- The backlog of IDR applications continued to decline, with only 626,412 outstanding applications remaining to be processed.
- No income-related forgiveness payments were processed in January, even though more than 22,000 borrowers were identified as eligible.
- The backlog of forgivable government loan repurchases continued to grow, with 86,520 pending applications and decisions covering only a fraction of incoming applications.
The report shows that no income-related repayment waivers were processed in January, and there is a growing backlog of forgivable government loan repurchases that could now stretch to three years. Normal PSLF discharges are being processed, with more than 18,000 borrowers receiving their forgiveness under this specific program.
The filing, filed Feb. 13 in federal court, provides a detailed snapshot of loan processing activity through January 2026. It comes amid ongoing litigation over student loan repayments and follows earlier reporting on processing delays.
Improvement of IDR applications
According to the ministry’s data, 260,358 income-related repayment (IDR) applications were received between January 1 and January 31, 2026. During the same period, administrators decided on 379,702 applications – with 325,542 approved and 54,160 rejected.
Even as decisions are made faster than new applications, the backlog remains significant. As of January 31, 626,412 IDR applications were still pending. That is an improvement compared to the 734,221 outstanding applications from the previous month.
The ministry noted that the pending totals are affected by more than just monthly inflows and outflows. When borrowers submit a new IDR application while a previous application is pending, the previous application is automatically canceled but not recorded as a denial. That administrative quirk can affect how trends appear in monthly data.
No IDR-related loan forgiveness processed in January 2026
Perhaps the most worrying figure in the report: Zero IDR plan discharges were processed in January.
That includes:
This happened despite the department determining that thousands of borrowers were eligible for forgiveness.
The filing states that in January, the ministry identified 10,873 IBR borrowers, 10,729 original ICR borrowers and 820 PAYE borrowers as eligible for discharge through enhanced checks in the National Student Loan Data System. But “those discharges… were not processed in January.” The strange thing is that no borrower is yet eligible for PAYE discharge, so this could be a data issue.
In total, that’s 22,422 borrowers who were marked as eligible but did not receive a relief during the month.
The absence of processed IBR discharges is especially notable considering that income-driven plans are designed to forgive remaining balances after borrowers reach 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments, depending on the plan. The status report does not explain why the identified discharges were not completed in January.
PSLF buyback backlog continues to grow
The report also details activities in the Government Loan Buyback Program (PSLF).
In January:
- 5,030 PSLF redemption requests have been received
- 2,430 were decided (of which 1,980 were approved)
As of January 31, 86,520 PSLF redemption applications were still pending. This is an increase compared to the 83,370 last month.
At January’s decision rate of 2,430 per month, processing 86,520 pending applications would take roughly 35 months (nearly three years) if no additional applications were received. In reality, new applications continue to arrive every month, suggesting that the effective wait time may be even longer. Given the way PSLF buybacks are calculated, this may not be worth the wait.
Regardless of buyback activities, 18,160 “normal” PSLF discharges were processed in January.
What this means for borrowers
For borrowers waiting for IDR forgiveness or repurchase decisions from the PSLF, the report notes continued delays.
There are still more than 626,000 IDR applications pending. Tens of thousands of borrowers were eligible for forgiveness in January, but no forgiveness was processed that month. And the buyback backlog suggests that applicants could face wait times of nearly three years at the current level of processing.
Borrowers really need to do the math for themselves whether the PSLF buyback is worth it at all.
The Department’s filings do not indicate when the identified IDR discharges will be processed, nor does it outline a timeline for reducing the PSLF buyback backlog.
Don’t miss these other stories:
#Student #loan #forgiveness #ends #eligible #IDR #discharges