The end of a deadline to select a new plan to repay federal student loans just passed at the end of October for some borrowers. And while not everyone is on the same timeline, here are some important reminders on what to do if you still need to select a new repayment option.

The changes to federal student loans stem from the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which led to the end of the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan, known as SAVE.

Under the SAVE plan, many borrowers had their loans placed under forbearance with no payments due, or under minimum monthly payments. Now, borrowers are being asked to resume payments that are likely hundreds of dollars higher than their payments under SAVE.

Notices started going out to borrowers under SAVE on July 1, announcing the start of a 90-day window to select a new plan or risk being placed on a plan of their loan servicer’s choosing. The initial deadline was expanded by 30 days, making Oct. 29, the first final deadline for the first recipients of these notices.

Even if your deadline passed, it’s important to know there are still multiple repayment options. Here’s how to stay up to date on where your loans are:

  • The first step in knowing what your repayment options are, is contacting your loan servicer. You can visit StudentAID.gov and sign in to your account to find who your servicer is and use this list to find contact information for each company. 
  • While the SAVE plan no longer exists and payments are restarting, loan consolidation, tiered repayment plans and income-driven repayment plans are still available.
  • The federal student aid website offers a repayment calculator that gives you an idea of what your repayment options look like and how to apply. To use this tool, you will need to have your loan’s basic information including what type of loan it is and your balance, as well as your tax filing status and annual income.
  • You can use your online account to submit an application for income driven repayment options.

Here are some definitions to help you understand your repayment options:

  • Tiered Standard Plan: This plan is based on the total principal balance you owe at the time you select this option, your interest rate and how long it will take you to pay off the loan. This plan has a fixed monthly payment with repayment periods that range between 10 years and 25 years, depending on the principal balance of your loan. All borrowers have access to this plan, and those with loans that were disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, only have access to this tiered plan and to the Repayment Assistance Plan, known as RAP.
  • Income Driven Repayment Plan: This plan calculates your monthly payment based on your annual income and family size. It must also be recertified each year using your federal tax return and proof of income to account for any changes to family size or income. There are multiple types of income-driven plans including The Repayment Assistance, Income-based Repayment, Income-Contingent and Pay as You Earn plans.
  • Income-Based and Pay as You Earn plans: Also calculated based on income and family size. But these two plans secure a monthly payment that will never exceed the amount of a 10-year standard plan. These can be recalculated earlier than the annual recertification date if there are changes to your income.
  • Income-Contingent Plan: Under this plan your payment is also based on income and family size, but your payment will be less than 20% of your discretionary income or the amount you would pay on a fixed, 12-year plan based on your income. 
  • Repayment Assistance Plan: This plan calculates your monthly payments based on your income and number of dependents. Your monthly payments will range between 1% and 10% of your annual income based on how much you owe. Most borrowers have access to this plan except for parent PLUS loans, or consolidated loans paid under a parent PLUS loan.
  • Loan Consolidation: This option allows borrowers with multiple loans to combine them into one loan with one fixed interest rate and one monthly  payment. The interest rate for the consolidation is based on the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans being combined. Consolidated loans have access to the tiered or repayment assistance plans, unless one of the combined loans is a parent PLUS loan.

The San Antonio Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.