. You still have options.

What is the 7 year rule for student loans? ›

Both federal and private student loans fall off your credit report about seven years after your last payment or date of default. You default after nine months of nonpayment for federal student loans, and you're not in deferment or forbearance.

Beware: The government can take up to 15% of your Social Security income if you default on federal student loans. And although private lenders can't garnish your Social Security benefits, they can sue if you fall behind on payments.

Assets that are not counted by FAFSA when determining your SAI include: 401(k) and Roth and traditional IRA accounts (though withdrawals from Roth IRA accounts will be counted as untaxed income)

The SSI program provides monthly payments to individuals with limited income and resources who are aged, blind, or disabled. Under the Higher Education Act of 1965,2 Federal student loan recipients with TPD are eligible to have unpaid loans forgiven/discharged.

If you have Parent PLUS Loans, Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs), or Perkins Loans, you aren't eligible for IDR forgiveness with your loans in their current form. However, you may be able to gain eligibility by consolidating your loans with a federal Direct Consolidation Loan.

Unaffordable student loans are often seen as a problem afflicting young people, but in 2022, 3.5 million Americans over the age of 60 held $1.25 billion in student loan debt. The number of Americans approaching retirement age with student loan debt skyrocketed over 500 percent in roughly the last two decades.

A lender or the federal government can garnish your paycheck and other sources of income, like retirement and Social Security benefits, if you default on your student loans.