EPISODE RESOURCES

Qualifying Life Events

Eligible FSA Expenses

Eligible Dependent Care FSA Expenses

2026 HSA, FSA, Dependent Care FSA Contribution Limits

ESLD Guide to Income Driven Repayment Plans

Open Enrollment 2026: Using Employee Benefits to Lower Federal Student Loan Payments (and PSLF Employer Eligibility Update)

The episode explains how open enrollment benefit elections can reduce federal student loan payments, especially on income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, and opens with an update that the Department of Education withdrew lawsuits targeting “ineligible nonprofits,” reinforcing that qualifying PSLF employers remain safe after courts pushed back on cherry-picking eligibility. It then connects high-deductible health plans to HSAs, and discusses FSAs and dependent care FSAs as pre-tax benefits that lower adjusted gross income (AGI) and therefore IDR payments, while warning about rollover limits and “use it or lose it” rules. A case study shows that contributing $3,000 annually can cut an IDR payment by over $100 per month while also saving taxes. The host also covers disability insurance’s role in maintaining payment ability, life insurance considerations (including covering a spouse’s loans or potential IDR forgiveness taxes), and why pre-tax retirement contributions (401/403 and possibly 457 plans) can materially reduce IDR payments compared with Roth contributions.

00:00 Open Enrollment Meets Loans
02:02 PSLF Employer Update
04:58 Health Plans And HSA
07:52 FSA And Dependent Care
11:47 Payment Savings Case Study
14:02 Disability Coverage Basics
17:41 Life Insurance And Loans
20:31 Retirement Choices And IDR
25:20 457 Plan And Wrap Up

EPISODE RESOURCES

Schedule A Private Student Loan Review

Apply for a Live Student Loan Review

Health Savings Accounts Explained

FSAs and Dependent Care FSAs

Federal Student Loan Updates: New Default Portal, PSLF Risks on RAP, and Year-End Tax Moves to Lower IDR Payments

The host shares quick federal student loan updates and year-end planning reminders, including options to get a private, abbreviated, extended, or free de-identified live loan review via escapestudentloandebt.com/session and escapestudentloandebt.com/review. Key updates include a new Treasury/Department of Education portal to centralize information for borrowers exiting default, with a note that loan rehabilitation remains once for now but will be allowed up to twice starting July 2027. The host also relays Stanley Tate’s warning that missed or late payments under the Repayment Assistance Plan can leave borrowers perpetually one month behind, potentially preventing future payments from counting toward PSLF unless a double payment is made. Finally, the episode explains how lowering Adjusted Gross Income via year-end pre-tax retirement contributions and benefits (HSA/FSA/Dependent Care FSA) and evaluating Married Filing Jointly vs Separately—especially before the tax deadline—can reduce IDR-based payments.

00:00 Federal Loan Updates
00:25 Loan Review Options
02:27 Default Portal Launch
04:32 RAP Late Payment Trap
07:40 Year End Tax Moves
08:51 Retirement And HSA Planning
09:53 Open Enrollment Decisions
10:50 Married Filing Strategy
11:56 Common Law Example
14:17 Community Property Twist
16:56 You Can Amend Later
18:59 Wrap Up And Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES
New Payment Guidelines Details

Repayment Assistance Plan Explained

Two Federal Student Loan “Deadlines” SAVE 90-Day Notices and the Auto-Pay Interest Discount Extension

In an off-schedule New Money, New Problems/Escape Student Loan Debt episode, Brenton Harrison explains two federal student loan “pseudo deadlines” and related policy changes. First, some SAVE plan borrowers received a July 1 notice starting a 90-day window to switch repayment plans; those who don’t switch risk being moved to a potentially unaffordable Standard Repayment Plan, and Brenton recommends using studentaid.gov, reviewing whether IRS tax access should be granted or revoked, and using alternative income documentation when needed. He emphasizes the real deadline depends on each borrower’s notice date, with some not receiving notices until as late as spring 2027. Second, a hard September 30 deadline to enroll in auto-pay for a temporary 1% interest rate reduction was extended to December 31, 2026; he discusses savings, servicer autopay errors, and why autopay may help ensure forgiveness credit given new rules. He also warns that borrowers receiving RAP interest subsidies and principal reductions should not pay extra due to Department of Education processing limitations, and urges careful documentation and staying current on Department of Education announcements.

