IBR + PSLF woes Forum

[Tanicius]

I don't see a general forum for graduates and people currently paying loans to bitch, so I'm making this thread. Maybe students who come across this section of the site will read it and realize that PSLF is not just a smooth-sailing ride to freedom. Everyone post your nightmares, Vale of Tears style, and we can comfort and rant with each other.

Here's my story.

Chapter 1: 2014-2015
1. Graduated 2014, government job starts August 2014. My total cost of attendance was $220,000, but because of interest accrued over the course of law school, I graduate with $240,000 in debt.
2. Get onto Income-Based Repayment starting in January. I need to make 120 monthly payments (10 years' worth) in order to get my loans forgiven. I ask them, why do I have to wait until January to do this? Why can't I enroll when I start working? Sorry brah, that's just now this works. We're going to hear that line a lot over the next few years.
3. Had to consolidate one loan I took out directly through my law school. A measly four grand. I combine it with the very smallest federal loan I have, so those two loans get combiend for a grand total of $18,000.
4. For some reason, my loans get put with two different loan providers. 240,000-worth goes to Company A, which is professional, timely, and actually processes my shit in time to start letting me make payments in January, 2015. Aww yeah, only 119 payments to go on the biggest chunk of my loans.
5. My 18,000-loan, the smallest one, gets put with FedLoan. I had always figured these guys literally were the federal government. When you apply for PSLF, the forgiveness option for public interest folks after 10 years of service, FedLoan handles everything. Can't be so bad right? Wrong. These guys suck. They are not the federal government. They are a private contractor that has the privilege of bearing a name that makes them sound like they are the federal government. They also handle the majority of the IBR applications because of their direct involvement with PSLF. They're so fucking slow, they don't get around to approving my IBR application until after January. Over a month long to review 10 pages of documents and a tax return and confirm I'm good to go and can start paying reduced payments.
6. I call FedLoan in February, 2015 several times. If you're lucky enough not to get put on hold with FedLoan, it still takes a solid 5+ minutes to connect with an agent because of all the automated options you have to navigate every time. And when you're done with the navigating options, after putting in all your private information to verify your identity, they subject you to another few minutes of automated voice bullshit asking if you're a veteran and if you want to apply for some special veteran benefit. Then you get the actual employee on the line (again, assuming you're lucky enough not to be put on hold) and they ask you another whole gauntlet of questions about your private info and contact info. Between 2015 and 2016, I have made dozens of panicked phone calls to FedLoan over this bullshit, and each and every goddamn time, they ask me if the numbers to my cell phone are still accurate, if the numbers to my work phone are still accurate, if my mailing address is still accurate, and if my email address is still accurate. Even their fucking phone line operators are trained to ask you questions designed to make you lose hope and give up.
7. Meanwhile, as all of this is going on, I'm also in communication with my law school's LRAP office. My LRAP is great and I have no complaints. They're professional, they do take some time to respond (a few days) but that's because so many alums at the law school are on the LRAP program. They're very nice, very informative, good at communicating with me. For those who don't know how an LRAP actually works, Berkeley's probably works like most. There are a few LRAPs that are independent of IBR or PAYE, but this is how Berkeley works: At the beginning of each year you do IBR, they give you the lump sum of all the money you would have to pay the federal government through your reduced payment program. That's about 5 grand for me. They just give me $5,000. And if I can submit proof in the following December that I put every cent of that money towards my loans, then Berkeley won't ask me to give them any of that money back.
8. The problem with my LRAP is that I don't get any of the funds until my IBR program is processed with *every* provider. So what does that mean? I'm paying $300 each month to my good loan provider on the large, $254,000 loan group, and that's coming out of pocket on my tiny government salary while I wait for FedLoan to process my stupid tiny loan of $18,000. LRAP can't do anything for me until that happens.
9. Long story short, in February, FedLoan still hasn't finished processing an application I gave them in December. After several tortuous phone calls, I finally convince one of the operators to put my IBR application into a special expedited request pile. They reluctantly agree, after assuring me it probably won't work, and miracuously I'm approved just a few short days later. See, now that wasn't so hard, right? Rinse and repeat the next year, right? Just a few days to process this stuff right?
10. So, so wrong.
11. Finally though, I get FedLoan processed and LRAP gives me the lump sum in March, IIRC. The sky stays up in the air and I live tell the tale for another year.
____
2015-2016:
12. 2016 is approaching. I've been making regular payments. Of course, interest on my loans far outweighs the monthly payments I've made, so my loans are now even higher than last year. The tiny $18,000 loan with FedLoan is now $19,500. And the $240,000 loan with the other provider is now $250,000. This shit is fucking scary. If I lose my job and can't pick up another gov job or get into BigLaw fast, I'm fucked. In just a year since law school, the $220,000 total has snowballed to a combined $270,000. If I do PSLF in the next 10 years, by that time, my loans will likely be close to a million dollars. I'm not even joking.
