The Biden-era Save Plan, an income-driven student loan repayment program, officially ends on July 1, 2026. More than 7 million American borrowers enrolled in the Save plan must select a new repayment option within 90 days after they are notified following the program’s end [1, 2].

If borrowers do not choose a new plan within the 90-day window, they will be automatically enrolled in the standard repayment plan [3, 2]. The transition will be conducted in waves, allowing some borrowers more than 90 days to decide. The earliest deadline for some will be around September 29, 2026 [2].

The Save plan was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in March 2026 and ended following the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which reformed student loan repayment options [1, 2]. The Trump administration introduced two new plans under this law: a Tiered Standard repayment plan and a new income-driven Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) [3, 2].

New borrowers taking out loans after July 1, 2026, will only have access to the Tiered Standard and RAP options [3]. RAP requires income-based payments without caps and mandates $10 minimum payments for borrowers with low or no income [3].

Borrowers with loans issued before July 1, 2026, who do not plan to take additional loans will retain access to existing income-driven plans including Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) [1, 3]. However, PAYE and ICR will be phased out by July 1, 2028 [1, 3].

Parent PLUS loan borrowers face new repayment rules under the 2025 law starting July 1, 2026 [3]. Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, said, "One group hit hardest is parent PLUS borrowers." [3]

Nicholas Kent, Under-Secretary of Education, said, "For years, borrowers have been caught in a confusing cycle of uncertainty, but the Trump administration’s policy is simple: if you take out a loan, you must pay it back." [1]

Some student advocacy groups raise concerns about payment affordability and difficulties transitioning due to servicing errors and administrative delays. Michele Zampini of the Institute for College Access & Success said, "The two things that are top of mind are payment affordability, of course, and the ability to actually enroll and make payments without being embedded in servicing errors." [1]

Sarah Austin from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators noted the simplification goal: "Right now, we have like half a dozen different repayment plans. We now have these two new ones, but ... eventually we're going to get streamlined down to just the two." [3]

Ongoing lawsuits seek to block forced transitions from the Save plan and challenge provisions of the new repayment rules [2].

The earliest deadlines to complete the transition off the Save plan will begin about 90 days after notification this summer, with some borrowers required to switch by late September 2026 [2]. PAYE and ICR repayment plans will be fully phased out by July 1, 2028 [1, 3].