What Does the Reform Bill Mean for Married Borrowers?

Some parts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are pretty rough for borrowers, but believe it or not, it could’ve been way worse — you can thank the Senate parliamentarian for blocking the worst of it. We’ll walk you through what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what you need to start planning for now. This is your clear, practical guide to understanding how the bill will affect your wallet and the conversations you’ll need to have with your partner, financial planner, or school’s aid office. Key moments: (03:40) The math of student loans becomes very complicated for borrowers starting fall 2026 (11:39) Grad school closures and layoffs could mean higher salaries for remaining professionals (14:22) Families face tough choices as expensive colleges become harder to finance (18:56) How you file taxes continues to shape your student loan payment strategy under new rules Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

“Senate parliamentarian” isn’t exactly a household name, but her latest ruling is huge news for anyone with student debt. Learn what her surprise decision means for the Big Beautiful Bill Act and how it could shape repayment plans and forgiveness programs. You’ll find the specifics of what this means if you’re a Parent PLUS borrower, in dental and medical school, or just worried about how these policy shifts could affect your financial future. We’ll take you beyond the political noise and cut through the confusion to give you actionable info you can use.   Key moments: (02:32) The current bill would essentially kick a lot of people who need to borrow after July 2026 onto the RAP plan (05:21) Future students deserve clear repayment rules upfront, not changes mid-degree like the Senate is proposing (08:45) Anybody who's ever had a parent plus loan needs to apply for the ICR plan (11:20) PAYE borrowers must be prepared to get switched to the old IBR or possibly the RAP plan (15:48) Different borrowers should take different approaches while legislation is pending   Resource mentioned:  IDR Plan Request at Studentaid.gov   Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

If you're married, there’s a lot to consider in the latest student loan reform proposals. Discover what the changes being debated in Congress could mean for married borrowers, including the potential loss of “married filing separately” as a repayment strategy and how the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) might affect your monthly payments. If you’re single or engaged, this still matters — we’ll cover what you need to know before tying the knot, plus smart moves you can make now to avoid future headaches.   Key moments:   (03:07) New rules could make marriage costly for borrowers with high student debt (10:54) RAP plan offers fewer deductions than IBR, especially for families with multiple children (16:36) Capping federal loan limits could push students toward private lenders with strict requirements (25:02) Borrowers with high debt-to-income ratios may benefit from sticking with forgiveness, despite uncertainty Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

The Senate just dropped its version of the student loan reform bill, and let’s just say… it’s not great. In fact, it’s worse than expected, especially if you have six-figure student debt, Parent PLUS loans, or are a future student. Learn what’s at stake, how it could completely reshape repayment options, and who (besides private lenders) might come out ahead. More importantly, you’ll learn what you can do now to protect yourself if the bill moves forward. If student debt is part of your financial life, don’t miss this one.   Key moments:   (00:52) SAVE and new IBR borrowers could be forced into old IBR under the Senate bill (02:18) New rules could turn marriage into a major cost for student loan borrowers (02:48) Parent PLUS borrowers face the harshest penalties under this proposed legislation (07:14) Future borrowers need a plan before taking loans after July 2026 under the new rules (09:18) There's still a whole lot that you can do if you're an existing borrower   Links mentioned:   StudentAid.gov - The official federal site for consolidating student loans   Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

If the GOP reform bill moves forward, lowering your adjusted gross income (AGI) won’t just be helpful, it’ll be more important than ever for student loan borrowers. We explore what could change, who’s most at risk, and what steps you can take to protect your paycheck. From maxing out pre-tax retirement contributions and HSAs to leveraging self-employment and smarter tax planning, we’ll walk you through practical ways to lower your AGI — and why it might be the biggest factor in your student loan repayment. Key moments: (04:18) Business owners may gain an edge with deductions if the GOP bill becomes law (07:53) Many haven’t felt the full weight of student loan payments in a while — that may soon change (13:55) If this bill passes, 1099 or self-employed work might offer major financial advantages (16:05) Expect to lose 50–60% of your income to loans and taxes unless you lower your AGI Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

