New Bill Would Use IRS Data To Automatically Put Struggling Student Loan Borrowers Into Low Payments

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Streamlining Income-driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education (SIMPLE) Act on September 2, 2026, with six House Democratic cosponsors. The bill (H.R. 10220) would require the Department of Education to contact federal borrowers once they are 31 days past due, show them what they would owe under every income-driven repayment plan they qualify for, and then move them into the lowest-payment plan automatically if they are still delinquent at 75 days.

The bill has been sent to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. NASFAA reports a similar bill was first introduced in 2016 and last reintroduced in 2024, and this version is largely unchanged apart from updates that add the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) to the list of eligible income-driven plans.