PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 27, 2025
Affordable PLUS Repayment Options for Parents Act of 2025
This bill allows borrowers of Parent PLUS Loans to repay their loans under an income-contingent repayment (ICR) plan or an income-based repayment (IBR) plan.
Under current law, borrowers of Parent PLUS Loans are only eligible for the following repayment plans: the standard repayment plan, the graduated repayment plan, and the extended repayment plan. These borrowers are generally prohibited from repaying their loans under ICR or IBR plans. However, borrowers may become eligible for the ICR plan upon consolidation of their loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan. This bill removes these restrictions to allow a borrower of a Parent PLUS Loan to repay the loan under an ICR plan (even without consolidation) or an IBR plan.
The bill allows these expanded repayment options to be available to new and existing borrowers of Parent PLUS Loans.
People & committees
Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] · D–CA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Feb 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would expand access to repayment plans tied to income for people who borrowed federal PLUS loans on behalf of dependent students. It would also cover certain consolidation loans used to pay off those loans. The proposed changes could apply to outstanding loans, subject to the bill’s repayment-plan requirements.
An income contingent repayment plan under this subsection shall be available to a borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS loan made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which were used to discharge the liability on such a Federal Direct PLUS loan.
shall apply with respect to each borrower who, on or after such date— (1) has an outstanding balance on a Federal Direct PLUS Loan (or a loan under section 428B) made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which were used to discharge the liability on such a Federal Direct PLUS loan (or on such a loan under section 428B); and (2) is repaying or will repay such loan pursuant to an income-contingent repayment plan under section 455(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(e)) or an income-based repayment plan under section 493C of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1098e).
Section 2 would remove an exclusion from income-contingent repayment for Direct PLUS loans made on behalf of dependent students. It would expressly make that plan available for those loans and Direct Consolidation Loans used to pay them off.
(1) in subsection (d)(1)(D), by striking , except that the plan described in this subparagraph shall not be available to the borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS loan made on behalf of a dependent student; and (2) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting at the end the following: An income contingent repayment plan under this subsection shall be available to a borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS loan made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which were used to discharge the liability on such a Federal Direct PLUS loan.
Section 3(a) would remove a restriction on income-based repayment for Direct PLUS borrowers whose loans were made on behalf of dependent students. The removed restriction also covers Direct Consolidation Loans used to pay off those PLUS loans or loans under section 428B made on behalf of dependent students.
Section 455(d)(1)(E) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087e(d)(1)(E)) is amended by striking , except that the plan described in this subparagraph shall not be available to the borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS Loan made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, if the proceeds of such loan were used to discharge the liability on such Federal Direct PLUS Loan or a loan under section 428B made on behalf of a dependent student.
Section 3(b) would replace the definition of “partial financial hardship,” a test used in income-based repayment. Annual payments on the total loans made, insured, or guaranteed under part B or D, calculated under the specified standard 10-year repayment plans, would have to exceed 15% of the amount by which the borrower’s adjusted gross income, including a spouse’s when applicable, exceeds 150% of the poverty line for the family’s size. The income comparison would be calculated at least annually. This definition is a hardship test, not itself a monthly payment formula.
the term partial financial hardship, when used with respect to a borrower, means that for such borrower— (1) the annual amount due on the total amount of loans made, insured, or guaranteed under part B or D to a borrower as calculated under the standard repayment plan under section 428(b)(9)(A)(i) or 455(d)(1)(A), based on a 10-year repayment period; exceeds (2) 15 percent of the result obtained by calculating, on at least an annual basis, the amount by which— (A) the borrower's, and the borrower's spouse's (if applicable), adjusted gross income; exceeds (B) 150 percent of the poverty line applicable to the borrower's family size as determined under section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)).
Section 3(b) would also delete PLUS-loan and consolidation-loan exclusions from five provisions of the existing income-based repayment statute. The surrounding provisions are not supplied, so the precise operation of each deletion cannot be fully explained from this bundle.
(2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking (other than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted consolidation loan); (B) in paragraph (6)(A), by striking (other than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted consolidation loan); and (C) in paragraph (7), by striking (other than a loan under section 428B or a Federal Direct PLUS Loan); and (3) in subsection (c)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking (other than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted consolidation loan),; and (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking (other than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted consolidation loan).
The amendments would take effect upon enactment. They would apply to borrowers who, on or after that date, have an outstanding balance on a Federal Direct PLUS Loan made on behalf of a dependent student, a loan under section 428B made on behalf of a dependent student, or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan used to pay off either of those dependent-student loan types. Those borrowers must also satisfy the condition that they are repaying or will repay the loan under the specified income-contingent or income-based repayment plan.
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act, and shall apply with respect to each borrower who, on or after such date— (1) has an outstanding balance on a Federal Direct PLUS Loan (or a loan under section 428B) made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which were used to discharge the liability on such a Federal Direct PLUS loan (or on such a loan under section 428B); and (2) is repaying or will repay such loan pursuant to an income-contingent repayment plan under section 455(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(e)) or an income-based repayment plan under section 493C of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1098e).
The supplied actions snapshot, updated February 6, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on February 27, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-02-06T19:42:13Z. 2025-02-27: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2025-02-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials or determine formal earmark status from materials not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential carve-out was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Access to generally available repayment programs for their intended borrowers does not alone warrant a finding. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Feb 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI