[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 34, Volume 3] [Revised as of July 1, 2002] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 34CFR685.208] [Page 846-848] TITLE 34--EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PART 685--WILLIAM D. FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM--Table of Contents Subpart B--Borrower Provisions Sec. 685.208 Repayment plans. (a) General. (1) A borrower may repay a Direct Subsidized Loan, a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, a Direct Subsidized Consolidation Loan, or a Direct Unsubsidized Consolidation Loan under the standard repayment plan, the extended repayment plan, the graduated repayment plan, or the income contingent repayment plan. (2) A borrower may repay a Direct PLUS Loan or a Direct PLUS Consolidation Loan under the standard repayment plan, the extended repayment plan, or the graduated repayment plan. (3) The Secretary may provide an alternative repayment plan in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section. (4) All Direct Loans obtained by one borrower must be repaid together under the same repayment plan, except that a borrower of a Direct PLUS Loan or a Direct PLUS Consolidation Loan may repay the Direct PLUS Loan or the Direct PLUS Consolidation Loan separately from other Direct Loans obtained by that borrower. (b) Standard repayment plan. (1) Under the standard repayment plan, a borrower shall repay a loan in full within ten years from the date the loan entered repayment by making fixed monthly payments. (2) Periods of authorized deferment or forbearance are not included in the ten-year repayment period. (3) A borrower's payments under the standard repayment plan are at least $50 per month, except that a borrower's final payment may be less than $50. (4) The number of payments or the fixed monthly repayment amount may be adjusted to reflect changes in the variable interest rate identified in Sec. 685.202(a). (c) Extended repayment plan. (1) Under the extended repayment plan, a borrower shall repay a loan in full by making fixed monthly payments within an extended period of time that varies with the total amount of the borrower's loans, as described in paragraph (e) of this section. (2) Periods of deferment and forbearance are not included in the number of years of repayment. (3) A borrower makes fixed monthly payments of at least $50, except that a borrower's final payment may be less than $50. (4) The number of payments or the fixed monthly repayment amount may be adjusted to reflect changes in the variable interest rate identified in Sec. 685.202(a). (d) Graduated repayment plan. (1) Under the graduated repayment plan, a [[Page 847]] borrower shall repay a loan in full by making payments at two or more levels within a period of time that varies with the total amount of the borrower's loans, as described in paragraph (e) of this section. (2) Periods of deferment and forbearance are not included in the number of years of repayment. (3) The number of payments or the monthly repayment amount may be adjusted to reflect changes in the variable interest rate identified in Sec. 685.202(a). (4) No scheduled payment under the graduated repayment plan may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the loan between monthly payments, less than 50 percent of the payment amount that would be required under the standard repayment plan, or more than 150 percent of the payment amount that would be required under the standard repayment plan. (e) Repayment period for the extended and graduated plans. Under the extended and graduated repayment plans, if the total amount of the borrower's Direct Loans is-- (1) Less than $10,000, the borrower shall repay the loans within 12 years of entering repayment; (2) Greater than or equal to $10,000 but less than $20,000, the borrower shall repay the loans within 15 years of entering repayment; (3) Greater than or equal to $20,000 but less than $40,000, the borrower shall repay the loans within 20 years of entering repayment; (4) Greater than or equal to $40,000 but less than $60,000, the borrower shall repay the loans within 25 years of entering repayment; and (5) Greater than or equal to $60,000, the borrower shall repay the loans within 30 years of entering repayment. (f) Income contingent repayment plan. (1) Under the income contingent repayment plan, a borrower's monthly repayment amount is generally based on the total amount of the borrower's Direct Loans, family size, and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) reported by the borrower for the most recent year for which the Secretary has obtained income information. The borrower's AGI includes the income of the borrower's spouse. A borrower shall make payments on a loan until the loan is repaid in full or until the loan has been in repayment through the end of the income contingent repayment period. (2) The regulations in effect at the time a borrower enters repayment and selects the income contingent repayment plan or changes into the income contingent repayment plan from another plan govern the method for determining the borrower's monthly repayment amount for all of the borrower's Direct Loans, unless-- (i) The Secretary amends the regulations relating to a borrower's monthly repayment amount under the income contingent repayment plan; and (ii) The borrower submits a written request that the amended regulations apply to the repayment of the borrower's Direct Loans. (3) Provisions governing the income contingent repayment plan are set out in Sec. 685.209. (g) Alternative repayment. (1) The Secretary may provide an alternative repayment plan for a borrower who demonstrates to the Secretary's satisfaction that the terms and conditions of the repayment plans specified in paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section are not adequate to accommodate the borrower's exceptional circumstances. (2) The Secretary may require a borrower to provide evidence of the borrower's exceptional circumstances before permitting the borrower to repay a loan under an alternative repayment plan. (3) If the Secretary agrees to permit a borrower to repay a loan under an alternative repayment plan, the Secretary notifies the borrower in writing of the terms of the plan. After the borrower receives notification of the terms of the plan, the borrower may accept the plan or choose another repayment plan. (4) A borrower shall repay a loan under an alternative repayment plan within 30 years of the date the loan entered repayment, not including periods of deferment and forbearance. (5) If the amount of a borrower's monthly payment under an alternative repayment plan is less than the accrued interest on the loan, the unpaid interest is capitalized until the outstanding principal amount is 10 percent [[Page 848]] greater than the original principal amount. After the outstanding principal amount is 10 percent greater than the original principal amount, interest continues to accrue but is not capitalized. For purposes of this paragraph, the original principal amount is the amount owed by the borrower when the borrower enters repayment. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) [59 FR 61690, Dec. 1, 1994, as amended at 59 FR 66134, Dec. 22, 1994; 61 FR 31359, June 19, 1996; 62 FR 25515, May 9, 1997; 66 FR 34765, June 29, 2001]