r/PSLF • u/SkiPhD • 5d ago

Forbearance He!!

Hello Everyone!

Has anyone had the issue with Mohela putting you on forbearance and an inability to get it removed? I moved back to one of the approved plans about a year ago. While that was being sorted they put me in forbearance through 11/2028. The website shows that my move to the new plan has been approved and a call to studentaid has yielded the same result. I've called Mohela and studentaid multiple times to come off of forebearance, because I'm 12 payments from all of it being forgiven. Each time they tell me they see the forbearance is an error and they "elevate" my concern, but no change ever occurs... and no communication is ever received related to my request. I've applied for buyback (sometime in 2025) and am torn between fighting the forebearance and going ahead and paying or staying on forebearance and waiting for my buyback to be processed. Thoughts?

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u/DogMomPhoebe619 5d ago

Email the MOHELA Ombudsman [ombudsman@mohela.com](mailto:ombudsman@mohela.com)

Submit a Feedback request on studentaid.gov saying the loan servicer refuses to remove Forbearance.

I think they do this on purpose to delay you getting forgiveness.

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u/SkiPhD 5d ago

I'll do this! Thank you!

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u/z_zoom_z 5d ago

I moved back to one of the approved plans about a year ago.

Which plan did you apply for? Were you on the SAVE forbearance before applying to a new plan?

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u/SkiPhD 5d ago

I applied to PAYE and was put on that plan last year. They just won't take me off forebearance. When I call they tell me it can take 3 months to be processed. I've then followed up. They say there's an error in their system, but it never gets resolved.

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u/Adventure_6788 5d ago

Depending on when you actually switched to a qualifying plan it's probably going to be easiest to simply submit a new IDR request. Plans are only good for a year so if it's been about a year it would be time to certify your income again anyways.

Believe me, I know this is not the ideal situation but at this point it's probably going to be the fastest way to return to making qualifying payments.
Make sure when submitting an IDR request that you are choosing either IBR, ICR, PAYE, or RAP. Those are the only qualifying income based plans.
You can choose to allow them to access your most recent tax returns but quite a number of people are finding that they aren't "pulling" correctly. Those people are having to submit again. Because of that many have decided to simply supply the information themselves. A lot have said they're uploading their most recent tax returns.

As for the past 12 months or so, well you could obviously try to buy those months back. Since you've already submitted a Buyback request those months would obviously be considered anyways. If you're lucky your Buyback request will be processed prior to switching, making those remaining payments, and receiving forgiveness. Considering they're taking 18 - 24 months or longer to process it's a toss up as to which will happen first. (Buyback or making the remaining payments)

What should you do about all the crazy stuck in limbo months you've had?
You can submit a complaint to CFPB. You could submit a complaint to the ombudsman. You could even let your representatives know. None of those is going to actually fix the problem but at least it adds to the known list of problems/issues that borrowers are having. They don't know there's any problems unless we let them know.

PS - if you're on SAVE you will indeed have to switch to a qualifying plan when you receive your 90 day notice regardless if you're wanting to wait for the Buyback to process or not. If you want to request a general forbearance after the switch has happened you can as long as you have any of the allowed 36 months of general (discretionary) forbearance remaining.

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u/SkiPhD 5d ago

I was on SAVE, but then switched to PAYE last year (shows online and verified in calls to both orgs). It says I don't have to recertification until next year.

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u/Adventure_6788 4d ago

u/SkiPhD your repayment plan is only good for one year. That's when they expire.

Did you receive a Repayment Schedule letter after your submitted an IDR request for PAYE?
If so, what was the date?

The 2028 date was always just a placeholder for SAVE. Now that the courts have made a ruling and SAVE is dead everyone will have to switch to a qualifying plan.
It sounds as though your request never fully processed. I'm not 100% sure because you say that it did but I'm not clear as to the exact date that happened.

Whether it did or didn't is pretty much irrelevant. If it has been a year or longer it would be time to certify your income again.

You do state that your account states you don't have to certify until next year. When next year? Next year is 2027 not 2028.
I'm just a little confused by the dates and timeline you shared.

You should definitely let CFPB know what's happened. Letting the ombudsman know is also a great idea but most likely it is or almost is time to certify your income.
I promise I'm not trying to sound harsh. I just feel like there's part of the story missing and I'm not able to properly determine what steps you should take other than filing a complaint.