Student loan payment programs reopen

WASHINGTON — Two student loan repayment plans are once again options for borrowers.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced it’s reopening the ”Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan” and the ”Income Contingent Repayment Plan.”

Those plans set monthly payments based on borrowers’ earnings and family size.

PAYE offers the lowest payments to most borrowers.

The Education Department has been trying to replace the two plans with a more generous one known as the ”Save Plan.”

The proposed plan has been tied up in litigation since July.