+ What are BFF's terms?

For those with need between $1,000 and $35,000

• You pay 0.25% to 9.5% of your income each month, but only when you're earning above the lower income cut-off.
• You make monthly payments calculated by multiplying your income percentage by your monthly income until you:
  • Make the Maximum Number of Payments: If you make 120 months (10 years) of income-determined payments, your obligation is complete regardless of the total amount you've paid or how much time remains in your payment window. The months do not need to be consecutive.
  • Reach the Maximum Length of the Payment Window: Your ISA has a maximum payment window length of 20 years. If you haven't reached another finish point before the 20-year mark, your obligation is completed at this point regardless of what you paid.
  • Trigger the Early Completion Clause: BFF wants to make sure you would not have been better off taking out a loan with the same funding amount at a 7.5% interest rate instead of your ISA. To make sure of this, BFF is constantly calculating how far along you'd be in repayment if you had taken out a traditional loan with these terms instead of your ISA (and the loan had the same funding amount, a deferment and grace/transition period identical to your ISA, and where the payments on the loan match any payments you make on the ISA). If, after your latest monthly payment, the calculation shows you would have paid off the loan in full but you still have time on your ISA, your obligation is immediately done under the Early Completion clause.

Note: The minimum funding amount for existing BFF students seeking additional financing is $250. New students must take a minimum of $1,000.

Other Rules

• Students with earlier versions of BFF ISAs (taken prior to July 2021) must refinance those into BFF's new terms in order to take additional financing from BFF.
• Students may refinance private student loans into a BFF ISA (more below)
• Minimum funding amount: $1,000 ($250 for students who are existing BFF Funding recipients)
• Maximum annual (academic year) funding amount: $12,500
• Maximum funding amount: $35,000 (generally), $50,000 (undocumented students and students with special circumstances); subject to affordability guidelines for students with other student debt or ISAs. **Note: **Active DACA status is required for students in Minnesota and Wisconsin but not for students in Illinois.”

+ Is there a fee for applying?

There are no fees for applying for a BFF ISA.

+ How much funding am I allowed to receive through this program?

You can take up to $35,000 in total and no more than $12,500 in a single academic year. However, for undocumented students and students with special circumstances we may waive these limits to allow up to $50,000 in total. Note: Active DACA status is required for students in Minnesota and Wisconsin but not for students in Illinois.

Furthermore, you cannot receive more than your cost of attendance at your institution minus any other financial aid awards you have received.

If you have existing student debt, particularly private student loans, this may limit the amount of funding you can receive relative to the amounts above. In this case, you should consider refinancing your private student loan(s) into a BFF ISA.

There is a $1,000 minimum amount required for students who are new to BFF and $250 for existing BFF students

+ Will students be required to go into or be steered toward certain types of employment?

No, there are no requirements stipulating the nature or type of employment or re-enrollment in school that you can choose after you leave the institution.

+ Can I see a copy of BFF's ISA contract?

Yes, you can see a sample contract here:

• Sample ISA Contract
• Sample Application and Solicitation Disclosure
• Sample Approval Disclosure
• Sample Final Disclosure

+ Can I use funding from a BFF ISA for expenses beyond tuition and fees?

Yes, you can use a BFF ISA to cover supplies and other living expenses associated with your education up to your cost of attendance.

+ Can I use a BFF ISA to cover an unpaid balance with my school?

You may use funds for past due balances if not more than 365 days have passed from the last day of the term where you were last enrolled to the first day of classes for the term for which you are applying for funding. You must enroll for the term and otherwise meet the eligibility requirements.

+ How is BFF ISA funding disbursed?

BFF will disburse funding directly to your institution. Any amounts beyond your tuition and fees will be refunded to you through your institution in accordance with the institution’s policies.

+ How are ISA payments calculated?

Payments are calculated by multiplying your percentage income by your monthly income. For example, let’s say a student has an ISA with an income share of 2.7 percent, and this student gets a job earning $48,000 per year. A student’s payments would be calculated using these steps:

• Calculate monthly income by dividing annual income by 12: $48,000/12 = $4,000
• Calculate monthly payment by multiplying the monthly income times the agreed upon income share: $4,000 x 2.7 percent = $108/month.

As the student’s income changes, payments will always be recalculated using the same formula.

+ How is my income determined for the purposes of my payment obligation?

Your income-determined payments are calculated based on your individual earned income, which is defined as the sum of:

• Wages, salaries, tips, commissions and other employee compensation you earn from all employers in the taxable year. (For illustrative purposes, if you are using the IRS Form 1040, this value appears on Line 1.)
  

