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.
The parent-borrower will have the option to choose "Me" or "The Student." If they choose "The Student," any available refund will be issued to the student. If they choose "Me" (refunds go to the parent-borrower), we are required to issue the refund to the parent- borrower.
Direct PLUS Loans for Parents
If there is money left over, the school will pay it to you. In some cases, with your permission, the school may give the leftover money to your child.
PLUS loans are federal loans that parents can take out to cover their child's college costs. The parent, not the student, is responsible for repaying the PLUS loan.
If you're a parent who's taken out a Parent PLUS loan to support your child's higher education expenses, you have a chance to reduce your tax bill for the tax year through this specific deduction, potentially saving up to $2,500 per year.
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.
The school will first apply parent PLUS loan funds to the student's school account to pay for tuition, fees, room and board, and other school charges. If any loan funds remain, your child's school will give them to you to help pay other education expenses for the student.
Parent PLUS loans can potentially be forgiven after 10 years under specific conditions, such as through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program after consolidation into a direct consolidation loan. Parent borrowers must enroll in the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan to qualify for PSLF.
Yes, your Parent PLUS Loan can be transferred to your child. The best way is to refinance the loan with a private lender under your child's name. Not all lenders offer the option to refinance Parent PLUS Loans in another borrower's name, so check with the lender beforehand to see if this is available for you.
If the student's parents are divorced, both the custodial parent and the noncustodial parent are eligible to borrow from the PLUS loan program, provided that the combined amounts borrowed do not exceed the cost-of-attendance minus aid received cap.
How long does it take to process a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan? Depending on the time of year, processing can take 2-4 weeks.
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.
Student loan debt and divorce
Getting divorced is a messy process. Having debt involved can make it even more stressful. But if you have Parent PLUS Loans, the person who signed the promissory note is responsible for the loan.
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.
Parent PLUS Loan Repayment Terms
Only the parent borrower is required to pay back a Parent PLUS Loan, as only the parent signed the master promissory note for the Parent PLUS Loan. The student is not responsible for repaying a Parent PLUS Loan. They're under no legal obligation to do so.
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.
Credit card debt doesn't go away when the cardholder passes away. It must be repaid from your estate, which means your loved ones may receive a reduced inheritance — or no inheritance at all. Related: What happens to a bank account when somebody dies?
The Education Department doesn't forgive loan balances for parents when they retire. It will keep sending bills and adding interest until you pay off the debt, die or become totally and permanently disabled, or qualify for one of the department's student loan forgiveness programs.
If approved, the student can pay off the Parent PLUS loan with their new loan and begin making payments on the new loan. Transferring a Parent PLUS loan to a student involves refinancing through a private lender. The student must apply for a new loan to pay off the Parent PLUS loan.
Your parent PLUS loan may be discharged if you (not the child) become totally and permanently disabled, die, or (in some cases) file for bankruptcy. Your parent PLUS loan also may be discharged if the student for whom you borrowed dies.
Parent PLUS loan refunds will be paid to the Parent borrower via check or direct deposit. If the parent has designated that the student will receive any refunds, the refund will be sent to the student account via direct deposit.
When you receive a Parent PLUS Loan, a new tradeline will be added to your credit reports with the account balance, monthly payment amount, and other details. One of the factors that goes into your FICO credit score is your length of credit history, which includes your average age of accounts.