13. So I'm already one month behind IBR on my loan with FedLoan. It will take 121 months to get rid of this loan, compared to 120 on the other one now. The other company processed my application in maybe 10 days flat, but FedLoan took a month and a half minimum, and probably would have taken even longer if I hadn't repeatedly called them begging them to hurry it up. I'm pissed so I make absolutely sure that I'm going to get the timeline perfect the next time around for 2016, when I have to re-apply to IBR all over again, confirm my maintaining employment, and report any substantial income changes like a pay-step raise and my marriage.
14. I apply for re-certification of my IBR payments with expedience. November for the good company, since my loans restart in January, and December for FedLoan, since I won't have to start making payments on the new loan cycle until February. I fax everything to FedLoan in late December.
15. Good company approves my IBR application in early January. I'm good to go, I even get to start making payments that same month.
16. FedLoan does nothing for 30 straight days. I call in late January and ask if they need any questions answered. yes, they sure do. They have one big question: What are you talking about Tanicius? We don't have any IBR re-certification application from you. What? Huh? What do you mean? Yeah, sorry, we don't have anything from you. Uh... okay. I re-fax it.
17. 20 days pass. It's early February. I re-call FedLoan and ask them if they have my IBR application. My IBR payment status with them has now run completely out and I have been given a forbearance on that loan. This means it's not in payment at all and is just sitting there, collecting interest. I start to get mad. What is taking so long? They explain to me that, yet again, they still have no IBR application from me. WHAT. THE FUCK. I directly upload it digitally to a new portal system. The guy is worthless, he doesn't have access to anything I've uploaded for another week or so. I give up and tell them I'll call back later on in February.
18. I call back a few weeks later in late February. Any word, guys? Yeah, sorry, it's just sitting there in processing.
19. I call back in early March. Any update? Yeah, sorry, it's just sitting there in process. Okay, what the fuck, assholes. The other company took 10 days, if even that. Why are you taking 40 days now, not counting the bullshit where I faxed this to you close to 70 days ago and you just never got it? I ask the lady to put me on an expedited list. She clucks and says it still takes a month minimum to process expedited requests. (??? The fuck is the point of expedited then? And what in God's name does that mean for NON-expedited applications?) Well, the clock is ticking, lady. I'm now 3 monthly payments behind on this loan. That's 3 extra months the GOP will have to remove PSLF nine years from now. Put it in the fucking expedited pile!
20. I call in late March. Still no movement on it. I start getting soppy with the guy. Come on, man, I'll do anything. What can we do to hurry this up? Guy says he'll have it reviewed this very week and get it done.
21. Email from FedLoan! There's a communication from FedLoan on your website portal! I eagerly open it up. My IBR application has been reviewed and they have an answer! ...AND IT WAS FUCKING DENIED!
22. I'm so angry I can barely breathe. What a stupid mistake. There's zero room for discretion on this. My income and financial situation easily qualify for IBR. It's impossible this is a correct decision. I call them up. Lady is extra-unhelpful today. She says it's clear as day in my application that my income-to-debt ratio is too small for IBR to be of use. I only have this one $19,000 loan, you see.
23. I explode at the FedLoan lady. This is not fucking true. I have $250,000 in loans with another company. You assholes know this. It's right fucking there on my application. My income-to-debt ratio is not even close to what you guys say it is. She waffles. Sorry sir, but it's out of my hands. Best I can do is put it in for an appeal review, which will take 60 days. I laugh. You cannot be serious. You're expediting this shit. This is your goddamn fault.
24. I demand to talk to a supervisor. He's much more helpful and jovial. Says he understood in 10 seconds what my complaint was just by looking over my paperwork. He's personally giving it to an IBR specialist tonight and we'll have it reviewed and approved tomorrow.
25. Tomorrow passes. No word.
26. Day after tomorrow passes. No word.
27. Week passes. No word.
28. Later march. Call again. No review completed.
29. Late, late March. Call again. No review completed. Get a guy on the phone, explain the situation. He said he gave it to a supervisor and IBR specialist and it will be approved tomorrow. Haha, funny.
30. Week later, still no movement. Woman says okay fuck it, we'll do it on the phone right now.
31. On Friday, April 1st, my IBR application is finally re-approved by FedLoan, with payments starting in May. That means I get no payment credit for January, February, March, or April. I'm now a combined FIVE months behind the 120 payment schedule on this loan. If they do this every year, it will take closer to 15 years to get forgiveness, not 10.
32. Why are you putting me into forbearance until May? Isn't this all your guy's fault? And what about letting me pay retroactively for all the monthly payments you've now cost me? Well, sorry sir, we can remove the interest, because your'e right, it is our fault, but we probably can't let you pay retroactively. Want me to put in a request for a review on the forbearance? It will only take about a week--
33. Click. Bye, shitheads. See you next fall all over again.
________
Tune in next time, for Chapter 3, the 2016-2017 season, where Tanicius has now combined his $250,000 loan with FedLoan in order to complete the PSLF part of his application. That's right. Now FedLoan will automatically be handling everything. I'm fucking doomed.