00:00 Two Key Deadlines
01:13 Back From Brazil
02:11 SAVE Plan 90 Days
03:54 Switch Plans Smartly
06:09 Your Real Deadline
07:24 Autopay Discount Update
11:35 Why Autopay Matters
13:05 RAP Subsidy Explained
15:33 Dont Pay Extra Yet
16:48 Document Everything

EPISODE RESOURCES
Details on SAVE Forbearance

PSLF Buyback Under Fire: New Rules, SAVE Off-Ramp Deadlines, Refinancing Headwinds, and How to Protect Your Loan Records

The episode reviews major recent federal student loan changes, focusing on a new Department of Education restriction that effectively blocks new borrowers from using the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback program. The host explains PSLF eligibility (Direct Loans, full-time qualifying employment, and an income-driven repayment plan) and how Buyback, created in 2023, lets eligible borrowers repay what they would have owed during deferment/forbearance to restore PSLF credit. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, SAVE is eliminated and older IDR plans will be phased out; borrowers taking loans on/after July 1 are limited to Tiered Standard or the Repayment Assistance Plan, and deferment/forbearance months from those plans can’t be bought back, making Buyback unusable for new borrowers. The host also covers SAVE forbearance 90-day notices and default standard-plan placements, warns refinancing is harder due to higher yields, and urges manual tracking and downloading StudentAid.gov aid data amid servicing errors.

00:00 Big PSLF Buyback Shakeup
01:08 PSLF Rules Refresher
02:11 Why Buyback Exists
05:34 New Rule Blocks Borrowers
08:39 Plan Choice Strategy
09:44 SAVE Forbearance Deadlines
10:47 Forced Standard Plans Explained
12:27 Refinancing Gets Harder
13:46 Track Everything Manually
15:31 Wrap Up and Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES

Updated Payment Guidance from Department of Ed

Federal Student Loan Updates: MOHELA Default Letters, IDR Recertification Tips, New On‑Time Rules, PSLF Tracker Issues, Borrowing Limits Lawsuit, and PSLF Buyback Progress

In this episode, we share major federal student loan updates, focusing on errors and rule changes affecting forgiveness and repayment. MOHELA mistakenly sent default-risk notices to thousands of borrowers who were current. With income recertification restarting after the 2020 pause, we share alternate forms of documentation that might be preferable to a tax return. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the grace period for on-time payments is removed for IDR and PSLF credit, creating concerns about weekends and autopay timing; Repayment Assistance Plan borrowers also risk losing interest subsidy and $50 principal reduction if late, and guidance suggests extra payments may disrupt subsidies. The PSLF tracker temporarily disappeared and some counts were reduced, potentially correcting prior adjustment-era credits. A lawsuit has temporarily paused lower graduate borrowing limits, and PSLF Buyback processing appears to be improving after streamlining to a button-based application.

00:00 Student Loan News Intro
01:49 MOHELA Default Letter Error
03:11 Recertify Income Smartly
07:19 Grace Period Removed
10:17 RAP Subsidy Rules
13:32 PSLF Tracker Disappears
17:45 Borrowing Limits Lawsuit
19:56 PSLF Buyback Speeds Up
21:31 Wrap Up Next Steps

Post–July 1 Federal Student Loan Updates: SAVE Forbearance Delays, Recertification Strategies, Rate Discounts, and Lawsuit Wins

In this episode, we share some unexpectedly-positive updates post the July 1st deadline, including SAVE forbearance potentially being extended for some borrowers until deep into 2027. The episode covers common studentaid.gov application errors, income recertification strategies (IRS access vs. manual documents, pay stubs, and temporarily increasing pre-tax contributions), and revoking IRS data consent on studentaid.gov. Additional updates include a temporary interest-rate discount up to 1%, and two lawsuit-related wins: a court blockage of the proposed PSLF employer restrictions, and a pause on lower graduate borrowing caps, allowing up to $200,000 for certain graduate borrowers enrolling next semester.

