Traps so you’re able to opening income-determined plans
IDR preparations may help borrowers stay on ideal of their financing money and avoid default, but first individuals must be aware of those arrangements, enroll, and you may recertify on a yearly basis.
Each other decimal and you can qualitative investigation reveal major proceeding barriers to accessing income-driven plans. These barriers is a lack of advice and you will help from loan servicers, difficulties with the program procedure, and you can issues with the required annual recertification of money and you will family relations proportions. These traps can cause actual consequences to own individuals, in addition to waits when you look at the typing preparations or fee expands when individuals skip recertification due dates. 117
Financing servicers was basically criticized for improperly telling consumers throughout the money-driven preparations. Inside a beneficial 2019 audit, the new Company out-of Education’s Work environment of Inspector General receive “repeating times whatsoever servicers” where servicers failed to good enough posting individuals about their readily available installment selection. 118 An early on investigation from the Bodies Accountability Place of work found that servicers’ correspondence don’t become information about how these preparations works or exactly what its eligibility requirements had been. 119