[ih8makingscreennames]

I'm not trying to be funny in the least, but is the moral of your story don't take out any extra loans? Like that's the reason you had to deal with the other guys bc you got it directly from the school, right?

[Tanicius]

I'm not trying to be funny in the least, but is the moral of your story don't take out any extra loans? Like that's the reason you had to deal with the other guys bc you got it directly from the school, right?

Go broader on the lesson: Do not take out loans hoping to do PSLF. It's short-sighted given the political climate, and it's not as smooth as they make it seem.

As for that one private loan that caused me to be with FedLoan, it was a "federal Perkins loan." It's not marketed as a loan that is ineligible for IBR and it probably would not have mattered to me at the time if they had told me "You will have to conslidate it." What's the big deal with that? It's not anyone in law school knows how terrible FedLoan is.

Also, now all of my loans have to be with FedLoan because I turned in the PSLF form. If anything, I've benefited from the practice they've run me through on the tiny $19,000 loan first. If this had happened on my larger loan amount I'd be a lot more pissed.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not trying to be funny in the least, but is the moral of your story don't take out any extra loans? Like that's the reason you had to deal with the other guys bc you got it directly from the school, right?

Go broader on the lesson: Do not take out loans hoping to do PSLF. It's short-sighted given the political climate, and it's not as smooth as they make it seem.

As for that one private loan that caused me to be with FedLoan, it was a "federal Perkins loan." It's not marketed as a loan that is ineligible for IBR and it probably would not have mattered to me at the time if they had told me "You will have to conslidate it." What's the big deal with that? It's not anyone in law school knows how terrible FedLoan is.

Also, now all of my loans have to be with FedLoan because I turned in the PSLF form. If anything, I've benefited from the practice they've run me through on the tiny $19,000 loan first. If this had happened on my larger loan amount I'd be a lot more pissed.

Gotcha. Well I hope to PSLF some of it away. I definitely won't have that much though less than 100K.

[Tls2016]

I don't see a general forum for graduates and people currently paying loans to bitch, so I'm making this thread. Maybe students who come across this section of the site will read it and realize that PSLF is not just a smooth-sailing ride to freedom. Everyone post your nightmares, Vale of Tears style, and we can comfort and rant with each other.

