The Biden-era “SAVE Plan,” which offered an interest-free pause on federal student loan payments, is set to expire on Friday.
Borrowers can transition to an income-based repayment plan, but officials warn that monthly payments could more than double compared to what they paid under the SAVE Plan.
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The SAVE Plan, which paused interest and minimized monthly payments, is ending August 1, 2025, for approximately 7.7 million borrowers.
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Borrowers should expect their monthly payments to potentially double when switching to other income-driven repayment plans like IBR.
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The Department of Education recommends transitioning to IBR to maintain eligibility for loan forgiveness programs.
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However, forgiveness under IBR is temporarily paused as the Education Department updates systems following court injunctions related to SAVE and other plans.
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The “One Big Beautiful Bill”, signed in July 2025, formally ends SAVE, PAYE, and ICR by July 2028, and introduces the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), starting mid‑2026.