The Education Department says it is working to restore the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) payment calculation tracker studentaid.gov – Reversing its own earlier statement that the device would not be returned.
Updated guidance published March 27 The studentAid.gov FAQ page explains: “The court actions require that we modify the performance of IDR payment counters, which will require additional system changes. We are working to update our systems to make those changes.”
The department gave no timeline, no details on what amendments were being made, and no explanation of whether “additional system changes” were required.
Back story: IDR Tracker basically lets borrowers see how much eligible payment they have earned for final loan forgiveness under schemes like IBR, PAY and ICR.
The Department removed it following the Eighth Circuit’s February 2025 injunction against the Save Plan final rule, which also changed the eligibility forbearance and deferment criteria across all IDR plans. The reason for removal was that the tracker was allegedly displaying incorrect information about what counts and what does not, as a result of an ongoing lawsuit.
Example of IDR Payment Tracker.
In December 2025, the department told a federal court that it had “no plans to resume using the tool” because the injunction made the tracker’s data inaccurate.
But last summer, Senator Elizabeth Warren said Education Secretary Linda McMahon had assured her that the tracker would be back “soon” once the system was fixed. The March guidance now appears to confirm McMahon’s earlier assurances.
why it matters: Millions of borrowers on IDR plans have no way to verify how many qualifying payments they have made toward the 20- or 25-year forgiveness limit. Without the tracker, borrowers must contact their loan servicer directly and request a manual calculation, a process that has proven unreliable and time-consuming.
The stakes are especially high right now. Starting in 2026, borrowers who receive IDR forgiveness may have to pay federal and state income taxes on the amount forgiven – known as the tax bomb. Knowing your exact payment calculations makes the difference between planning ahead and facing a sudden tax bill. Borrowers should run a tax bomb calculator to estimate any potential taxes.
How it connects: College Investor has tracked this story since the tracker first went missing. Millions of borrowers are still unable to view their IDR payment calculations, and a separate administrative backlog has left hundreds of thousands of borrowers stuck waiting for repayment plan processing.
Borrowers can currently access their IDR payment count by downloading their “MyAid.txt” file and manually scanning the document for “QualifyingPaymentCount”. There are also free tools like this TXT file reader to help.
what to watch: The timing of this announcement coincides with several other student loan changes. SAVE scheme borrowers need to switch to another IDR scheme or transfer to the standard scheme. The department will also launch the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) on July 1, a new IDR option with a forgiveness timeline of 30 years.
All of these changes require significant system updates – the same systems that contain the IDR tracker. Whether the tracker will return with these July changes or later is unclear. The department has not commented beyond the FAQ update.
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