When to Submit Your Student Loan IDR Recertification (Updated for 2026)

Federal student loan borrowers in repayment under income-driven repayment (IDR) plans have had a rollercoaster of a year.Recent guidance from the Department of Education has clarified some key questions, but borrower experiences still vary depending on servicer updates and individual timelines.With recent changes to income-driven repayment now taking effect, here’s what borrowers need to know about income recertification today.What led to the recertification confusion Last year, the Trump administration upended the IDR system by temporarily removing the online and paper IDR applications and suspending processing for all IDR plans.

These plans are repayment programs designed to be affordable and based on a borrower’s income and family size.  Note: IDR is an umbrella term for these programs and includes specific, popular plans like Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE).The Department of Education’s dramatic move was in response to a court order issued in February 2025 over the future of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, a Biden-era IDR program designed to be more affordable than the other plans.A federal appeals court maintained a block on the SAVE plan that’s been in place since August 2024, and broadened the existing injunction to encompass other aspects of the SAVE plan regulations.  The department had argued that removing the IDR application was necessary so that officials could update the form to comply with the court’s new order about the SAVE plan.But by doing so, the department effectively blocked all IDR plans, including for new enrollees and borrowers who were trying to flee the SAVE plan in light of the ongoing legal troubles.  The processing pause also impacted borrowers on ICR, IBR and PAYE who were trying — but unable — to recertify their income, an annual requirement for all IDR programs.

Some borrowers experienced dramatic increases in their monthly payments when their IDR period lapsed, they were unable to recertify and their payments were automatically recalculated based on their loan balance and interest rate, rather than their income.  After a national labor union filed a legal challenge against the Department of Education, arguing that the Trump administration’s total shutdown of the IDR system was unlawful, the department restored access to the online IDR application.It also directed loan servicers to postpone IDR recertification dates, and in some cases, recalculate borrowers’ monthly payments if they increased due to a failure to recertify during the disruption.Where IDR recertification stands now Borrowers can now submit IDR applications and recertification requests, although processing timelines may still vary by servicer — as do recertification timelines.Some borrowers are now being asked to recertify, while others have deadlines extended as far as 2027.

At the same time, the legal challenges surrounding the SAVE plan have been resolved, and the program is no longer moving forward as a repayment option.Borrowers who were enrolled in SAVE are now being transitioned to other repayment plans.Beginning July 1, 2026, borrowers will have a 90-day window to select a new plan, which coincides with the rollout of the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).If no action is taken within that window, loans may be placed into the Standard or the new Tiered Standard Plan by default, which can significantly increase monthly payments.

Borrowers who saw their student loan payments increase due to failure to recertify Some borrowers experienced an increase in their monthly payments because they could not recertify their income by their deadline after the Department of Education removed the IDR application (borrowers must submit an IDR application as part of the annual income recertification process).Typically, when that happens, payments revert to something akin to the 10-year Standard payment amount, which can be prohibitively expensive for some borrowers.For people in this situation, whether or not you have to take action depends on when you were required to recertify.Borrowers who were due to recertify during the disruption period were often unable to do so, resulting in temporary payment recalculations that were not based on income.

Their loan servicer “temporarily recalculated your payment,” explains the department.“This new payment amount is not based on your income and family size.You are still enrolled in an IDR plan.You must submit a recertification request as soon as possible to potentially lower your payment.”  Borrowers can do so by using the online IDR portal at StudentAid.gov.

If your payment remains higher than expected, contacting your loan servicer is the best next step to confirm your account status or request an adjustment.In many cases, borrowers in this situation should have their payment amounts readjusted, says the department.“In some instances, borrowers who should have had their recertification date extended were moved to a monthly payment amount that is not based on their income and family size,” says the department.“Loan servicers are actively working to move those affected borrowers back to the monthly payment amount based on their income and family size.” Borrowers should monitor their recertification deadline and submit an updated IDR request if instructed, as timelines and requirements may vary by account.

A note on IDR application processing While the IDR applications are back, processing delays remain.This is particularly important for borrowers who are applying for an IDR plan for the first time or are trying to switch to a different IDR plan.A recent court filing shows an IDR backlog of 576,609 as of February 28, 2026.That’s a significant drop from the roughly 1.9 million borrowers stuck in the backlog as of April 2025, but delays still persist for many.

Although new online IDR applications are processing fairly quickly, older applications submitted during the pause may still be waiting in line.This backlog has created a split experience for borrowers.Some are seeing updates or approvals within days to weeks, while others remain in limbo depending on when they applied and how quickly their servicer is working through older requests.At the same time, additional volume is expected as borrowers who were previously enrolled in the SAVE plan are required to select a new repayment option.

With nearly 7 million borrowers impacted by the SAVE transition, this could further strain processing timelines, particularly as the July 1 transition period drives a new wave of applications.