The Income Based Repayment option for student loans

Apr 13, 2012
I'm helping my girlfriend organize her student loans while she's wrapping up her final semester of architecture (grad) school. The Income Based Repayment plan is likely her best option for repayment. She's going to owe about $135,000 and expects to make about $65,000 in her first year out of school. Yes, it's a lot of debt! However, there is a significant amount of uncertainty around the program. There are two versions. In one, you pay 15 percent of your income over 150 percent of the poverty line for a maximum of 25 years. Anything left after the loan is forgiven. There is a newer version for borrowers' 2012 loans that is only 10 percent over 20 years. I'd like to verify that she's eligible for this newer program. Matthew, Brooklyn, NY