1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Hello, I took out student loans to earn my M.S. degree and have been paying on them for nearly ten years. Despite that, I now owe more than I originally borrowed. I am currently pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness as a Fairfax County teacher, but I am deeply concerned that the available income-based repayment options will soon become unaffordable for me. I was originally enrolled in REPAYE, which then transitioned into SAVE. I did not have a choice in that change, and since then I have felt stuck in ongoing uncertainty. My payment under SAVE has been $161 per month, but due to forbearance, I have not been able to make payments. Now I am being told I will need to move to a different IBR plan or the RAP plan, and my projected monthly payment is increasing to $1,300. That is simply not something I can afford, yet it feels like I no longer have any control over the situation. To make matters worse, it appears my master promissory note has been lost. I don’t think people fully understand how unaffordable these new payment amounts will be for borrowers being moved into different plans—especially when those changes are not voluntary. My only alternative seems to be switching repayment plans entirely, which would mean losing eligibility for PSLF and extending repayment by another 30 years. So far, I have paid nearly $30,000 toward a $50,000 loan, and I now owe $91,000. This situation feels impossible. I genuinely do not know how I will manage these payments when they resume, and I am worried that I may be forced into default.