Get real answers to real questions student loan borrowers are asking about PSLF processing delays, confusing buyback calculations, switching repayment plans, and trying to understand how recent legislation might affect their loans. You’ll get the latest updates on what’s happening behind the scenes and what those changes could mean for you. We also cover practical, actionable steps, like how to time your income recertification, what to consider if you’ve had a long forbearance period, and a lesser-known deferment option for borrowers undergoing cancer treatment. Key moments: (02:58) PSLF buyback uses the lower payment: before or after forbearance, whichever is smaller (13:30) Forgiveness is likely best when student debt is double your income or more (19:59) SAVE plan delays create confusion; should you switch IDR plans or wait it out? (31:29) Moving abroad may lower your AGI and help secure smaller payments toward forgiveness (35:45) FMLA and income recertification: what to know before submitting updated income documentation Links mentioned:  Apply for income-driven repayment (IDR) plans Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

Student loan reform just cleared the House in what’s officially called the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.” If it becomes law, it could overhaul repayment into just two plans: the Old IBR plan and a new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) that scales payments between 1% and 10% of income over 30 years. But nothing is final. The next step is the Senate, where the path forward is less certain. We explore what the House bill includes, what changes could mean for current and future borrowers, and the broader implications for repayment, forgiveness, and access to education. Learn about key policy details, potential legal challenges, and what you should watch as the conversation continues in the weeks ahead. Key moments: (05:41) If courts strike down SAVE, it could force a rewrite of the student loan section of the bill (07:55) Changing voter turnout patterns could reshape midterm election outcomes in unexpected ways (11:35) Future students may lose PSLF eligibility for residency programs (14:44) Proposed changes could hit universities hard, leading to major job losses across higher education (17:16)  Estimate your RAP payment to see what’s affordable and compare your repayment options Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!

The Repayment Assistance Plan, aka RAP, is another student loan overhaul, and people have a lot of questions. Learn what this plan actually is, why it matters right now, and the real chances of it becoming law. If you're wondering when or if you could switch to this plan, we've got you covered. The RAP might completely change how student loan repayment works. We're unpacking all the details and what you might want to keep in mind if you’ve got loans. Key moments: (03:55) If you’re close to forgiveness, sticking with IBR will probably make more sense (05:16) This administration is rushing student loan changes before finalizing regulatory details (09:59) There’s still a long way to go, and some Senators just want to bring back REPAYE (13:08) Graduate professions would lose diversity if only students from wealthy families could afford them   Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

The Republican student loan bill is gaining steam and could seriously impact your repayment strategy. Let me break it down for you: undergrads might actually see some benefits here, but if you've got grad school debt? You might want to sit down for this one. Current borrowers won't get hit as hard as future ones, but painful changes could be on the horizon. Get insights into the legislative process, the strategy behind budget reconciliation that's pushing this bill forward, and practical ways to think ahead while the details are still in flux. Key moments: (05:30) PSLF could be eliminated through reconciliation with a simple majority vote (06:45) A look at the proposals currently being considered in the bill (09:13) The bill slightly helps undergrads while potentially devastating graduate borrowers (14:48) Loan limits could restrict first-generation students from accessing medical, dental, and veterinary programs (18:30) This "Big Beautiful Bill" will likely reach the President by September Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts  Subscribe to the newsletter Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your custom student loan plan Get profession-specific financial planning Do you have a question about student loans? Leave us a voicemail here or email us at [email protected] and we might feature it in an upcoming show!  

Guess what? We are moving this Friday episode over to the new Financially Free Era podcast! It is the next step to your financial planning journey after your student loan plan has been tackled with us here at Student Loan Planner. We hope this new show will answer your questions of: What else do I need to do? What else can I do to optimize my savings? How can I start saving for that goal that I have?" SLP Wealth was born to be that next step. So naturally, we need to start separating from our initial starting point, which is Student Loan Planner. So we have created a whole new show: Financially Free Era by SLP Wealth.   Follow and Subscribe for free to the new show! Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, or Pocket Casts