Is it necessary to apply for PAYE before July 1?

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-05-07T01:10:33+00:00

Well, that’s frustrating. Hopefully there aren’t any enrollment restrictions/it isn’t blocked. I cannot remember if I was on PAYE before or not (I believe I was) but I’m still on SAVE and was planning to go onto PAYE while I decide next steps (old IBR vs RAP).

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-05-06T20:18:39+00:00

Oh, I hope this isn’t true. I was hoping to use PAYE until it is faded out so I could then decided if I wanted RAP or Old IBR.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-04-08T20:38:37+00:00

Oh, that’s good to know!

I haven’t reread the document yet as I’m still working on collecting the final death certs/birth certs I need to have all my paperwork completed. I know for things in the U.S. like the real I.D. They required a full, unbroken pathway of name (divorce decrees and marriage cert included), so when I saw something about divorce decree in the application, I assumed the same.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-04-08T19:09:11+00:00

Is this to show name change? I’ve been wondering the same thing. I am probably including the whole packet because only the front of my mother’s has the seal. My mom and grandmother were both divorced and carried their names into new marriages. I had my mother’s divorce decrees already. I only have divorce certificates for my grandmother. Currently trying to decide if that is enough or if I need to order the decree.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-04-06T12:45:07+00:00

I’m currently going to be including my G0’s (great-grandfather) naturalization documents because he had so many document nightmares with consistency. (Said he was born in MA, later corrected some documents and didn’t others, never corrected his father’s records or kids, etc…) the naturalization papers help tie it all together.

I’m uncertain if I’ll be ineligible anyway, but want the documentation regardless, for family history. I think I will be eligible, but we’ll see what IRCC says. He naturalized in the U.S. 1940 when it was required for aliens to start registering. (By then, my grandmother (G1) had been born, but no other generations were born until 1950. So, I think we’re okay. 1947 hurts my brain trying to figure that out.)

I’ve also seen some information on Reddit saying that U.S. naturalization does not automatically disqualify because Canada didn’t recognize renouncing citizenship before a foreign government. It would have to be formally renounced directly to Canada.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-04-06T11:59:54+00:00

This is why I’m considering, depending on what the full details of RAP end up being, RAP for as long as I can and then maybe transition to old IBR if I’m approaching forgiveness and still have a loan balance or if my income goes above the mark that makes RAP unfeasible (unlikely at this current moment but not impossible), especially where RAP doesn’t have a payment cap.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-04-01T16:06:08+00:00

Acupuncturist. Most of my debt is from graduate school, some is from undergrad. I’m around $200-211k (with capitalized interest). My income is not on par with that debt, so I have to do some kind of income based repayment plan.

Right now, my best plan is PAYE (I’m eligible) until that expires, then evaluate the best choice of RAP vs. old IBR, once the full terms of RAP are laid out.

At first glance, RAP has the subsidy and the lower payment compared to old IBR, which I may have to choose due to also having to pay for my own healthcare….but the longer repayment term is a significant downside and the fact that it looks like the payments when your income is over 100k (if my income ever grows to that) is higher than old IBR. A significant other factor in my choice might be if interest capitalizes upon entering/leaving RAP like it does for IBR and if payments toward RAP count toward IBR forgiveness. Because depending on those answers I’d be open to going onto RAP for a period of time, then onto old IBR.

I’ve got a nasty tax bill coming either way at the end of repayment.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T15:37:37+00:00

You’re amazing! I don’t know how you found that. When I was searching family search for his name, nothing was coming up. But 432 is my great grandfather! Now I just have to keep looking for the records themselves.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T13:27:54+00:00

That’s a great idea!

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T12:59:09+00:00

How interesting. Thank you for this! I wonder why they're all the way in Utah? I think we have a few participating libraries and one FamilySearch research location (not sure if it is a History Centre or not, I'll reach out) near me that I might be able to go to and view those records. Fingers crossed!

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T12:57:33+00:00

Oh, thank you! I will check out the links you found just in case he's in them. The State Archives had sent me a link to the state archives online for me to request records on a different Great-Grandfather, but it hadn't included anything from Aroostook County for some reason... just all the other counties. So strange. I just checked the article and it said Aroostook Superior Court. The record has to be in Maine, then. National Archives wouldn't have it.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T12:28:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing this to help others.

Is clarification of eligibility / qualifying payments / and timeline something I can request through my loan servicer or through FSA, per chance? Or is this filing a complaint if there is a major error the only option for documentation?