Here's my story.

Chapter 1: 2014-2015
1. Graduated 2014, government job starts August 2014. My total cost of attendance was $220,000, but because of interest accrued over the course of law school, I graduate with $240,000 in debt.
2. Get onto Income-Based Repayment starting in January. I need to make 120 monthly payments (10 years' worth) in order to get my loans forgiven. I ask them, why do I have to wait until January to do this? Why can't I enroll when I start working? Sorry brah, that's just now this works. We're going to hear that line a lot over the next few years.
3. Had to consolidate one loan I took out directly through my law school. A measly four grand. I combine it with the very smallest federal loan I have, so those two loans get combiend for a grand total of $18,000.
4. For some reason, my loans get put with two different loan providers. 240,000-worth goes to Company A, which is professional, timely, and actually processes my shit in time to start letting me make payments in January, 2015. Aww yeah, only 119 payments to go on the biggest chunk of my loans.
5. My 18,000-loan, the smallest one, gets put with FedLoan. I had always figured these guys literally were the federal government. When you apply for PSLF, the forgiveness option for public interest folks after 10 years of service, FedLoan handles everything. Can't be so bad right? Wrong. These guys suck. They are not the federal government. They are a private contractor that has the privilege of bearing a name that makes them sound like they are the federal government. They also handle the majority of the IBR applications because of their direct involvement with PSLF. They're so fucking slow, they don't get around to approving my IBR application until after January. Over a month long to review 10 pages of documents and a tax return and confirm I'm good to go and can start paying reduced payments.
6. I call FedLoan in February, 2015 several times. If you're lucky enough not to get put on hold with FedLoan, it still takes a solid 5+ minutes to connect with an agent because of all the automated options you have to navigate every time. And when you're done with the navigating options, after putting in all your private information to verify your identity, they subject you to another few minutes of automated voice bullshit asking if you're a veteran and if you want to apply for some special veteran benefit. Then you get the actual employee on the line (again, assuming you're lucky enough not to be put on hold) and they ask you another whole gauntlet of questions about your private info and contact info. Between 2015 and 2016, I have made dozens of panicked phone calls to FedLoan over this bullshit, and each and every goddamn time, they ask me if the numbers to my cell phone are still accurate, if the numbers to my work phone are still accurate, if my mailing address is still accurate, and if my email address is still accurate. Even their fucking phone line operators are trained to ask you questions designed to make you lose hope and give up.
7. Meanwhile, as all of this is going on, I'm also in communication with my law school's LRAP office. My LRAP is great and I have no complaints. They're professional, they do take some time to respond (a few days) but that's because so many alums at the law school are on the LRAP program. They're very nice, very informative, good at communicating with me. For those who don't know how an LRAP actually works, Berkeley's probably works like most. There are a few LRAPs that are independent of IBR or PAYE, but this is how Berkeley works: At the beginning of each year you do IBR, they give you the lump sum of all the money you would have to pay the federal government through your reduced payment program. That's about 5 grand for me. They just give me $5,000. And if I can submit proof in the following December that I put every cent of that money towards my loans, then Berkeley won't ask me to give them any of that money back.
8. The problem with my LRAP is that I don't get any of the funds until my IBR program is processed with *every* provider. So what does that mean? I'm paying $300 each month to my good loan provider on the large, $254,000 loan group, and that's coming out of pocket on my tiny government salary while I wait for FedLoan to process my stupid tiny loan of $18,000. LRAP can't do anything for me until that happens.
9. Long story short, in February, FedLoan still hasn't finished processing an application I gave them in December. After several tortuous phone calls, I finally convince one of the operators to put my IBR application into a special expedited request pile. They reluctantly agree, after assuring me it probably won't work, and miracuously I'm approved just a few short days later. See, now that wasn't so hard, right? Rinse and repeat the next year, right? Just a few days to process this stuff right?
10. So, so wrong.
11. Finally though, I get FedLoan processed and LRAP gives me the lump sum in March, IIRC. The sky stays up in the air and I live tell the tale for another year.
____
2015-2016:
12. 2016 is approaching. I've been making regular payments. Of course, interest on my loans far outweighs the monthly payments I've made, so my loans are now even higher than last year. The tiny $18,000 loan with FedLoan is now $19,500. And the $240,000 loan with the other provider is now $250,000. This shit is fucking scary. If I lose my job and can't pick up another gov job or get into BigLaw fast, I'm fucked. In just a year since law school, the $220,000 total has snowballed to a combined $270,000. If I do PSLF in the next 10 years, by that time, my loans will likely be close to a million dollars. I'm not even joking.
