Student loan repayment deadlines have passed. Here’s what borrowers should know.

The deadline for some federal student loan borrowers to choose a new repayment plan has now passed, but not everyone is on the same schedule. If you still need to pick an option, there are several important steps to keep in mind.

The changes come from the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which brought an end to the Saving on a Valuable Education plan, or SAVE.

Under SAVE, many borrowers had their loans placed in forbearance with no payments due, or they were making only minimal monthly payments. Borrowers are now being asked to restart payments that could be hundreds of dollars higher than what they paid under SAVE.

Notices began reaching SAVE borrowers in July, starting a 90-day period to choose a new repayment plan or risk being placed into a plan selected by their loan servicer. That deadline was later extended by 30 days, making late October the first final cutoff for the initial group of borrowers who received the notices.

Even if your deadline has already passed, there are still several repayment choices available. Here’s how to keep track of your loans and options:

• Start by contacting your loan servicer. You can sign in at StudentAid.gov to find your servicer and use the site’s directory for contact information.
• Although the SAVE plan is gone and payments are resuming, loan consolidation, tiered repayment plans and income-driven repayment plans are still available.
• The Federal Student Aid website includes a repayment calculator that can help you estimate options and learn how to apply. To use it, you will need basic loan details such as the loan type and balance, along with your tax filing status and annual income.
• You can also submit an application for income-driven repayment through your online account.

These definitions may help explain the main repayment options:

• Tiered Standard Plan: This plan is based on your total principal balance at the time you choose it, your interest rate and how long it will take to repay the loan. It has a fixed monthly payment and repayment terms ranging from 10 to 25 years, depending on the size of the balance. All borrowers can use this plan, and borrowers whose loans were disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, can only use this tiered plan and the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP.
• Income-Driven Repayment Plan: This plan sets your monthly payment based on your income and family size. It must be recertified each year with your federal tax return and proof of income so any changes in income or family size can be reflected. Types of income-driven plans include the Repayment Assistance plan, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent and Pay As You Earn plans.
• Income-Based and Pay As You Earn plans: These also rely on income and family size, but the monthly payment can never be more than what you would pay under a 10-year standard plan. They can be recalculated earlier than the annual recertification date if your income changes.
• Income-Contingent Plan: Under this option, your payment is also tied to income and family size, but it will be less than 20% of your discretionary income or the amount you would pay on a fixed 12-year plan based on your income.
• Repayment Assistance Plan: This plan bases monthly payments on income and the number of dependents. Payments range from 1% to 10% of annual income, depending on how much you owe. Most borrowers can use this plan, except for parent PLUS loans or consolidated loans paid under a parent PLUS loan.
• Loan Consolidation: Borrowers with multiple loans can combine them into one loan with a single fixed interest rate and one monthly payment. The consolidation rate is based on the weighted average of the loans being combined. Consolidated loans can access the tiered or repayment assistance plans unless one of the loans included is a parent PLUS loan.