The latest federal filings paint a mixed picture for student loan borrowers. In a status report filed on March 16, 2026, the Department of Education disclosed that the outstanding income-driven repayment queue had fallen to 576,609 applications as of February 28, 2026. While that number represents the lowest total reported since the court-ordered disclosures began, the same documents show that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) buyback backlog has grown, leaving many public servants with long waits for decisions.
These developments intersect with the judicial end of the SAVE plan, creating immediate practical questions for millions of borrowers.
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What the numbers show
The filing details how the IDR backlog has moved: from a peak of 1,985,726 outstanding applications in April 2026 down to 576,609 by February 28, 2026. During February the Department reported receiving 243,258 new IDR applications and issuing 329,169 decisions, approving 296,118 and denying 33,051. That processing cadence—deciding roughly 85,000 more applications than came in for that month—signals steady progress on the backlog created after litigation around the SAVE plan and other system disruptions. However, the report also shows zero identified IDR discharges in the February snapshot, a data point complicated by the Department’s alternating eligibility checks and the timing of batch processing.
IDR discharge timing and process
The Department runs discharge eligibility checks through the National Student Loan Data System on a bimonthly schedule. The report notes no IDR discharges recorded for February, but it also specifies that the January eligibility batch was processed in early March. That means some borrowers did receive forgiveness from that January batch, even though the February report lists zero. A new batch was scheduled for later in March, after the due date for the status report, so the snapshot in the filing can understate near-term movement in approvals and discharges.
PSLF buyback backlog and wait times
While the IDR queue shrank, the PSLF buyback line expanded: pending buyback applications rose to 88,170 as of February 28, 2026, up from 86,520 the previous month. In February the Department received 4,180 new buyback requests but only decided 2,520, approving 2,040, denying 410, and closing 70 without a decision for missing information. At the current pace of roughly 2,500 decisions per month, borrowers in the buyback queue face a multi-year wait—estimates in the filing point to nearly three years—despite many applicants already satisfying the employment requirements for PSLF.
Regular PSLF processing
Not all PSLF activity stalled: the report records 12,640 standard PSLF discharges processed in February, showing the basic PSLF pathway continues to work when applications are fully documented and processed. But for those relying on buyback to restore months lost to forbearance or a program pause, the slower throughput and the rising backlog present both logistical headaches and potential financial consequences.
How the end of SAVE and other changes affect borrowers
The judicial end of the SAVE plan changed the context for these operational numbers. On March 10, 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit directed a district court to finalize a December 2026 settlement that effectively terminates SAVE. That decision means the Department will stop enrolling new borrowers in SAVE, deny pending SAVE applications, and require current enrollees to transition into other plans. Roughly 7 million borrowers who were on SAVE now face switching to alternatives such as IBR, PAYE, or ICR, or waiting for newer options like the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) expected in July 2026.
Practical next steps for borrowers
Borrowers should assess options quickly: the filing’s operational improvements for IDR are helpful, but pending buyback waits and the SAVE termination mean action matters. The administrative pause on payments ended with interest resuming on August 1, 2026, so balances have been growing; some analyses cited in coverage estimate typical balances could rise by about $300 per month at an average interest rate near 6.29%, and many borrowers may already see more than $2,000 in accrued interest since the restart. Additionally, as of January 1, 2026 IDR forgiveness is again taxable at the federal level, making PSLF comparatively more attractive for eligible public servants. Given these converging pressures, borrowers pursuing forgiveness or plan changes should file IDR requests, consider PSLF buyback if eligible, and use tools like the Department’s Loan Simulator to model outcomes.
