If there is money left over, the school will pay it to your parent, usually by check. In some cases, with your parent's permission, the school may disburse the leftover money to you.
The school will first apply the loan funds to the school account to pay for tuition, fees, room and board, and any other school charges. Any additional loan funds will be paid to the student as a credit balance (with your authorization) or sent to you. All loan funds must be used for education expenses.
Another important rule is that any unused student loan money must be returned to the lender within a specific timeframe, typically within 120 days from the loan's disbursement date. Otherwise, interest will begin accruing.
A refund is issued to the parent-borrower 7-10 days after the loan has been disbursed to the student's account. The parent-borrow may elect to receive their refund via Digital Disbursement via Zelle or by Paper check. The default refund method will be via paper check.
Parent PLUS loans can be forgiven under the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Parents can become eligible for these forgiveness programs only if they consolidate their PLUS loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan.
You, the parent borrower, are legally responsible for repaying the loan.
Leftover student loan money might feel like a windfall, but it's really not. Remember—you borrowed that money and you'll have to pay it back with interest when your loan is due. Consider sending the leftover funds back to your federal or private student loan servicer as a loan payment.
If you default on your student loan, that status will be reported to national credit reporting agencies. This reporting may damage your credit rating and future borrowing ability. Also, the government can collect on your loans by taking funds from your wages, tax refunds, and other government payments.
Before your loan money is disbursed, you may cancel all or part of your loan at any time by notifying the school. After your loan is disbursed, you may cancel all or part of your loan within certain time frames.
What happens to my parent's PLUS loan if my parent dies or if I die? Your parent's PLUS loan will be discharged if your parent dies or if you (the student on whose behalf your parent obtained the loan) die.
Unlike all other federal student loans, there are no explicit borrowing limits for parent PLUS loans. Parents may borrow up to the full cost of attendance, which is determined by the institution, not the government, and includes books, travel and living expenses. There are no ability-to-repay standards for PLUS loans.
Your Last Resort: Private Loans
These loans have different repayment options than federal loans and will most likely cost you more in interest. Also, they may not have the same kinds of protections in case of disability or death as do the federal loans. Private loans generally should be taken out only as a last resort.
What Are Some Reasons to Avoid PLUS Loans? First, PLUS loans have no automatic grace period. Then there's the fact they aren't eligible for most IDR plans. Then, borrowing too much is easy to do, and finally, they're nearly impossible to get out of, even in bankruptcy.
Parent PLUS Loans can be forgiven when you retire
Parent PLUS Loan borrowers can have their debt forgiven after 10 years of working full-time for the government, nonprofit, or other qualifying employers.
No, a Direct PLUS Loan made to a parent cannot be transferred to the child.
Both federal and private student loans fall off your credit report about seven years after your last payment or date of default. You default after nine months of nonpayment for federal student loans, and you're not in deferment or forbearance.
Defaulting on a Parent PLUS Loan can lead to serious consequences, including wage garnishment, credit score damage, and the loss of federal benefits. But you can recover through loan rehabilitation or consolidation with the U.S. Department of Education.
As a result, student loans can't take your house if you make your payments on time. However, if you miss enough student loan payments, your accounts will first move into delinquency status and then into default status. Once you default on student loans, you're at risk of having your house taken to pay them back.
Grants and Student Loans
Any money left over is paid to you directly for other education expenses. If you get your loan money, but then you realize that you don't need the money after all, you may cancel all or part of your loan within 120 days of receiving it and no interest or fees will be charged.
No, you can't be arrested or put in prison for not making payments on student loan debt. The police won't come after you if you miss a payment. While you can be sued over defaulted student loans, this would be a civil case — not a criminal one. As a result, you don't have to worry about doing any jail time if you lose.
Federal loan funds that are returned within 120 days of disbursement will have all origination fees and accrued interest negated off of the amount returned. Returning monies this way will directly reduce the principal of the loan.
How to Use the Double Consolidation Loophole: The key to using the double consolidation loophole is to consolidate each of your Parent PLUS Loans twice. In this scenario, a borrower can have as few as two Parent PLUS Loans.
If the Federal PLUS LOAN is greater than all of the total amount of the current semesters fees would a refund be issued to the person (Parent) who applied and was approved for the loan would receive a refund.