13. So I'm already one month behind IBR on my loan with FedLoan. It will take 121 months to get rid of this loan, compared to 120 on the other one now. The other company processed my application in maybe 10 days flat, but FedLoan took a month and a half minimum, and probably would have taken even longer if I hadn't repeatedly called them begging them to hurry it up. I'm pissed so I make absolutely sure that I'm going to get the timeline perfect the next time around for 2016, when I have to re-apply to IBR all over again, confirm my maintaining employment, and report any substantial income changes like a pay-step raise and my marriage.
14. I apply for re-certification of my IBR payments with expedience. November for the good company, since my loans restart in January, and December for FedLoan, since I won't have to start making payments on the new loan cycle until February. I fax everything to FedLoan in late December.
15. Good company approves my IBR application in early January. I'm good to go, I even get to start making payments that same month.
16. FedLoan does nothing for 30 straight days. I call in late January and ask if they need any questions answered. yes, they sure do. They have one big question: What are you talking about Tanicius? We don't have any IBR re-certification application from you. What? Huh? What do you mean? Yeah, sorry, we don't have anything from you. Uh... okay. I re-fax it.
17. 20 days pass. It's early February. I re-call FedLoan and ask them if they have my IBR application. My IBR payment status with them has now run completely out and I have been given a forbearance on that loan. This means it's not in payment at all and is just sitting there, collecting interest. I start to get mad. What is taking so long? They explain to me that, yet again, they still have no IBR application from me. WHAT. THE FUCK. I directly upload it digitally to a new portal system. The guy is worthless, he doesn't have access to anything I've uploaded for another week or so. I give up and tell them I'll call back later on in February.
18. I call back a few weeks later in late February. Any word, guys? Yeah, sorry, it's just sitting there in processing.
19. I call back in early March. Any update? Yeah, sorry, it's just sitting there in process. Okay, what the fuck, assholes. The other company took 10 days, if even that. Why are you taking 40 days now, not counting the bullshit where I faxed this to you close to 70 days ago and you just never got it? I ask the lady to put me on an expedited list. She clucks and says it still takes a month minimum to process expedited requests. (??? The fuck is the point of expedited then? And what in God's name does that mean for NON-expedited applications?) Well, the clock is ticking, lady. I'm now 3 monthly payments behind on this loan. That's 3 extra months the GOP will have to remove PSLF nine years from now. Put it in the fucking expedited pile!
20. I call in late March. Still no movement on it. I start getting soppy with the guy. Come on, man, I'll do anything. What can we do to hurry this up? Guy says he'll have it reviewed this very week and get it done.
21. Email from FedLoan! There's a communication from FedLoan on your website portal! I eagerly open it up. My IBR application has been reviewed and they have an answer! ...AND IT WAS FUCKING DENIED!
22. I'm so angry I can barely breathe. What a stupid mistake. There's zero room for discretion on this. My income and financial situation easily qualify for IBR. It's impossible this is a correct decision. I call them up. Lady is extra-unhelpful today. She says it's clear as day in my application that my income-to-debt ratio is too small for IBR to be of use. I only have this one $19,000 loan, you see.
23. I explode at the FedLoan lady. This is not fucking true. I have $250,000 in loans with another company. You assholes know this. It's right fucking there on my application. My income-to-debt ratio is not even close to what you guys say it is. She waffles. Sorry sir, but it's out of my hands. Best I can do is put it in for an appeal review, which will take 60 days. I laugh. You cannot be serious. You're expediting this shit. This is your goddamn fault.
24. I demand to talk to a supervisor. He's much more helpful and jovial. Says he understood in 10 seconds what my complaint was just by looking over my paperwork. He's personally giving it to an IBR specialist tonight and we'll have it reviewed and approved tomorrow.
25. Tomorrow passes. No word.
26. Day after tomorrow passes. No word.
27. Week passes. No word.
28. Later march. Call again. No review completed.
29. Late, late March. Call again. No review completed. Get a guy on the phone, explain the situation. He said he gave it to a supervisor and IBR specialist and it will be approved tomorrow. Haha, funny.
30. Week later, still no movement. Woman says okay fuck it, we'll do it on the phone right now.
31. On Friday, April 1st, my IBR application is finally re-approved by FedLoan, with payments starting in May. That means I get no payment credit for January, February, March, or April. I'm now a combined FIVE months behind the 120 payment schedule on this loan. If they do this every year, it will take closer to 15 years to get forgiveness, not 10.
32. Why are you putting me into forbearance until May? Isn't this all your guy's fault? And what about letting me pay retroactively for all the monthly payments you've now cost me? Well, sorry sir, we can remove the interest, because your'e right, it is our fault, but we probably can't let you pay retroactively. Want me to put in a request for a review on the forbearance? It will only take about a week--
33. Click. Bye, shitheads. See you next fall all over again.
________
Tune in next time, for Chapter 3, the 2016-2017 season, where Tanicius has now combined his $250,000 loan with FedLoan in order to complete the PSLF part of his application. That's right. Now FedLoan will automatically be handling everything. I'm fucking doomed.

