My partner and I have about 60k in student loans and haven’t been paying even though they started back in October. I’m waiting to see if maybe we just shouldn’t. I remember there being chatter about how Nelnet and other loan holders had like laid off a bunch of people during the pause and hadn’t hired them back, and the system is overloaded and fucked, and how are people suddenly going to pay a big monthly expense anyway, etc etc. But if people were to not pay them, I feel like the media would not want to perpetuate that narrative and build it into something real by spreading the word so to speak. So I don’t know if there’s a way to gauge is people are actually paying them? Does anyone know?

  • Assian_Candor [comrade/them]
    ·
    6 months ago

    I have no idea what’s going on. Nelnet says my required payment is zero but we should have restarted payments. I think they’re just racking up interest right now to fuck us over idk

    • RonPaulyShore [none/use name]
      ·
      6 months ago

      No. If you're on IDR, it's very possible to have zero dollar payments, depending on your income (which is cool, obvs, because you pay nothing and theres no increasing of the principle and you constructively are counted as having made payments).

    • the_itsb [she/her, comrade/them]
      ·
      6 months ago

      Have you thoroughly checked the email they use for you for a forgiveness message? We were surprised to get one for my husband this past fall, but when we last logged in to check his loans, it showed the same status you're describing.

    • BakerBagel@midwest.social
      ·
      6 months ago

      The forgiveness on it is wonky. There are different income groups where you only have to pay X% of your monthly statement and the rest of that month is forgiven. Maybe you technically owe $300 a month, but your payment is $15 and the other $285 is forgiven each month. The lowest income group has a monthly payment rate of $0 with the rest forgiven. It's incredibly convoluted and stupid, but it was intentionally designed so that only the wealthiest/biggest morons actually pay the full amount.