How To Recertify Your Income for Student Loans in 5 Steps

Federal student loan borrowers who sign up for an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan make payments that are calculated based on their income and family size. Since these details can change, you must recertify your income for IDR plans annually.

This guide explores how to recertify income for student loans and tips to navigate the process successfully.

What is income recertification for student loans?

The payment you make through an income-driven repayment plan is calculated based on your income and family size, which both impact your discretionary income.

Your income and family size will likely change as you move through your student loan repayment term. Since these changes affect your required payment, the Department of Education requires you to recertify your income every year.

When you submit your income recertification details, your IDR monthly payment may change. For example, if your income decreases and your family size increases in a single year, it's likely your monthly payment will drop. But if your income increases, you might see a higher monthly payment obligation.

Current student loan refinance rates

How to recertify your income for student loans

You can choose to recertify your income for student loans online or via physical mail. Although you'll need to provide the same information, the online process is typically more convenient.

Here's how the online process works:

• Log in to your federal student loan account: Head to StudentAid.gov/idr and log in with your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID.
• Confirm your contact information: You'll need to review your current contact details and personal information to confirm everything is correct.
• Provide your federal financial information: At this point, you must provide documentation of your income. You have the option to manually enter your federal financial information or give consent for the Department of Education to automatically import your federal financial information electronically.
• Review your payment plan: At this point, you can review your new expected payment. If your current IDR plan no longer works for your goals, you can explore your options for switching to a different repayment plan.
• Agree to the terms and conditions: After finalizing the new payment, you'll need to sign and submit the application.

The entire process should take around 10 minutes. If you decide not to give the Department of Education consent to import your federal financial information electronically, you'll need to manually enter that information. Some of the documents you might be asked to provide include:

• Tax return
• W-2
• Pay stub
• Employer letter certifying gross income
• Bank account statement
• Interest or dividend statement

For borrowers who haven't filed a tax return in the last two years, you'll also need to manually enter your financial information. But since you haven't filed a tax return, you won't be able to provide a tax return as proof of your situation.

How to automate the process

If you don't want the hassle of manually updating your financial information, the Department of Education offers an automated option. You'll need to give consent for them to access your tax information directly from the IRS.

Each year, the recertification process will happen automatically, if you provide consent. If your payment changes based on a recertification, you'll get a notification.

Deadlines for recertifying IDR plans

You must recertify your income on an annual basis. Since everyone applies for an IDR plan on their own schedule, your annual recertification date may vary.

Here's a look at the timeline:

• 3 months in advance: Regardless of your deadline, your student loan servicer must provide recertification paperwork at least 3 months ahead of time.
• 35 days before: You must submit your information at least 35 days before the recertification date. Otherwise, your updated information might not appear on the next billing statement.
• 10 days before: Your absolute last chance to submit your income documents is 10 days before the deadline.

If you don't recertify your income on time, you'll be taken off the IDR plan and put onto the Standard Repayment Plan, which doesn't consider your income or family size. Generally, this means your monthly payment will increase.

“By choosing to not recertify income, you are choosing other choices to be made about your loans that may not be to your benefit,” says Autumn Knutson, certified financial planner and founder of Styled Wealth.

What happens after you recertify your income?

After you provide your updated income and family size information, your loan servicer will use those details to adjust your monthly payment.

Generally, a higher income leads to a higher payment, while a lower income leads to a lower payment. Depending on how low your income is, your payment amount could be $0.

“Recertifying your income allows you to stay on a qualifying income-driven payment plan if you are seeking to obtain credits toward Public Student Loan Forgiveness,” says Knutson.

Tips for managing the recertification process

The following strategies can help you navigate the recertification process.

Don't forget your recertification deadlines

“Borrowers need to keep track of their payment recertification dates,” says Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor.

“Your loan servicer will remind you of recertification deadlines, so it's essential that you keep your contact information updated. Second, you can set calendar reminders to check every 11 months to make sure you don't miss anything,” adds Farrington.

“Right now, it can be confusing for borrowers needing to recertify since many dates have been extended due to the ongoing litigation. For borrowers on SAVE or other impacted repayment plans, many recertification dates have been pushed out as far as 2026,” he notes.

If your income drops, recertify early

“If a borrower's annual income decreases, they can recertify their income immediately using the same application they would normally file for recertification on,” says Farrington.

“They can select the box ‘I am submitting my documentation early to have income-driven payment recalculated immediately,'” he adds.

Alternatives to consider if payments become unaffordable

If your income rises, your student loan payment will likely rise under an IDR plan. Although the payment is generally capped at what you would pay on the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan, this could be too high for your budget.

When you can't fit the payment into your budget, look for ways to trim other expenses out of your budget. If that's not feasible, refinancing your loans to an option with a lower interest rate or longer loan term could help you lock in a lower monthly payment. However, you'll give up borrower protections when you switch from federal student loans to a private student loan, so carefully weigh the pros and cons before making your decision.

If financial hardship is a factor, you might find a temporary payment reprieve through forbearance or deferment.