Student loan debt continues to be a serious burden for many Americans, despite various repayment options available to borrowers. Even with income-base repayment plans for federal student loans, borrowers who graduated in 2016 have an average of $37,172 in loans to repay over the course of their lifetime.
Recently, democratic lawmakers proposed changes to legislation that would provide student loan borrowers the ability to discharge their loans in bankruptcy. Under the current law, borrowers can only have their student loans discharged if they prove they have experienced an undue hardship, which is near impossible.
The proposed amendment would allow borrowers to include their student loan debt in a bankruptcy filing if the lender servicing the loan failed to offer a debt relief option. The federal government offers Pay As You Earn (PAYE), which gives borrowers the opportunity to cap student loan payments based on a percentage of their monthly income. After 20 years, the remaining balance of that borrower’s student loan debt is forgiven under the program.
If private student loan lenders did not offer a similar program to borrowers, student loan debt could be canceled or significantly reduced through bankruptcy, according to the proposed legislation. Going a step further, some lawmakers have introduced changes that would allow student loan borrowers to include all education debt in their bankruptcy filing, even if a debt relief program similar to PAYE was offered directly by the lender.
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For borrowers who are struggling with student loan debt, relief options are available. Many student loan borrowers are unaware that they have rights and repayment options available to them, such as postponement of loan payments, reduction of payments or even a complete discharge of the debt. It is important you contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.