Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Consultation
Get personalized guidance to understand your repayment options.
If you're struggling with federal student loan payments, you may qualify for an IDR plan. Our student loan experts provide free 30-minute consultations to help guide you through the process.
What is IDR?
The IDR program provides federal student loan borrowers with options other than forbearance when they have trouble making monthly payments. There are several IDR plans, all of which adjust borrowers’ payments based on their adjusted gross income and family size — not how much they owe.
Who is eligible for IDR?
Unlike other student loan forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness,1 eligibility for IDR does not depend on employment type — you could qualify for IDR whether you are employed in the public or private sector. To learn more about IDR eligibility, schedule a free consultation with one of our student loan experts.
How does IDR work?
Under an IDR plan, monthly payments are typically lower than the payments you would make in the Standard Repayment Plan. IDR also provides a path to eventual forgiveness after a certain period of repayment, depending on which plan you’re enrolled in, type(s) of loans you have, and the amount of debt you have.
When you enroll in an IDR plan, your monthly student loan payments will be calculated based on your adjusted gross income and family size and will be a percentage of your discretionary income. While that percentage will vary depending on the plan, note that some IDR plans may factor in your spouse’s income to your discretionary income.
How do you apply for IDR?
To enroll and stay in the IDR program, you’ll need to:
- Organize the information you need for your application. This includes your verified Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, your financial information, and your spouse’s information (if applicable).
- Sign into your account. Use your FSA username and password to sign in on studentaid.gov.
- Complete application questions. Answer questions about employment, family size, marital status, and income.
- Get enrollment confirmation. IDR application processing could take several weeks or longer.
- Certify your employment every year. You will need to recertify employment and family size annually.
Frequently Asked Questions About IDR
Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) was introduced to provide federal student loan borrowers with options other than forbearance to help make monthly payments more manageable. All IDR plans adjust federal borrower’s payments based on their adjusted gross income and family size — not how much they owe. Those pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) are typically enrolled in an IDR plan. New IDR plan options will take effect starting on July 1, 2026.
For more information, go to the IDR page on the Federal Student Aid website.
For borrowers with federal student loans, or a combination of federal and private loans, our student loan experts can help you weigh your options. During your consultation, a specialist will break down your student loan profile, provide a chart on what your new loan payoff could look like, answer questions about what terms are the best for your unique situation, and answer any application questions you may have. If student loan refinancing is determined to be your best option, they can help you understand what information impacts the interest rate that you might expect to be offered on your loan refinancing. Items such as your FICO score, income level, student loan balance, and current interest rate structure can impact your offer, and your specialist can walk you through how to qualify for the lowest rates on your loans.
Our student loan consultation is designed to help you explore your federal and private student loan repayment options. After you request a consultation, you'll receive an email with a link to our secure online portal where you'll be asked to provide several items to build out your profile so that your consultant can give you the most accurate assessment based on your unique situation. This information will include:
- Types of loans that you currently hold (federal, private, direct, subsidized, unsubsidized, etc.)
- If you have any federal loans, you will be asked to provide the My Aid Data file, which you can obtain via your studentaid.gov account
- The balance and interest rate for each of your loans
- Current payment schedule
- Authorization to conduct a soft credit pull, which will not impact your credit score
Once your profile is complete, you will be able to schedule your free student loan consultation.
Get expert advice with a student loan consultation.
Need help understanding your student loan forgiveness or repayment options? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our specialists to explore IDR and other student loan management options.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please note that if you refinance qualifying federal student loans, you will no longer be eligible for certain federal benefits or programs and waive your right to future benefits or programs offered on those loans, which may include, but are not limited to, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Driven Repayment plans, forbearance, or certain forgiveness options granted to Parent Plus borrowers. Please carefully consider your options when refinancing federal student loans and consult www.studentaid.gov for the most current information.
1
To qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you must be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization (federal service includes U.S. military service); work full-time for that agency or organization; have Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan); repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan; and make 120 qualifying payments. For full program requirements, visit: studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.