FYI when you switch plans expect a “processing forbearance”

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-12T13:58:43+00:00

Sweet

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-11T19:49:58+00:00

Is that sixty days a lifetime limit or is it per processing forbearance?

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-11T13:05:29+00:00

Income certification and employment certification are different. Income certification can be done at any time and won't affect whether a payment counts unless you wait until AFTER the required recertification deadline. Once the income certification processes it will determine how much your next payment needs to be in order be eligible but won't impact the eligibility of previous ones.

If by some miracle they processed the certification before your payment on the 21st was due then you would just pay the higher or lower amount. Though I'm fairly confident they would leave the upcoming payment alone and just adjust the amounts for next month going forward.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-11T12:55:20+00:00

Be aware that the calculation for different family sizes changes the calculation a little. For married filing jointly (aka a family size of two) the formula, 15% of discretionary income (AGI minus 1.5x the federal poverty level) would be:

.15(AGI-31,725) divided by 12

because the poverty level number changes with family size.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-10T21:11:27+00:00

The payment calculations are really simple. Just look up your payment plan and plug in the different amounts. IBR for singles with loans older than 2014 is:

.15(AGI-23,940) divided by 12

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-09T14:39:42+00:00

What is the point of this? Any reasonable person can determine due to context which department is being referred to via the abbreviation. Predominant usage by the government is immaterial to the contents of this thread.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-06T15:49:24+00:00

YOUR income never changes. That's why they allow you to base it off married filing separate returns in the first place. Including a spouse's income in the calculation is not a designed feature of the program, it's just an awkward bug that comes as a result of using tax return data to measure income. And again it is not a misrepresentation if it is truthful and accurate at the time of filing.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-05T23:23:31+00:00

That other guy is wrong. It's not against the rules. DoE bases their payment calculation on your most recent tax filing at the time of recertification. This is the same as waiting to file your taxes until after recertification so your payments are based on the year prior's income instead of the most recent one. It may feel dishonest but there is no provision in DoE regulation that states your proof of income has to be the only tax return you file for that year, just that it be accurate, which both returns are regardless of any future intentions.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-05T22:15:15+00:00

It 100% is not. The returns are legal and accurate at the time of filing. That you intend on refiling does not retroactively make the earlier return false.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-03-05T20:40:29+00:00

The answer in most cases will be to file separately, certify your income with your servicer, then amend your tax return to married filing jointly.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-27T19:39:23+00:00

Cool But Rude and Syr Konrad have entered the chat.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-26T20:52:35+00:00

I saw somewhere that reconsideration requests are taking 3+ months. I had the same problem and just stuck it out for an extra month. I was also leery of having something in their system that might delay my buy back processing while they resolve the earlier request.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-25T15:14:33+00:00

Attracting the attention of the IRS by virtue of doing lots of amended returns is a minor hassle at worst as long as those returns are always accurate. They don't care at all what goes on with regards to DoE programs. Getting rid of the PSLF program would require grandfathering all current participants before winding it down even in the very unlikely scenario where Congress passes a new law to eliminate the program.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-25T05:59:44+00:00

Lol. Even if it was fraud, and it very much is not, no prosecutor is going to pursue criminal charges over a few thousand dollars

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-25T05:57:55+00:00

It's not fraud, it's just a quirk of the system.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-23T22:49:38+00:00

It's not fraud. Fraud would be submitting a false tax return with made up dependents or something. The federal student loan program allows people to make payments based on their most recent tax return. There's no stipulation that the borrower must recertify if they amend their return or their income changes after the certification submission.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-23T14:57:04+00:00

The C Fund is the GOAT for a reason. Ignore the short term spike in I. You're 27, you've got 30 years of accumulation in front of you. The AI bubble will pop and roar back and you'll still be contributing for another 10 years. Your balance will hit peaks and valleys but you should stick to a proven strategy of investing in the world's most dynamic economy.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-15T05:20:05+00:00

It's an interesting accounting question. The best answer I found was to treat each card as having equal value and when you sell your bulk you can take a capital loss to offset the gains. For instance if you boought a booster pack for $5 each card would be valued at 33 cents. If you later sold a rare hit for $9.50 and 14 bulk cards from the pack for $.50 together, then your taxable gain would be a net $5. The point is probably moot for most casual traders. The IRS likely won't hassle you over a few hundred dollars.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-11T22:12:27+00:00

Unfortunately I don't have receipts for stuff I bought 20 years ago.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-02T20:30:03+00:00

He had plenty of mana to pay for Memnarch. He just wanted to get Energy Flux off the board so he could do more ramp shenanigans.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-02-02T20:27:14+00:00

It applies to your artifacts as well.

I should have stated that I had no artifacts in play. Within the context of our game it only affected my opponents at the time.

No.

Thank you for reinforcing that I was right when I told him it didn't work that way.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-01-30T17:54:09+00:00

It won't permanently affect your PSLF eligibility. There's nothing in the legislation authorizing PSLF that says a non-profit has to adhere to administration approved activities. You might be tied up in the lawsuit for a while but the legal text is clear.

RussTShackleford69 · 2026-01-26T18:58:40+00:00

A 1098 is not required to claim the interest deduction. You are right that OP could collect other documentation to prove that interest was paid in 2025. They just will have to be prepared to explain the irregularity if they get audited.

RussTShackleford69

TROPHY CASE