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Income-Driven Repayment (IDR)

Manageable payments on a steady path to forgiveness.

Did you know that private sector employees could qualify for forgiveness through an income-driven repayment program? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our student loan specialists at GradFin1 to compare programs and create a personalized plan.

Student Loan Consultation

Find Peace of Mind With
A GradFin Consultation

There’s more than one path to forgiveness – get the facts on repayment, forgiveness, and refinacing options and develop your personalized plan on a free 30-minute consultation with one of our GradFin student loan specialists.1 GradFin helps borrowers qualify for an average of over $110k in student loan forgiveness.2

With GradFin’s expertise, we’ve helped borrowers achieve more than $76 million in federal student loan forgiveness to date.3

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User Agreement and Online Privacy Statement.


A GradFin student loan consultation will help you:

Apply for IDR

Understand your income-driven repayment (IDR) and forgiveness options.

Navigate PSLF

See if you qualify and help you stay on track for public service loan forgiveness (PSLF).4

Explore Refinancing

Compare simple refinancing options that could help you save on student loans.

Stay the Course

If you're already in the right repayment program, GradFin helps you stay on track.

 

We help you stay on track for IDR forgiveness.

 

Become a member to easily apply for IDR, optimize your tax savings plan, and stay in compliance with the program throughout your enrollment.

Analysis & Enrollment

Start with a personalized analysis of your finances, employment, and IDR program eligibility. If you decide to enroll in an IDR program, you will receive guidance throughout the application process, including employer verification.

Qualifying Payment Audit & Appeal

We conduct an audit of your student loan history to confirm that you are credited for all qualifying payments. We will also manage any disputed payment appeals directly with the Department of Education on your behalf.

Savings Optimization

We will determine your estimated tax liability and provide guidance for a monthly and annual savings strategy. This includes how to prepare for potential future forgiveness tax liability.

Expert Guidance until Forgiveness

Ongoing access to specialists and educational webinars to help answer your questions and provide you with peace of mind that you are on the right track to optimize your savings and achieve student loan forgiveness.

Compare IDR Programs

A path to forgiveness that you can afford.

IDR allows you to set manageable monthly payments based on your income. That means YOU determine how much you can afford to pay each month on your path to forgiveness. Learn more about the different IDR programs available to you in our comprehensive guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions? We've got answers.

  • What is GradFin?

    GradFin was founded in 2015 to help student loan borrowers manage their loans, repay them faster, start saving earlier and achieve their financial goals. GradFin provides borrowers access to free consultations with student loan specialists, helping them understand their options through student loan forgiveness, refinancing, or a combination of both.

    Now a brand of KeyBank N.A., GradFin’s specialists have over 50 years of combined experience in working in federal student loan management, including from former FedLoan Servicing trained employees, and have conducted over 60,000 consultations with borrowers since 2015.

  • What can I expect to learn in the 1-on-1 student loan consultation?

    A GradFin student loan specialist will break down your student loan profile, provide a chart on what your new loan payoff could look like, answer questions about what terms are the best for your unique situation, and answer any application questions you may have.

    If refinancing is determined to be your best option, they can help you understand what information impacts the interest rate that you might expect to be offered on your loan refinancing. Items such as your FICO score, income level, student loan balance, and current interest rate structure can impact your offer, and your specialist can walk you through how to qualify for the lowest rates on your loans.

  • What is Income-Driven Repayment (IDR)?

    Income-driven repayment was introduced to provide borrowers with options other than forbearance when they have trouble making monthly payments. Four of the more popular income-driven options are, Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) all of which adjust the borrower’s payments based on their adjusted gross income and family size – not how much they owe. Those pursuing PSLF will need to be enrolled in an IDR plan.

  • What is the one-time IDR adjustment, and who needs to take action by the 2023 end of year deadline?

    The Department of Education (ED) will conduct a one-time account adjustment to borrower accounts that will count time toward IDR and PSLF forgiveness, including:

    • Any months in a repayment status, regardless of the payments made, loan type, or repayment plan
    • 12 or more months of consecutive forbearance or 36 or more months of cumulative forbearance
    • Months spent in economic hardship or military deferments after 2013
    • Months spent in any deferment (with the exception of in-school deferment) prior to 2013
    • Any time in repayment on earlier loans prior to consolidation of those loans into a consolidation loan

    Borrowers who have commercially managed FFEL, Perkins, or Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program loans should apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan by the end of 2023, to get the full benefits of the one-time account adjustment. For more information, visit studentaid.gov.

Student Loan Resources

Explore our resources.

Disclaimers

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please note that if you refinance qualifying federal student loans with Laurel Road, you may no longer be eligible for certain federal benefits or programs and waive your right to future benefits or programs offered on those loans. Examples of benefits or programs you may not receive include, but are not limited to, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-driven Repayment plans, forbearance, or loan forgiveness. Please carefully consider your options when refinancing federal student loans and consult StudentAid.gov for the most current information.

  1. GradFin and Laurel Road are brands of KeyBank N.A.

  2. GradFin members that met the requirement for PSLF qualified for an average of $116,160.92 in student loan forgiveness as of 8/21/2023.

  3. This is the total dollar value of loans forgiven for GradFin customers as of 8/21/2023. This dollar value is based on the customer reported forgiveness amount and can be substantiated by the Department of Education’s Forgiveness letters.

  4. To qualify for PSLF, you must be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization (federal service includes U.S. military service); work full-time for that agency or organization; have Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan); repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan; and make 120 qualifying payments. For full program requirements, visit: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.