This sounds much, much worse than I could have imagined PSLF would be for students. This is great information because people don't have any idea how this process works.
In addition to the process there is the growing terror as your loan balance increases dramatically.
I hope it all works out for you.

[zot1]

Relying on repayment programs is definitely not smart. I did it and although I'm happy with my decision still, it is partially because I ignore my debt really hard.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah, I ignore my debt really hard, too, but I hate that it's growing rather rhan decreasing (and I didn't start with terrible debt - substantial but not horrendous).

To be fair, I have FedLoan too, and haven't had any of the problems with them that Tanicius has (of course I'm still waiting for this year's certification to go through so/and there's potential for fail anew every year!). The biggest problems for me have come from being married and moving to a community property state where we really can't file taxes separately.

[Tls2016]

Yeah, I ignore my debt really hard, too, but I hate that it's growing rather rhan decreasing (and I didn't start with terrible debt - substantial but not horrendous).

To be fair, I have FedLoan too, and haven't had any of the problems with them that Tanicius has (of course I'm still waiting for this year's certification to go through so/and there's potential for fail anew every year!). The biggest problems for me have come from being married and moving to a community property state where we really can't file taxes separately.

It's April. Sounds like a problem.
But serious question, do the payments made while waiting for certification not count toward the 120 payments? I thought that was implied in the OP, but I'm not clear on that.

[Tanicius]

Yeah, I ignore my debt really hard, too, but I hate that it's growing rather rhan decreasing (and I didn't start with terrible debt - substantial but not horrendous).

To be fair, I have FedLoan too, and haven't had any of the problems with them that Tanicius has (of course I'm still waiting for this year's certification to go through so/and there's potential for fail anew every year!). The biggest problems for me have come from being married and moving to a community property state where we really can't file taxes separately.

It's April. Sounds like a problem.
But serious question, do the payments made while waiting for certification not count toward the 120 payments? I thought that was implied in the OP, but I'm not clear on that.

You can't make qualifying payments on a loan while waiting for IBR/PAYE recertification. Well, actually, you could pay the full amount (10-15x what you would owe under IBR), but it won't count as a qualifying IBR payment for the 120-monthly payments requirement. For the year of 2016, I will only be able to make 8 monthly payments on this loan: May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. I am not allowed to go back in time and pay January, February, March or April.

[Tanicius]

To be fair, I have FedLoan too, and haven't had any of the problems with them that Tanicius has (of course I'm still waiting for this year's certification to go through so/and there's potential for fail anew every year!). The biggest problems for me have come from being married and moving to a community property state where we really can't file taxes separately.