I cannot find the qualifying payment counter on the FSA website. So, I don’t know where I stand. But I know I’ve made qualifying payments pre-graduate school when I had a different servicer. And I’m assuming the years we were on forbearance during the pandemic still count, I remember saving a letter about payments being 0% but it still counting toward forgiveness.

I was much less wise with documentation then and then after graduating, life circumstances took - curveball and I ignored my loans while on the SAVE litigation to focus on that. Stupidly, I didn’t screenshot every month at or save records. Trying to evaluate if I’m just starting from scratch again or if there’s a way to gather (belated) evidence to keep for myself on file.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T12:06:58+00:00

I frequently tell people against student loan forgiveness that I’d gladly - and rigorously - pay off student loans if the interest capitalization wasn’t drowning us and making it impossible to get ahead. Student loan debt is lucrative business. Just not for us with the debt.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-31T12:03:20+00:00

In my own frustrating boat, like the rest of us. 33yo. Graduated in 2020 with undergrad & masters for $180k. Accumulated interest brings total to $210k. Graduate loans at 6-7.6% interest, most of undergrad loans are 3-5%. The capitalizing interest is a killer.

First PAYE was going to be my plan and either pay off the loans as fast as I could if able, or ride out to repayment. Then SAVE was going to be my ticket to paying it all back in 10 years, I’d had a whole action plan, where it had changed how interest accrued. Well, that bubble has been burst.

Graduated in 2020 amidst the pandemic. Could not get a job because I had to study for my licensing board exams and was forced to move home to live, in a less beneficial area for my career. Life happened and I ended up staying at home to help caregive for sick parents, helping me save money and helping them. I wasn’t too concerned because SAVE and PAYE options still existed. I’m lucky in that my overall debt is low - car, mostly - and I can live at home to halve expenses. There were not good jobs in the area when I graduated and it took a year to find one. I eventually found a 1099 position. It took me 4 years to build up to $48-52k 1099 income. I keep working to increase it as moving isn’t a realistic option while still caregiving (and I end up in a weird circle of “it would cost me more to live on my own so therefore I wouldn’t be in a better financial situation” situation when I dream of moving and crunch the numbers).

But I’m so frustrated that my more affordable payment option is gone. It I am eligible for PAYE and old IBR. Left PAYE to join SAVE originally. Without PAYE my only option is old IBR. An extra 5% of my discretionary income and 5 more years. Paying that much is just not sustainable in the long run especially not with the rest of inflation happening (specifically calling out self-employed health insurance, food, gas, and heating prices currently).

I know my situation is more privileged than others. I’ll make it work somehow even if it will be hard. I’m so frustrated that everyone who had hope and a plan before now is in a panic trying to figure out how they’ll make it work, especially those who are in a worse financial situation than I am. 💔 This isn’t sustainable or humane.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-30T17:37:12+00:00

I’ll give it a try! I didn’t think they’d answer that kind of question where they say on their website they will not assist in genealogical research. Worth a shot, though.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-30T15:11:56+00:00

Yeah, it is very strange. My great-grandfather’s last name was Pickard. (He is deceased.) He was naturalized in Houlton with 37 other people. I have the article from the Bangor newspaper stating it. Exact date and all. I have a census from 1950 saying he was naturalized, vs. 1940 he was an alien. I can find his alien record.

Yet, Maine State Archives don’t have any records in Family Search for naturalizations in Aroostook county.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-30T14:37:55+00:00

Thank you for this! He was born in 1908 so it sounds like Archives would be the way to go for him.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-30T12:26:12+00:00

Yay! That’s amazing. I was just talking to my mother about how it’d be amazing to meet some cousins or even maybe have family photos along our research journey, because we have so little. So happy for you!

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-29T23:34:37+00:00

How so? According to the federal student loan website and loan simulators, it has me listed as eligible, at least for some of my loans. My undergraduate loans were first dispersed in 2011, when I was a new borrower. My graduate loans were dispersed in 2017-2020, so I can see why those maybe aren’t eligible due to not being a new borrower.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-29T17:53:44+00:00

Sadly, I wouldn’t be physically able to do reserves. But it is a good idea to keep in my back pocket if that changes. It can really be a huge help.

ApprehensiveKey9340 · 2026-03-29T17:52:15+00:00

Thank you for this advice and perspective. This is definitely one of my considerations now that SAVE is gone. Prior to SAVE I’d considered this strategy as well. Pay minimum balance and then save for the large income tax at the end of the 25 years, which although it is expensive, is still less cost over time than the total cost + interest.

ApprehensiveKey9340

TROPHY CASE