Student loan borrowers gather near the White House to demand that President Biden cancel student debt on May 12, 2020.
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The U.S. Department of Education began beta testing of its student loan forgiveness application Friday night.
The app is available at StudentAid.gov. As of 8:45 p.m. ET Friday, the portal appears to be up and running, showing a short application and a button to submit it.
The portal will be open and closed during beta testing, according to washington articleswas the first to report on it.
“This beta will allow the suite to monitor the site’s performance through real-world usage, test the site before launching the official app, fine-tune processes, and detect any What errors can happen before the official launch,” a spokesperson for the Department of Education told CNBC in an email of the report.
During the beta phase, the department’s engineering team will occasionally take the site down for evaluation, refinement, and maintenance. During that pause, the department will encourage borrowers to visit the website to check back so they can submit their application after the pause ends or when the website officially launches.
One app preview Earlier this week, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz said, earlier this week, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz said.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Kantrowitz said he knew nothing about the Department of Education test, but noted that “the beta is a slow launch, make sure they get rid of all the bugs. before releasing it to the public.”
“As soon as [the application] going live with people, it’s going to be overwhelming,” he added. Only notice of forgiveness caused [site] deceleration. “
Borrowers can ask for forgiveness during the trial period
Borrowers who encounter the beta test link while it’s live will be able to apply for their forgiveness before full release.
“If you see a beta, there might be a slight glitch,” Kantrowitz said. “But if you submit a successful application for forgiveness, you have filed it.”
“During the beta testing period, borrowers will be able to apply for the Biden-Harris Administration student loan forgiveness program,” a Department of Education spokesperson said. “Those borrowers won’t need to reapply if they submit an application during the beta testing period, but no application will be processed until the official website launches later this month.”
What you need to know about forgiveness applications
President Joe Biden announced in August that most federal student loan borrowers will be eligible for debt forgiveness: up to $10,000 if they don’t get Pell sponsorshipis a type of aid available to low-income college students and up to $20,000 if they do so.
The relief is limited to individuals earning no more than $125,000, or couples or heads of households. who earns less than $250,000in 2020 or 2021.
The White House says borrowers will be able to fill out and send short cancellation application on their desktop or on their mobile phone.
Officials said borrowers will not need their FSA ID to apply. They will not be asked to prove their income in the main application, although some borrowers may then need to provide supporting documentation as required by the Department of Education.
Ask for relief as soon as the form launches, says Kantrowitz. Have Several legal challenges are pending against the Biden administration’s pardon plan. If your loans are forgiven before the lawsuit, he says, “you can keep your forgiveness.”
“As soon as it’s available, people should sign up,” he said.
Reporter Annie Nova contributed to this story.
