News Public Policy News Student Loan Forgiveness Application Will Be Super Simple The government will ask borrowers only for very basic information By Diccon Hyatt Published on October 12, 2022 Fact checked by Mrinalini Krishna Sponsored by What's this? & Photo: tdub303 / Getty Images You can’t apply for President Joe Biden’s $20,000 student loan forgiveness yet—but you can look at the dead simple application. On Tuesday, the White House offered a preview of the Department of Education’s application for student loan forgiveness, which is scheduled to be released before the end of October on the Federal Student Aid website. The application, due by Dec. 31, 2023, is bare bones by the standards of government forms, asking applicants to just provide their name, date of birth, contact information, social security number, and attest that they met the income requirements for the forgiveness (Less than $125,000 for an individual or $250,000 for a family in 2020 or 2021.) The one-time loan forgiveness plan, announced this August, will cover an estimated 95% of borrowers with direct loans. Those who went to college on Pell Grants—some 65% of direct loan borrowers—are eligible for $20,000 of forgiveness, while those without Pell Grants are entitled to $10,000. The government will automatically give the forgiveness to nearly 8 million borrowers for whom they already have income information, but most will have to apply. Note Borrowers with federally-held FFEL and Perkins loans are also eligible, but those with FFEL and Perkins loans held by private lenders are not currently eligible. The Department of Education has said it is working with student loan lenders and servicers to potentially give those borrowers a way to access forgiveness too. The student loan forgiveness application form specifies that applicants may be contacted by the Department of Education if more information is required. Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Diccon at dhyatt@thebalance.com. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Congressional Budget Office. “Costs of Suspending Student Loan Payments and Canceling Debt,” Page 3. Federal Student Aid. “One-Time Student Loan Debt Relief.” The White House. “FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most.”