IDR Backlog Falls to 530,295 in April as Education Department Sets New Processing Record

The Department of Education’s income-driven repayment (IDR) application backlog dropped to 530,295 at the end of April 2026, down from 553,966 a month earlier, the agency reported in its court-ordered status filing (PDF File) on May 13, 2026.

The Department’s loan servicers decided 456,594 IDR applications in April — a new monthly high, surpassing the 424,583 it processed in March. The roughly 24,000-application drop in pending cases came even though the agency processed zero IDR plan discharges last month (though that’s due to administrative issues).

It’s important to note that roughly 7 million borrowers in the SAVE forbearance need to change repayment plans in the next few months. It’s likely that application volume will dramatically increase, and so processing volume will be a key indicator to watch.

By The Numbers (April 1-30, 2026)

• 444,692 IDR applications received (vs. 321,481 in March)
• 456,594 IDR applications decided with 401,561 approved, 55,033 denied
• 530,295 IDR applications still pending
• 0 IDR plan discharges processed (vs. 21,200 in March)
• 11,500 PSLF discharges (vs. 10,050 in March)
• 88,000 PSLF Buyback applications pending (vs. 89,720 in March)

Why it matters: Income-driven repayment plans tie monthly student loan payments to a borrower’s income and family size. The pending applications are for borrowers who are enrolling for the first time, switching plans, and recertifying income annually. Application volume is increasing largely because borrowers pushed off SAVE need to change plans and recertification season is back on the annual calendar for others.

The discharge holdup: After processing 21,200 IDR plan discharges in March (10,500 IBR, 9,900 Original ICR, 800 PAYE), ED logged zero discharges in April. The agency’s March eligibility check identified another batch (3,600 IBR, 1,400 Original ICR, and 300 PAYE borrowers) but data validation problems pushed the file delivery to loan servicers into mid-April. ED says servicers should begin processing those discharges in May. We’ve seen a general trend of every-other-month for IDR loan forgiveness.

The PSLF Buyback wrinkle: ED disclosed for the first time that 18,000 to 19,000 of the 88,000 pending PSLF Buyback applications are duplicates. Borrowers can only receive one Buyback offer per loan, but many submitted multiple requests. ED plans to identify and remove duplicates upfront rather than administratively denying them after a Buyback offer is made.

ED also did not break out approvals and denials for the 6,870 PSLF Buyback decisions made in April, citing a data delay. An updated report is expected next week.

It’s nice to note that the PSLF Buyback Backlog declined for the first time. Removing the duplicates and accounting for the larger amount processed, the PSLF buyback backlog is down to taking just 10 months to clear.

However, this month’s processing numbers are an outlier. It will be interesting to see the updated data next week. If we rely on the normal 2,000 – 3,000 applications processed we’ve seen, the backlog may still take up to 2 years.

How this connects: This update follows our prior coverage of the March report, when 553,966 borrowers were stuck in the backlog despite record processing. April’s 444,692 incoming applications was the highest monthly application volume since the court began requiring monthly disclosures, meaning ED is now processing fast enough to outpace a much heavier inflow than what it faced earlier this year. However, will it be up to the challenge of migrating 7 million borrowers in SAVE forbearance?

What’s next: May’s report should show the first IDR discharges from the March eligibility batch, the missing PSLF Buyback approval and denial breakout from April, and the next round of eligibility identification. The next monthly status report is due in mid-June.

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