Recertification Madness: Which Bracket Are You In?

With March Madness in full effect, student loan borrowers have been experiencing madness as well. Fortunately, the DOE (what’s left of it) provided guidance yesterday: Here’s the link to the actual update.

And here’s our play-by-play summary:

🏀 The IDR Recertification Brackets (for participants NOT in the SAVE forbearance):

If you were due to recertify before Feb 20, 2025: You’re in the Early Bracket. That means your next recertification will be due this year — and your loan servicer should contact you at least 35 days before your specific due date. No buzzer-beaters here — you’ll get notice.

📣 Pro tip: You don’t have to wait for the shot clock to wind down — you can recertify now at studentaid.gov if you’re ready (but keep reading before you do).

If you were due to recertify on or after Feb 20, 2025: Welcome to the Late Bracket. You just got a 12-month extension — your next recert won’t be due until Feb 2026 or later. Think of this as a first-round bye. 🎉

⛹️‍♂️ The Application Portal: Back Online, But Still on the Bench

The IDR application is back up on StudentAid.gov, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you should take action — servicers still aren’t processing applications just yet.

DOE says processing should resume in May, so if you apply now, your request will likely sit in limbo until then. It’s probably best to wait until SAVE’s fate is determined before deciding which remaining repayment plan is best moving forward. The next scheduled court date in April may get us closer to an answer here…

💸 PSLF Buyback: Still in Play!

The new DOE leadership indicated that the PSLF Buyback program remains in tact and available; here’s the updated summary from DOE.

So if you’re pursuing PSLF and had months stuck in forbearance or deferment (especially during SAVE-related pauses), you can buy back those months to get closer to forgiveness. This is available now, and some borrowers have already taken advantage. Most, however, are waiting to buy back time in the ongoing SAVE forbearance, or haven’t reached 120 eligible payments yet.

Still, the confirmation of buyback is a relief specifically for those forced to watch federal court activities from the sidelines.

🕰️ What Now?

For most borrowers, this remains a waiting game. We’re still watching to see what happens as the SAVE Plan faces legal challenges and the broader IDR framework continues to shift.

In the meantime:

• 📝 Recert only if you’re in the Early Bracket (recert date was before Feb 20th and you didn’t take action by then)
• ⏳ Don’t panic if you’ve applied recently — it’s normal for processing to be slow
• 🏀 Keep your head in the game. We were happy to see this guidance, but the finish line remains a moving target.

We’ll be courtside with updates as the tournament continues.

About Author

Jason DiLorenzo

Jason is the Founder of BenElevate, an early stage fintech company working to address the student debt crisis by bringing to bear tools, expertise, and bespoke solutions to streamline student debt management for borrowers and employers.