How Does Family Size Affect Student Loan Payments in 2026? RAP’s $50 Rule vs the Poverty Line
RAP subtracts a flat $50 per dependent. IBR runs family size through the poverty line. Same client, two different numbers. Verified 2026 figures inside.
Did the New PSLF Employer Rule Take Effect? What Advisors Need to Know
A federal court vacated the PSLF employer eligibility rule on June 30, 2026, one day before it was due to take effect. Here is what still applies, and the July 1 changes that survived.
Federal Exit Counseling Checks a Box. Advisors Build the Repayment Plan.
Exit counseling is required, generic, and ends without a number. Here is the gap it leaves and the four-step play that closes it.
Deferment vs Forbearance: Which One Actually Costs You Less in 2026?
Deferment vs forbearance in 2026: how interest, capitalization, and forgiveness credit differ, and why a low RAP payment often beats pausing entirely.
Employer Student Loan Repayment Is Now Permanent. Here Is What It Does to a RAP Payment.
Employers can pay $5,250 a year toward an employee’s student loans tax free, permanently. Verified numbers on what it does to RAP payments, PSLF credit, and the interest deduction.
Credit Card Hardship Programs: What Happens When You Finally Answer the Bank’s Call
The bank keeps calling about your credit card. Here is what a hardship program actually is: a lower fixed rate, one payment, and a real payoff date. On $30,000, it can mean paying $4,799 in interest instead of $66,300.
Should Medical Students File Taxes? Why a $0 Return Can Mean $0 Loan Payments
Most medical students skip filing taxes because they owe nothing. That skipped return can be the difference between $0 loan payments in residency and hundreds a month.
Does Married Filing Separately Still Lower Student Loan Payments Under RAP?
Yes. Under RAP, filing taxes separately keeps a spouse’s income out of the payment. See a parity-verified table and when the lower payment actually costs more.
How to Get Out of Student Loan Default in 2026
Two ways out of federal student loan default: rehabilitation, which erases the default from your credit history, and consolidation, which is faster. What each costs and how to choose.
How Long Until Student Loans Are Forgiven?
Federal student loans are forgiven after 20, 25, or 30 years of qualifying payments, depending on your plan. Here is the 2026 timeline for IBR, RAP, ICR, and PSLF.