President Joe Biden’s administration announced it is extending the pause on federal student loan payments one last time, until Jan. 31, 2022.
Student loan payments have been on hold since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. With the new extension borrowers will enjoy almost two years of relief from payments.
Before Friday’s announcement of the Jan. 31 extension, payments were set to resume after October 1. In a news release, the Education Department said Jan. 31 is the “definitive end date” for this latest extension.
“This will give the Department of Education and borrowers more time and more certainty as they prepare to restart student loan payments,” Biden said in a statement. “It will also ensure a smoother transition that minimizes loan defaults and delinquencies that hurt families and undermine our economic recovery.”