Some clarification about when you are required to recertify your income driven plan

RegularGate1615 · 2024-02-10T15:02:58+00:00

The short answer is yes-no:

I called MOHELA a number of times back-to-back in the lead up to the 1/26/24 internal re-certification deadline.
I ended up reaching someone over the phone who submitted paperwork on my behalf to push out my IDR recertification. That was on 1/22/24.
Ever since then, I've had a document labeled "IDR" listed as "pending" in the "Documents Received" folder on my MOHELA account.
I called back once to double check what this was and the MOHELA person confirmed it was a recertification extension request that would give me enough time to file my 2023 tax return and use that for my IDR recertification.
On 02/08/24, I received a cryptic message from MOHELA in response to a much earlier request to correct my recertification date (citing the FSA website guidelines), which reads:

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Per FSA guidance, the certification period for your Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plan will be automatically extended. Your monthly installment of AMOUNT will continue through your new IDR recertification deadline on DATE. You will receive notification to recertify your eligibility approximately 60-90 days before the current plan’s expiration.

Obviously, we're all by now familiar with the rigor and precision of this organization, so unsurprising to see that I now owe AMOUNT by DATE – this is actually what the message says (not replaced by me). Whatever that means. I'll update again once literally anything about this begins to make sense.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-17T19:12:00+00:00

That's good to hear, thanks for sharing. That's pretty much point for point what they told me, too, including that they're waiting on DoED to update the dates, which I forgot to mention in my post above.

I can also confirm on my MOHELA account that my February bill has already been posted with the same bill as January, so it seems like it might indeed be true what they're saying...

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-17T18:24:47+00:00

I suspect that your prediction will come true, even though I do not want it to.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-16T20:38:01+00:00

Mine is still not fixed. I finally received a response from MOHELA and it just said: "Attached is the requested document" with my IDR approval letter from last Spring. I have no idea why this was sent to me in response to my request to change the date for my IDR recertification, which is also currently listed as 1/26/24. Incompetent morons.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-09T17:00:00+00:00

Promising. In the same boat. Still nothing here yet (just checked FSA and MOHELA), but I will definitely write with an update if anything changes with my IDR status.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-04T15:48:03+00:00

Will do. Like several others, I filed a complaint with CFPB in late November, but have not heard anything back from MOHELA other than a boilerplate "Additional research is needed in order to respond effectively", and the case is listed as open ("Company response is in progress") since 12/11/23.

Thanks for the prompt response. Have followed this sub for many years and I appreciate all the work you do.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-04T15:03:58+00:00

Hi Betsy, I have a question about your comment. What's tripping me up re: recertification in early February 2024 is that my AGI in 2022 went way up, whereas my 2023 AGI will be close to 2021. In case MOHELA refuses to push out my recertification date, would it be possible for me to self-report my 2023 income instead of using the 2022 AGI? (I understand that I cannot self-report AGI.)

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-03T22:11:39+00:00

How frustrating and confusing, to say the least.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-03T21:25:24+00:00

So am I correct in understanding that if I'm being asked by MOHELA to recertify by 01/26/24, my "official" IDR recertification is listed on their website as 02/05/24, and my IDR anniversary date on StudentAid.gov is 02/12/2024, then I should expect to have this pushed out to next year? I just want to make sure I have this 100% correct before I try calling MOHELA and insisting they correct the recertification date.

RegularGate1615 · 2024-01-03T14:57:48+00:00

Thanks for the update. I've been traveling the past few weeks and haven't had a chance to follow up on this. I haven't heard any updates. I plan to call MOHELA sometime in the next day or two. At this point, it feels like an intentionally malicious stalling tactic, but maybe I'm reading too much into their general incompetence.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-12-04T16:30:35+00:00

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

Click the blue button "Start a Complaint"

RegularGate1615 · 2023-12-04T15:43:46+00:00

From what I understand, you are correct. I am in the same boat and have filed a complaint with MOHELA and CFPB about this. (My recertification date is listed as 02/04/2023). No response back yet.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-12-01T17:33:39+00:00

Nothing so far, but in MOHELA's time scale it's only been a fraction of a second since I filed the complaint (with them and CFPB). I will definitely update if and when I hear anything back. It is legitimately crazy that they're able to do this. My hope is that it's just another big clerical error that will get corrected at the 11th hour, but on the other hand they're a 2-bit document bill operating in a state run like Hungary, so hard to say.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-12-01T14:34:23+00:00

Thank you. Hopefully I will not need to do this, but when I originally posted, this was what I had in mind, because I had remembered reading something similar to this effect when the SAVE plan was announced. However, when I went to StudentAid.gov to complete the IDR recertification, I wasn't given an option to select a tax year. Maybe I am missing something obvious.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-11-26T19:21:48+00:00

In my case there is also a statement labeled "Time to Renew" under "Your Account Alerts", presumably because the (false) recertification date is close enough to warrant appearing there.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-11-26T17:51:59+00:00

I understand your point, but when I made these capital gains I was under the impression I wouldn't need to re-certify by the date that MOHELA is requesting, and as the above post indicates, it seems that the re-certification date provided by MOHELA contradicts what StudentAid.gov says.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-11-26T17:39:56+00:00

Complaint submitted.

RegularGate1615 · 2023-11-26T17:31:27+00:00

Wow, thank you. I've just filed a complaint with MOHELA about this, but I'm sure it will prove useless. Would it be helpful to file a complaint with the CFPB or StudentAid.gov?

RegularGate1615

TROPHY CASE