Federal student loan debtors haven’t had to worry about their student loan payments since March 13, 2020. The US Department of Education set interest at zero percent, halted payments, and millions of debtors expected President Biden’s debt reduction proposal to be implemented.
However, payments resumed in October 2023. Also, the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision has rendered the Biden administration’s student loan debt forgiveness scheme ineligible.
President Biden did approve a $9 billion plan that will help 125,000 borrowers nationwide who are presently enrolled in income-driven repayment plans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs, or who have been approved for discharge through the Social Security Administration due to a total or permanent disability.
Despite its success, student debt forgiveness does not always provide a complete fresh start.
Loan forgiveness comes in a few taxable ways. The taxes on student debt forgiveness might be substantial if you’re unprepared.
Will I still have to pay income taxes when my student loans are forgiven?
As per the latest statistics from the Federal Student Aid statistics Center, 43.6 million individuals are in possession of unpaid federal student loans.
Forgiveness of loans might seem like a dream come true for borrowers who are having financial difficulties. However, when borrowers file their taxes, the ramifications of student loan forgiveness might result in unexpected expenses, frequently referred to as the “student loan tax bomb.”
The IRS regards the majority of student loan debt forgiveness and discharge programs as taxable income.
However, because of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, debtors who are working toward loan forgiveness are not subject to taxes.
This law only applies to student loans that are discharged between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 20225, but it rendered forgiven debts free from federal income taxes.
The American Rescue Plan solely impacts federal income taxes; it is applicable to all student debt forgiveness schemes. While some states enacted comparable legislation regarding state income taxes, others did not.
Indiana, North Carolina, and Mississippi have declared that the remaining amount of forgiven student loans would be subject to income tax as of 2023.
The states of California, Wisconsin, and Arkansas are now examining their tax codes and have not yet made a decision, so taxpayers there may suffer the same fate (as of June 2023).
$4.8 Billion to Student Debt Relief Programs
The Biden-Harris government said on December 6, 2023, that an extra $4.8 billion had been approved to assist over 80,000 student debtors. The Biden-Harris government allocated these funds to initiatives such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment Discharge (IDR).
Any of these programs is open to applicants who fit the prerequisites. They must, however, also be ready for the alleged “tax bomb.”
The “tax bomb” of student loans.
It is a comfort to get your student debts fully or partially canceled. But unless the program is free from taxes, the written-off amount is considered taxable income under federal law.
You may be certain that PSLF and the Borrower Defense to Repayment Discharge are two of the few programs that are free from federal taxes if you are one of the eligible parties. Conversely, there are taxes associated with the various IDR techniques.
It’s a special case since the American Rescue Plan protects the Total and Permanent Disability Discharge (TPDD). This Act exempts from taxation student loans discharged and forgiven between January 1, 2018, and January 31, 2025.
It is still uncertain how taxes will be applied to the TPDD starting on January 1, 2026.
State charges and student loan cancellation
State laws may still apply to PSLF, BDRD, and TPDD even if they are not subject to federal taxation.
States like Mississippi, North Carolina, and Indiana have previously made the declaration that forgiven student debts are taxable as of mid-2023. Wisconsin, California, and Arkansas were examining their laws pertaining to the subject.
You must recall the program you enrolled in in order to determine your tax status with respect to your forgiven student obligations. It is only at that point that you may declare yourself free of the tax bomb or ready to prevent it from blowing up in your face.