If you're still waiting for your certification, that means you don't get to make any monthly payments until May at the earliest. That's four months you don't get to make payments on that tick towards the 120-payment requirement.

[A. Nony Mouse]

It's April. Sounds like a problem.
But serious question, do the payments made while waiting for certification not count toward the 120 payments? I thought that was implied in the OP, but I'm not clear on that.

If you're still waiting for your certification, that means you don't get to make any monthly payments until May at the earliest. That's four months you don't get to make payments on that tick towards the 120-payment requirement.

Sorry, I should have said that I submitted my recertification in March, so no real delay so far (I'm not on the same annual timetable because I had to recertify at different times based on my husband not working. If you have a major change in income - i.e. you/spouse gets/loses a job, you can recertify then, and you have to recertify a year from your last recertification, not every January). And if you were already certified and you submit the recert in a timely fashion (AND they don't fuck it up) you don't fall off the qualifying plan. I am going to have a one-month forbearance in there this year, but that's because I want to change from IBR to REPAYE and they require you allow an extra month to change plans. If you stay on the same plan there shouldn't be any gaps in qualifying payments (again, assuming FedLoan doesn't fuck up) - I haven't had any up to this point.

The thing is you never get "on" PSLF, it's that only payments on an income-based payment plan count. So if you're not yet on a plan and you have to get onto it, it sucks in that any payments you have to make before FedLoan (or whoever) gets around to approving you don't count (that's not supposed to happen - I got put on IBR the November after graduation when repayment kicked in - but obviously it does). Once you're on a plan, the recertification should be timed such that you never actually become uncertified, so all your payments will continue to count. Again, obviously if FedLoan fucks up, all bets are off. And it totally totally sucks that you went through that, Tanicius - I'm just thankful I haven't run into that problem.

(You don't have to confirm qualifying employment for the federal loan people, though - you can get your employment certified, but you just have to get it done at some point before you're going to apply for PSLF, i.e., before the 120 months. I'm sure you probably need to confirm qualifying employment for LRAP programs, but that's not part of the federal loan process since you're not on PSLF, you're just on an income-based plan.)

[zot1]

I have definitely had problems with FedLoan. They are super unresponsive and when they do respond, the info isn't accurate. It took them three months to get them to process my paperwork. And it only happened when it did because I called, asked to speak to a supervisor, and told them I wouldn't get off the phone until someone told me what was happening with my account. They could have hung up on me but didn't, so I'll give them that.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah, I've probably just been lucky, and the pre-FedLoan provider was definitely better (I started with what is probably Tanicius' good company, but then got all my loans transferred, and FedLoan is not as good). And watch, now they'll have lost my paperwork for this go round or something.

I also tend to be a "let me talk to your supervisor then" person right away when dealing with student loan shit, though.

[Tanicius]

Yeah, I've probably just been lucky, and the pre-FedLoan provider was definitely better (I started with what is probably Tanicius' good company, but then got all my loans transferred, and FedLoan is not as good). And watch, now they'll have lost my paperwork for this go round or something.

I also tend to be a "let me talk to your supervisor then" person right away when dealing with student loan shit, though.

Yeah, the moment they wrongfully denied my IBR recertification was just unbelievable. I was like, WTF are you talking about? You guys have my loan paperwork both from this year AND last year where you DID let me go onto IBR. What the hell do you think happened with those other loans? The lady was just like, well, sorry sir, but your application doesn't mention these loans. Lady, the fuck. They're mentioned right there on page X. Well, sorry, but I can put it in for an appeal in the next 60 days?

[krads153]

In just a year since law school, the $220,000 total has snowballed to a combined $270,000. If I do PSLF in the next 10 years, by that time, my loans will likely be close to a million dollars. I'm not even joking.

Holy be-jeezus. Every 0L planning on taking out sticker to rely on IBR/PLSF/LRAP should read this thread.

