Data / Federal rules / 2025-00724

Income-Contingent Repayment Plan Options

The Education Department published this final rule in the Federal Register on January 15, 2025. It took effect on July 1, 2026.

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What the agency says

The Department of Education (Department) adopts as final, without changes, the interim final rule published in the Federal Register on November 15, 2024. This final rule amends the regulations governing income-contingent repayment plans available to Federal student loan borrowers to satisfy the Department's statutory obligation under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA) to offer borrowers access to an income-contingent repayment plan. The scope of this rule is narrow. It revises the last date for most borrowers to enroll in the Income-Contingent Repayment or Pay As You Earn plans from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027. Changing the eligibility restrictions that went into effect on July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027, allows the Department to meet its statutory obligations while it undertakes the necessary administrative changes to make its repayment plans compliant with the terms of an injunction pending appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Eighth Circuit).

Key facts

Document number: 2025-00724
Type: Final rule
Action: Final rule
Agency: Education Department
Published: January 15, 2025
Takes effect: July 1, 2026
Dates: Effective date: These regulations are effective on July 1, 2026.
Docket: Docket ID ED-2024-OPE-0135
Regulation ID (RIN): 1840-AD97
Code of Federal Regulations: 34 CFR 685
Topics: Administrative practice and procedure; Colleges and universities; Education; Loan programs-education; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Student aid; Vocational education
Significant: Yes, under Executive Order 12866
Pages: 8

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Education Department General Administrative Regulations 2026-17239 · significant	Proposed rule	Aug 24
Final Waiver and Extension of the Project Period With Funding for Arts in Education National Program 2026-17006	Final rule	Aug 20
Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary's Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions 2026-17001	Proposed rule	Aug 20
Rescinding Portions of the Department of Education Title VI Regulations To Align With the Statutory Text and Conform to Executive Order 14281 2026-15019 · significant	Final rule	Jul 24
Final Waivers and Extensions of the Project Periods With Funding for the Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP) 2026-15009	Final rule	Jul 24

Everything from the Education Department · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on colleges and universities · Rules on education · Published in January 2025

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.