Federal Student Debt Forgiveness Application Now Open

WASHINGTON, DC — Nearly 40 million borrowers who qualify for President Joe Biden's federal student loan forgiveness plan may now apply for relief after the Department of Education quietly released a beta version of the application on its website Friday.

The application, which can be accessed at StudentAid.gov, is required to qualify for the student loan forgiveness program announced in August.

Through the plan, the federal government plans to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making $125,000 or families earning $250,000 a year or less. An additional $10,000 of forgiveness will go toward borrowers who received Pell Grants for college, which typically go to people from lower-income backgrounds.

• RELATED: Biden Cancels $10K In Student Loan Debt For Some Borrowers

The Department of Education previewed the application Wednesday, calling it "short and simple."

The beta application takes only a minute or two to fill out and asks borrowers for their name, Social Security number, birth date, phone number and email address.

"We're accepting applications to help us refine our processes ahead of the official form launch," department officials said on the website. "If you submit an application (now), it will be processed, and you won't need to resubmit."

Borrowers can apply now through Dec. 31. Department of Education officials will determine a borrower's eligibility and contact them if we need more information. Loan servicers will also notify borrowers if and when their relief is processed.

The Education Department said in court filings that Oct. 23 would be the soonest it would cancel any debt, The New York Times reported.

With mounting legal challenges, the $400 billion program could still be delayed or outright killed, according to multiple reports.

• RELATED: Lawsuit Threatens Student Loan Debt Forgiveness; New Details Released

At least five lawsuits in courts across the country accuse Biden of executive overreach and bystepping Congress in authorizing such large-scale debt relief.

The program is anchored on a 2003 law giving the Education Department the authority to waive loan requirements to help borrowers in an emergency.

The Washington Post reported a federal judge in Missouri was scheduled on Wednesday to hear a lawsuit to stop the program filed by six Republican-led states — Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina. Among five legal challenges filed, it may pose the biggest threat to the program.