00:00 Upbeat Loan Updates
01:12 SAVE Forbearance Timeline
02:45 More Time and Tradeoffs
04:35 Recertification System Glitches
06:07 Lowering Payments Strategies
10:00 Revoke IRS Access Steps
10:43 High Income IBR Cap Hack
13:36 New Interest Rate Discount
15:29 Court Wins PSLF and Grad Loans
19:41 Wrap Up Key Takeaways

EPISODE RESOURCES

New Money New Problems Podcast


July 1 Deadline Changes, SAVE Ending, New Borrowing Caps, and Myth-Busting

In this episode we explore major federal student loan changes tied to the key July 1 deadline and dispels common myths about what's to come. Key updates include new borrowing caps for Parent PLUS loans and the important distinction between a "standard" graduate student and a "professional" student. A new income-driven option, the Repayment Assistance Plan, arrives July 1, while PAYE and ICR will be phased out by July 1, 2028. Parent PLUS borrowers can lose access to IDR and PSLF after July 1 without required steps, and any new Parent PLUS borrowing after July 1 removes IDR/PSLF eligibility. SAVE is ending, with a 90-day window starting July 1 to choose a new plan. Consolidation must be completed and disbursed before July 1, and unnecessary consolidation can erase forgiveness credit. The episode also covers plan-switching credit rules, exemptions for already-enrolled students from new caps, and pending lawsuits challenging PSLF employer restrictions and graduate borrowing limits.

00:00 July 1st Changes Overview

01:45 New Borrowing Limits

04:01 New Repayment Plans

05:15 Parent PLUS PSLF Cutoff

06:20 SAVE Plan Ending

07:05 Consolidation Deadline

07:30 PSLF Employer Rule

08:48 Myths After Break

10:11 Parent PLUS Consolidation

11:16 Avoid Unneeded Consolidation

13:16 SAVE Letters Explained

14:54 PAYE Eligibility Update

17:05 IBR Hardship Removed

18:05 Switching Plan Credits

20:03 New Loans Change Options

21:08 Borrowing Limits Exemptions

21:39 Lawsuits And Hope

23:45 Wrap Up And Next Steps

EPISODE RESOURCES

Student Aid Website

How to Download and Read Your NSLDS File on StudentAid.gov (and Spot Forgiveness/Credit Errors)

As student loan guidelines change and they apply past credit to borrowers' accounts, it's important you know how to review your loan history.

In this episode, we discuss how to download and review your NSLDS data file, and easter eggs in the document that could lead to faster loan forgiveness than you think.

We walk listeners through creating/logging into a studentaid.gov account, navigating to My Aid, viewing details, and using “Download My Aid Data” to obtain the NSLDS file, which initially looks confusing but includes critical data. Using a de-identified sample, We show how to verify and update contact information, review total disbursements and balance growth over time, check Pell Grant lifetime usage, identify which loans are Direct vs. FFEL/Perkins and may require consolidation for forgiveness eligibility, and read loan status timelines to spot improper long consecutive forbearances that may need correction. We end by previewing deeper guidance on consolidated loans, PSLF, and updated income-driven repayment rules in the next episode.

00:00 Why Your Aid Data Matters
00:54 NSLDS File Overview
02:20 Create Your StudentAid Account
03:02 Find and Download Aid Data
04:31 What You’ll Learn Next
05:45 Read the Top of the File
06:40 Loan Totals and Balance Growth
08:00 Loan Types and Consolidation Clues
09:34 Decode Status and Payment History
11:32 Spot Forbearance Rule Violations
13:28 Wrap Up and Next Episode