Key Takeaways. 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. PLUS loans don't qualify for all of the income-driven repayment (IDR) plans that student loans do.
When the borrower of a Parent PLUS loan dies, the loan is discharged. (It does not matter whether there was an endorser or not, the loan is discharged and any endorsers have no further liability.)
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.
When the time comes to start making payments, only the student is obligated to repay these loans — not the parents. In fact, there's no co-signer. If the student defaults on a federal student loan, it will affect the student's credit and won't be reported on the parent's credit history.
Can the loan be transferred to the student? No, a Direct PLUS Loan made to a parent cannot be transferred to the child. You, the parent borrower, are legally responsible for repaying the loan.
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.
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 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.
The federal government can potentially garnish your wages and Social Security benefits. But Parent PLUS loans do offer more flexible repayment options than most private loans, which can help borrowers better manage their debt obligation.
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.
Medical debt and hospital bills don't simply go away after death. In most states, they take priority in the probate process, meaning they usually are paid first, by selling off assets if need be.
Parent PLUS loans are made directly to parents for their child's education. Under the current rules, parents cannot transfer these federal loans to a child, and they are solely responsible for paying back the loan.
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 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.
Parent PLUS Loans are eligible for total and permanent disability discharge if the parent borrower, not the student for whom you borrowed, is totally and permanently disabled. For more information on TPD eligibility: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge.
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.
This repayment plan leads to loan forgiveness after 25 years under normal conditions, but borrowers pursuing PSLF could have remaining debt forgiven after 10 years (if you still have a balance left). Also note that monthly payments on the ICR plan are not capped, so there's no limit on how high they can go.
The $100,000 Loophole.
With a larger below-market loan, the $100,000 loophole can save you from unwanted tax results. To qualify for this loophole, all outstanding loans between you and the borrower must aggregate to $100,000 or less.
There are no fixed annual or aggregate loan limits for Direct PLUS Loans. The maximum Direct PLUS Loan amount that a graduate/professional student or parent can borrow is the cost of attendance minus other financial aid received. See the annual and aggregate limits for subsidized and unsubsidized loans.
You will lose repayment plan options and restart the clock on PSLF and other forgiveness programs. You can learn more about the consolidation process here . Act quickly to avoid default. Default can result in consequences like garnishment of your wages, federal tax return, or Social Security.
Are student loans forgiven when you retire? No, the federal government doesn't forgive student loans at age 50, 65, or when borrowers retire and start drawing Social Security benefits. So, for example, you'll still owe Parent PLUS Loans, FFEL Loans, and Direct Loans after you retire.
Based on the information from Federal Student Aid, as of 2022, the average Parent PLUS Loan debt is $29,528. Although that might not sound like a huge amount, it depends on the parent's income.