• the amount of your net earnings from self-employment for the taxable year. The term "net earnings from self-employment" means the gross income you derive from any trade or business you carry out, less the expenses attributable to such trade or business, plus your distributive share (whether or not distributed), from any trade or business carried on by any partnership of which you are a member. (For illustrative purposes, if you are using the IRS 1040 form, this would include portions of the amounts included on Schedule 1, lines 12, 17, and 18. Specifically, it would equal the total of the amount on line 31 of any Schedule C with a "Yes" on Line G, the amount on line 34 of any Schedule F with a "Yes" on Line E, and the sum of columns (i), (j), and (k) of line 29a of any Schedule E.)

Unemployment benefits you receive are not considered part of the your individual earned income. It also excludes income earned by a spouse.

+ How does the lower income cut-off work? Is it calculated based on my monthly or annual income?

During your payment window, if your monthly income is below the lower income cut-off, adjusted each year for inflation, the payment obligation for that month is calculated as $0. However, you still receive credit for that month toward your payment window even though your payment obligation is zero.

+ Is there a grace period for BFF’s ISAs?

Yes, there is a six-month period, or Transition Period as we call it, before your payment window begins. However, if you are not earning above the threshold after the transition period ends, your payment window will still start but your monthly payments will still be calculated as zero until you begin earning above the lower income cut-off.

Is there a forbearance option if my monthly payment becomes unaffordable?

Yes. You can take up to 12 months of forbearance, or Payment Relief Pauses as we call it, (continuously or separately) during your payment term. During a payment relief pause, your payment obligation will be suspended. You won’t receive credit toward your payment window for any months where you are in forbearance.

+ Do I have to submit my tax return at the end of the year?

You will be required to submit a copy of your tax return each year and, additionally, sign a form allowing us to receive a copy of your tax transcripts from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This provides us with an independent source of verification for the income you’ve earned in the calendar year.

We may also require a reconciliation at the end of the year if the payments you made were higher or lower than the amount you would owe for the year using your annual income. If your payments during the year were higher than what you would owe based on your annual income, we will credit those overpayments toward future payments. If your payments were lower than what you would owe based on your annual income, the difference will be added to your monthly payment obligation in the following calendar year.

If you had periods of payment relief pauses or other months that weren’t covered by your payment window, we will subtract that income from the annual income on your tax return, and in doing so we will assume that your income was earned evenly throughout the year. If you believe this does not accurately represent how your income was earned, you can appeal this calculation by providing documentation showing your income level during the months not covered by your payment window.

+ Can I complete my ISA early?

You can end your ISA at any time by paying the Early Completion Amount listed in your ISA minus any payments you have already made.

+ How does private student loan refinancing work?

You can refinance existing private student loans so long as you continue to be enrolled in an eligible institution. If you apply to refinance one or more private student loans, and you are approved for BFF ISA funding, BFF will make a payment to your existing lender(s) to extinguish your private student loan obligation(s). Those amounts will then be converted to a BFF ISA obligation as if you had taken that money directly from the program. Amounts you use for private loan refinancing will also be included when considering your aggregate funding limits for BFF’s ISAs.

+ If I earn a high income, do I risk paying more than other students or more than I would for a traditional financial product?

On contracts issued after July 2021, BFF wants to make sure you would not have been better off taking out a loan with the same funding amount at a 7.5% interest rate instead of your ISA. To make sure of this, BFF is constantly calculating how far along you'd be in repayment if you had taken out a traditional loan with these terms instead of your ISA (and the loan had the same funding amount, a deferment and grace/transition period identical to your ISA, and where the payments on the loan match any payments you make on the ISA). If, after your latest monthly payment, the calculation shows you would have paid off the loan in full but you still have time on your ISA, your obligation is immediately done under the Early Completion clause. However, if your after-school earnings are lower, you could pay less than these amounts or even nothing.

+ Is it possible to default on this obligation? What are the risks?

Yes. If you fail to communicate your annual income or experience difficulty making payments, then your account may become delinquent and eventually go into default. This can be avoided by maintaining communication and complying with the terms of your ISA contract.

+ What are the tax implications of an ISA?

The federal, state and local income tax consequences of ISAs are not yet certain. Upon the maturity or termination of an ISA, if the aggregate amount of funding credited to your account is greater than the sum of payments you made during the payment window, you may need to recognize the difference as ordinary income. We recommend you consult with a trusted tax advisor about the consequences of entering an into an ISA contract.

+ What happens if I don’t graduate on time or at all?

BFF's ISAs enter a transition period upon graduation, withdrawal, or when a student stops enrollment (aside from non-standard semesters such as the summer). Even if you don’t finish your degree or program, you are responsible for meeting the terms of your ISA contract.