Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable?

Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable? Is that also hovering in your mind ?The student loan forgiveness plan signed by Biden was a great relief for many students or parents as they are struggling with student loan repayment. But , this relief has brought a new set of questions -the taxability of student loan cancellation is one of them.

How much can the federal student loans forgiven ?

Generally , it looks like that upto  $10,000 of the federal student loans can be forgiven under the plan for anyone making below 125,000 dollars annually,. However , a Pell Grant recipient can get  additional $10,000 of his or her federal student loans forgiven. Therefore, a person can get upto $20,000 of his/her student loan forgiven.

What is Pell Grant for students ?

A Pell Grant is a grant given to some students who have extreme financial need to attend college. These grants , given by US government , are not to be repaid.The maximum grant under the Federal Pell Grant award for the 2022/23 is at 6,895 dollars. Students can apply every year if they fulfil following conditions of eligible by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.:

1. Be an undergraduate student
2. Show exceptional financial need
3. Come from a family with annual income of no more than 60,000 dollars
4. Be enrolled in a recognised University as either a full-time or part-time student
5. Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen

Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable at Federal level?

The simple answer to the question ” is loan forgiveness taxable? ” , in affirmative. So, under the normal circumstances,  IRS taxes forgiven  debt as taxable income. However,  due the American Rescue Plan of 2021, student debt forgiveness will not be taxed through 2025.So, waived student loan debt is not taxable. 

On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. The American Rescue Plan provides that all COVID-19 student loan relief is tax-free for relief received between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2025.

Is student loans forgiveness taxable by states?

Most states in United States of America have  follow federal tax regulations, so in those states as well , the waived amount of student loan should also be tax exempt.However, there are about seven states who have their own law for taxation and do not follow Federal Law . It’s up to these seven states to decide whether they want to tax student loan forgiveness or exempt them

Which seven states could tax forgiven student loans?

California is the only state in the list below to have confirmed that it intends to treat student loan cancellation as taxable income. Other six states have not announced as at the time of writing this post any definite thing if the student loan forgiveness taxable or not in their state.

1. Arkansas
2. California 
3. Indiana 
4. Minnesota 
5. Mississippi
6. North Carolina
7. Wisconsin

How much tax on student debt forgiven maybe imposed by states?

This depends on the state’s income tax rate. Some states collect a flat tax rate from all residents, while others have different tax brackets depending on your income. So, right now six states still need to decide if the student loan forgiveness taxable in their state. If they do , it may be taxed at state’s individual income tax rates and tax brackets.

In which year the student loan forgiveness taxable?

If you resides in those US states, the federal student loan debt forgiveness will be taxed in the year the debt was forgiven. So, let us say $10,000 out of $16,000 of total student loans forgiven in year 2022 and balance is $6,000.