[crumpetsandtea]

Currently on IBR in a 2 year position. No idea if I will be able to do gov/PI work after these 2 years (I'd like to, but who knows). It pains me to see that I'm spending money and not even handling my interest right now.

[BrittaBot]

Tanicius, give or take, I've pretty had the same experience with Fedloan. All my loans are with them. I won't go into too much detail but it was just about the same clusterfuck as you described. At one point also they just randomly said my husband's loans were 60 days overdue when he literally had submitted a payment on time a week ago. The woman I spoke to then proceeded to yell AT ME about that and wouldn't look into anything or do anything for me until we paid "the overdue amount". I lost it. Generally the only way to get anything accomplished with them is to work/speak with a supervisor. In general the supervisors have been helpful and do what they can (although there is still hold-ups and time delays, etc) but at least they can accomplish something. The other worst part about Fedloan is that literally everytime I call with an issue, (the same issue), I get a different response. Every single time.

Same thing as you though. Submitted re-certification in December - won't be processed till June. That's about 4 months of PSLF payments I lose. I've read with the recent surge in REPAYE applications, they are just so, so behind. Doesn't excuse anything though. Don't get how it's so hard to process paperwork, especially when it seems like nothing else is getting done.

[Tanicius]

Tanicius, give or take, I've pretty had the same experience with Fedloan. All my loans are with them. I won't go into too much detail but it was just about the same clusterfuck as you described. At one point also they just randomly said my husband's loans were 60 days overdue when he literally had submitted a payment on time a week ago. The woman I spoke to then proceeded to yell AT ME about that and wouldn't look into anything or do anything for me until we paid "the overdue amount". I lost it. Generally the only way to get anything accomplished with them is to work/speak with a supervisor. In general the supervisors have been helpful and do what they can (although there is still hold-ups and time delays, etc) but at least they can accomplish something. The other worst part about Fedloan is that literally everytime I call with an issue, (the same issue), I get a different response. Every single time.

Same thing as you though. Submitted re-certification in December - won't be processed till June. That's about 4 months of PSLF payments I lose. I've read with the recent surge in REPAYE applications, they are just so, so behind. Doesn't excuse anything though. Don't get how it's so hard to process paperwork, especially when it seems like nothing else is getting done.

This is good shit. Keep 'em coming folks.

The most horrifying part about all of this is we ultimately have no real recourse. What are we gonna do? File a lawsuit for injunctive relief to force a federal contractor to process our shit in good faith timeliness because we've been harmed by not being allowed to pay reduced payments? LOL. That lawsuit would take 3-4 years and we probably wouldn't win.

What I think is absolutely bullshit about this problem it that it's out of our hands even when we do everything completely correctly. They promised us we could make 120 monthly payments, but they did not promise us we'd be able to make those 120 payments on time.

[GreenEggs]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

[Tls2016]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

How many schools offer that now?

[GreenEggs]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

How many schools offer that now?

Probably just a couple

[ih8makingscreennames]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

How many schools offer that now?

Probably just a couple

Can we get a full list running? The people need to know. And by the people, I mean me.

[GreenEggs]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

How many schools offer that now?

Probably just a couple

Can we get a full list running? The people need to know. And by the people, I mean me.

Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia. NYU also has one that's not tied to PSLF but I don't think you can choose to go that path, you can only get it if you don't qualify for PSLF

[Borhas]

In February I applied to change from IBR to REPAYE so I could reduce my monthly payment from about 440 to about 280

last night I got emails from FedLoanServicing. So naturally I thought cool, they must have finally processed my REPAYE application.

I open the emails and see that I have been placed on administrative forebearance for April and that I have a $3000 loan payment due on May 19.

Currently on hold to try to figure out WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON

[ih8makingscreennames]

Man that was tough to read. It's for reasons like this that I think the non PSLF LRAP programs are pretty solid

How many schools offer that now?

Probably just a couple

Can we get a full list running? The people need to know. And by the people, I mean me.

Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia. NYU also has one that's not tied to PSLF but I don't think you can choose to go that path, you can only get it if you don't qualify for PSLF

Yeah the income for that one NYU plan is so low. I need to read up more on the Columbia LRAP.