Brian,

It sounds like you may have misread my loan forgiveness plan.

I’m using the PSLF program to have my loans forgiven in 10 years, not using an IDR to have them forgiven in 25. A big benefit is that I avoid the “tax bomb” you’re talking about with other forgiveness programs, as forgiveness through PSLF is not recognizes at taxable income.

That being said, planning for the tax bomb for any other IDR forgiveness is key, as that tax bill will be huge for a single year.

Also, one requirement of PSLF is to be on an IDR, and I am on the REPAYE plan. This plan might be problematic for high earners, as there is no payment cap, and you could actually pay more than the standard 10-year plan. However, the chances of that happening to me are slim, when you combine my medium income and high loan amount.