If you're enrolled in SAVE, make this move while your payments remain on hold. Pla2na/Getty Images/CNET
There's been a lot of student loan noise over the past year, but little clarity for borrowers enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education repayment plan.
We've witnessed several updates to student loan programs over the past year, from proposed changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility to the ramping up of collections efforts on defaulted student loan accounts to a new Republican-fronted bill seeking to change existing income-driven repayment plan options. But the official rejection of SAVE may have the biggest impact for the 8 million borrowers who qualified for lower monthly payments.
Now that we know SAVE is officially out, what's next? Should you switch to another income-driven repayment plan? Or wait it out? I talked to experts to find out when payments are expected to restart and what you should do during this downtime.
Read more: You May Need to Resubmit Your Student Loan IDR Plan Application. Here's Why
When will payments restart for SAVE student loan borrowers?
It's not clear when payments will start again for borrowers on the SAVE plan, but it's looking like the end of this year would be the earliest timeframe.
The Department of Education's website says SAVE borrowers will stay in a general forbearance until at least the fall. It also directed loan servicers to adjust the income recertification deadline to no earlier than Feb. 1, 2026.
Robert Farrington, student loan expert and founder of The College Investor, expects the general forbearance to last even longer.
"Borrowers will likely see the SAVE forbearance end in mid-to-late 2026," says Farrington. "Many borrowers are already reporting the end date of their forbearance moving to September 2026."
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