Department of Education Removes IDR Repayment Form

Late last night, the Department of Education quietly removed the downloadable Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Request form from its website, leaving borrowers confused on how they can apply for various student loan repayment plans. The removal follows the latest court ruling that blocked the SAVE repayment plan, but it’s unclear why access to the paper IDR form was affected.

The move has effectively halted new IDR applications, as the online application has already been turned off due to the legal injunction. Borrowers looking to enroll, switch, or recertify their income for an IDR plan now lack a clear way to submit their paperwork.

As of Wednesday morning, the form is no longer available on the StudentAid.gov forms library. It’s uncertain whether this removal is temporary or part of a broader policy shift. You can see in the screenshot below that the PDF versions are no longer available, and the “Apply Online” button doesn’t allow applications currently.

What Is The IDR Plan Request Form?

The Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Request form allows federal student loan borrowers to:

• Enroll in an IDR plan, which ties payments to their income.
• Recertify their income annually to stay on track with their plan.
• Switch between IDR plans if their financial situation changes.

IDR plans, including Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and the now-blocked SAVE plan, offer lower monthly payments for borrowers struggling with federal student loan debt.

Even though the SAVE Plan is likely to be eliminated, borrowers still can legally switch to the IBR Plan, which was created by Congress and is not under injunction. Removing this application effectively prevents that.

Until yesterday, borrowers could access this form as a PDF download from the StudentAid.gov forms library. While paper applications were already less common than the now-disabled online application, their removal eliminates one of the last official options for enrolling in an IDR plan.

What’s Behind The Removal?

The sudden disappearance of the form has raised concerns about access to repayment options. While the removal follows the expanded injunction that blocked the SAVE plan, there’s no official explanation for why standard IDR plans – such as the IBR Plan, which were not directly affected by the ruling, are now harder to access.

With no online or PDF option available, borrowers are left wondering whether this is a temporary administrative issue or a policy decision.

It should be noted that loan servicers also started sending notices out to borrowers over the weekend that recertification deadlines are shifting. Borrowers are seeing their recertification deadlines for existing IDR plans pushed out to 2026, or even 2027. 

What Should Borrowers Do Now?

Until the Department of Education clarifies the situation, borrowers have limited options to change repayment plans if they desire. However, options are still available.

Borrowers can download a copy of the IDR Repayment Plan Request Form here.

Borrowers can then follow the directions to upload this form to their loan servicer, or mail the form in following the instructions. For borrowers who choose to mail the form, we recommend sending it Certified Mail and keeping a copy of all tracking.

Finally, borrowers should wait for updates from the Department of Education on the next steps.

While IDR plans remain available in theory, the lack of access to application forms raises serious concerns about transparency and borrower support.

For now, borrowers are left in limbo, wondering when—or if—these repayment options will become accessible again.

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