FAFSA IDR plan payment jumped from $35 to $200 without warning - what happened?

this happened to me last year! the website showed a different amount than what my approved letter said. turns out there was a glitch in their system after they did maintanence. I had to call them and wait foreeeeever but they fixed it.

There are a few possible explanations for this sudden payment increase. First, check if you were on a temporary payment plan while your IDR application was being processed. Sometimes they approve a temporary reduced payment during processing, then switch to the actual calculated amount afterward. Second, verify if you received any correspondence about annual recertification - even though it's only been two months, timing can sometimes be strange. Third, it could be a system error, especially since the Federal Student Aid systems have been experiencing issues with the FAFSA Simplification Act implementation. I recommend calling your loan servicer directly and asking for a detailed explanation of why your payment changed and requesting they review your IDR plan approval documentation.

I've seen this exact issue before. Log into your studentaid.gov account (not just your loan servicer's site) and check your official IDR approval letter. If that still shows the $35 amount, take a screenshot and have it ready when you call your servicer. Ask them specifically if there was a "reconciliation error" between the FSA system and their payment system. Sometimes the loan servicer's system doesn't properly sync with the federal database after an IDR approval, especially with all the recent changes to the SAVE plan and old REPAYE conversions.

ur loan could have been transferred to a different servicer. happened to me and my payment went from $50 to $175! I called and complained for weeks and they finally fixed it but it was a nightmare.

I had something similar happen and it was because my income reported from my latest tax return was much higher than what I actually make now. I had to submit a special form showing my current income (pay stubs) to prove I qualified for the lower payment. Do you know which IDR plan you're on exactly? SAVE, REPAYE, PAYE, IBR? Each has different calculation methods.

If I were u I'd just keep paying the $35 until they send u a letter saying otherwise... their website is always messed up lol

I've discovered that getting through to Federal Student Aid representatives without the frustration of being on hold for hours is actually possible. I recently used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me so much time when I had to fix an IDR calculation error. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Definitely worth it for solving complicated issues like this payment jump situation.

This is almost certainly a system error. With the implementation of the SAVE plan and the recent FAFSA Simplification changes, many loan servicers are experiencing data synchronization issues. Here's what you should do: 1. Take screenshots of your approval letter showing the $35 payment 2. Don't make any payment until you speak with a representative 3. Call your servicer and ask to speak with an IDR specialist specifically 4. If they claim the $200 is correct, ask them to explain exactly what changed in your calculation 5. Request that they review your IDR application again 6. Get the name and ID of any representative you speak with If they still insist the higher amount is correct, you can file a formal complaint through the FSA Feedback Center and the CFPB. The servicer is required to provide a clear explanation for any payment change.

THESE LOAN COMPANIES ARE SCAMMERS!!! They did the same thing to me and when I finally got someone on the phone they tried to tell me I never even applied for IDR even though I HAD THE APPROVAL IN MY HAND!! Keep fighting them, they're trying to squeeze extra money out of everyone since repayment started again.

UPDATE: I finally got through to my loan servicer (after being on hold for 1.5 hours)! Turns out it WAS a system error on their end. The rep said they did system maintenance last weekend and something got messed up with a bunch of IDR calculations. She fixed it while I was on the phone and confirmed my payment is still $35. She also put a note on my account so it shouldn't happen again. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

So glad you got this resolved! This is exactly why I always recommend checking both your studentaid.gov account AND your servicer's site when there are payment discrepancies. System maintenance issues seem to be happening more frequently with all the FAFSA changes this year. For anyone else dealing with similar issues, Diego's experience shows how important it is to be persistent and not just accept unexpected payment increases without questioning them. Thanks for updating us with the resolution!