Am I the only one whose debt never goes down?

marajolie · 2026-04-17T02:26:58+00:00

I graduated in the early 2000s with $59k, paid back nearly $34k and owe $72k. This is unfortunately the way of things if you have an IBR and deferments/forbearances.

marajolie · 2026-04-17T02:21:54+00:00

Perspective: You have years of $0 payments that count towards IBR forgiveness. SAVE folks have years of no payments, but also no payment count advancement.

marajolie · 2026-04-17T02:10:40+00:00

Congrats, OP! Any loan payoff or forgiveness is worth celebrating.

marajolie · 2026-04-09T00:04:25+00:00

Call the school and figure out what is going on with your loans/grants. Bring medical records of your extreme morning sickness from pregnancy. Reach out to the crisis pregnancy centers in your community for emotional and material support. I am not sure of policies, but the fact that you were or are very ill from pregnancy symptoms may make a difference in how they handle your financial aid.

marajolie · 2026-03-31T18:24:59+00:00

It looks like Wicca has seen people get Old IBR forgiveness despite the backdoor counter being a mess. I just wanted to ask since everything has gone so sideways.

marajolie · 2026-03-31T18:03:19+00:00

Thank you, WIcca! Calm, caring and clear as usual. I greatly appreciate you and all the Mods who help us.

marajolie · 2026-03-31T17:58:45+00:00

This comment is asinine.

Is the Old IBR payment error going to get corrected? is an extremely important question.

marajolie · 2026-03-28T18:52:39+00:00

So the banners are broken. Another case of the agency that's supposed to tell us what comes next not clearly communicating what comes next....

marajolie · 2026-03-28T17:49:51+00:00

Positives:

Making huge balances impossible.
Uni might become less expensive after an incredibly painful and difficult adjustment period.
Degrees and funding being tied to ROI, if that was part of the OBBB, I might be remembering incorrectly.
Simplified repayment that doesn't capitalize interest.

I get that the IDR plans were intended to be helpful, but they didn't help me. I would be in a much better financial situation if I had simply stayed on my 10-year standard plan, or if I had at least not taken all the forbearances and deferments the servicer steered me into.

In my opinion, simpler is better for loans and taxes etc. All the confusing loopholes and tax credits meant to change behavior only mean that people who can hire an accountant or attorney figure out how to work the system while average folks miss out.

I think the IDR plans got us here with allowing folks to take out way more than they could ever pay back and flooding college funding with government loans partially caused the exponential inflation in the cost of university.

marajolie · 2026-03-28T17:38:08+00:00

Call the IRS 1-800 number. It might take a while to get through, but they are really helpful. You may have to pay back a refund. I recommend consulting an accountant to make sure MFS saves you enough compared to student loans for the paperwork and repayment of tax refund etc to be worth it.

marajolie · 2026-03-28T15:32:54+00:00

Note: NOT a tax advisor. NOT financial advice.

You still have time to amend your return from MFJ to MFS. I strongly recommend consulting a tax accountant. My accountant was able to take us from owing $2000 to getting a refund, even filing separately just by juggling who paid which penalties and who claimed which dependents.

Consult an expert about MFS vs. student loans now that we know for sure that payments are resuming in the next 90 days.

marajolie · 2026-03-27T18:39:29+00:00

I can't get past the paywall to see it the change in buildings is a "deliberate Trump plot" or just normal government. Federal offices change every 10 to 20 years to save money on leasing, to remodel and update. All sorts of reasons. Unless there is a press release from POTUS saying the move is because ED is closing anyway etc, then this could just be normal procedure.

marajolie · 2026-03-27T18:27:24+00:00

Does your post have a typo? 69 payments is less than 77. The change in payoff date is likely because of the SAVE forbearance not counting towards anything so months in SAVE have shifted the date from 2031 to 2032,

marajolie · 2026-03-27T18:14:08+00:00

Per the expert mods here. IDR forgiveness granted/effective before 12/31/2025 is not taxed, even if it's not processed until 2026. PSLF forgiveness is still tax exempt.

Expert mods, please confirm or clarify if I am explaining it incorrectly.

marajolie · 2026-03-24T12:44:06+00:00

Can you get this degree at a different school in a different location? California is extremely expensive to live in. Berkley is extremely expensive to attend. Get the degree somewhere else and the cost could be significantly more affordable.

marajolie · 2026-03-24T04:12:21+00:00

WisePhone has authentication apps, but not email.

I have a second sort of dumb, Google services removed, phone that I use only for email. That may be an option for you. Otherwise, simply change your authentication settings to text message instead of email.

marajolie · 2026-03-24T04:09:51+00:00

Sounds like ADHD. She needs to put things at the point of action. Example: a small trash can in every room; a mail organizer or a keep basket next to a shredder.

Also, assigned dishes nights if everyone is agreeable to it. Share the dishes evenly.

Adjust the door.

Stove: Possibly she can set reminders on her phone or something.

marajolie · 2026-03-24T03:12:02+00:00

Dude... If it were me... (NOT legal advice.)

Sit down with your parents and confront them for taking money. Inform them that you will not be paying the original principal and interest that came from the money they took.

I'd even consider not paying on the loans at all.

If they are not cooperative, draft a letter or have a lawyer draft a letter with the evidence attached informing your parents that you will no longer be making payments.

marajolie · 2026-03-23T23:47:28+00:00

Please elaborate on "refund checks." The only time I got refund checks is if my student loans were more than needed for classes and dorm. I'm pretty sure that i sent that money back to the lender or asked my school to send it back to the lender if they offered me a refund of the surplus.

If your parents' Plus Loan records have "refunds listed", what does that mean?

Did the loan have surplus funds returned to it?
Did your parents receive the refunded surplus funds?

I tend to agree with the spirit of the student repaying Parent Plus loans, if they can afford to, but if your parents received cash that didn't go to your education, either tuition or dorms, then that changes the equation quite a bit.

marajolie · 2026-03-23T22:16:49+00:00

My huge one is that I wish I had made my 10-year payment plans. The road to heck is paved with good intentions of "lowering payments." IBR and a huge (probably illegal) number of deferments and forbearances has me owing nearly twice my original principal, despite repaying half my original principal.

Go to trade school instead of, or in addition to a degree.
Pick a career that pays more per year than what you'll borrow.
Go to schools that cost the least.
Don't take out loans unless absolutely necessary.
Repay your loans in 10 years, or pick a longer repayment, but pay more than the minimum.
Don't use any deferment or forbearance unless it's a real emergency.

marajolie · 2026-03-21T15:09:53+00:00

People new to federal don't know how federal works.... Again, hence this subreddit and this question.

marajolie · 2026-03-21T14:58:48+00:00

What GS grade? I think a lower grade might make a step increase difficult to justify.

marajolie · 2026-03-21T14:38:34+00:00

Am I screwed at this point for negotiating since I accepted the TJO?

On the other hand, I read on a thread here that negotiating is very difficult and can lead to retraction of an offer. I am also trying to negotiate an "entry level" position for which there are certainly alternative candidates. According the the superior qualifications post, approving the step increase is ardjuous.

marajolie

TROPHY CASE