Married couples with student loans could face significantly higher monthly payments if they file their taxes jointly under the federal government’s new repayment system.
The issue was highlighted in a CNBC article published Monday, which said the U.S.
Department of Education’s new Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP, could make the "marriage penalty" steeper for borrowers.
Experts said combining both spouses’ incomes can increase the monthly student loan bill even when only one spouse has student debt.
RAP is one of the two main repayment options now available to new federal student loan borrowers following changes that took effect July 1.
