(GENERAL-26-30) Assistance in Implementation of Final Regulations for the Working Families Tax Cuts Act

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L.119-21) (OBBBA), also known as the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (the Act), signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, contains numerous reforms and improvements that amend the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Beginning last fall, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) convened two negotiated rulemaking committees composed of a broad group of stakeholders to help implement the Act’s higher education provisions. Each committee voted to approve the regulatory text by consensus. The Department subsequently published three proposed rules based on the agreed-upon text for public comment. To date, the Department has reviewed the public comments and published two of the three final rules, with the third expected to be published shortly.

The Department has now entered the next phase of implementation of the Act and is issuing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the newly published regulations. The first round of FAQs on student loan reforms is posted on https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-information. The Department considers the FAQs to be a living document and will continue to post new and updated FAQs as they become available.

Additionally, beginning on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the Department will provide financial aid professionals and other partners involved in administrating the federal student aid programs, including state agencies, software vendors, and lenders, with a new e-mail tool for submitting policy-related questions about the changes in the Act and the newly published regulations. Department staff will review each question submitted and will post responses to frequent questions to the Knowledge Center. The new email is ob3schoolquestions@ed.gov. There is no need to resubmit questions that have already been sent to the Department through a previous webinar or other method. Those questions are being addressed through this FAQ process. As FAQs are released, the Department will respond directly to email messages received on those topics that have not already been answered, including directing recipients to the appropriate FAQ or relevant guidance, as applicable. Before emailing the Department, senders are encouraged to review the most up-to-date FAQs and related guidance. This will help avoid duplicate inquiries and allow the Department to focus resources on questions that have not yet been addressed.

While the specific changes in the Act have been known since July 4, 2025, the Department has been continually working with institutions and other partners to address questions on the new changes. Since the completion of negotiated rulemaking, the Department has held numerous webinars, office hours, the FSA Training Conference in March, and other events to engage stakeholders and address questions on specific provisions, ensuring that the community is prepared for changes taking effect on July 1, 2026.

To build on these recent efforts, the Department will host a new series of webinars and virtual office hours on the regulatory changes over the next seven weeks. Webinars and office hours will be offered from late-May through mid-July, according to the schedule below. Each session will provide the higher education community with an opportunity to ask Department staff questions about the newly published regulations.

Additionally, the Department plans to hold an in-person town hall at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., with senior Department officials and subject-matter experts in attendance. More information on this event will be provided in the coming weeks.

For operational questions about interacting with FSA systems, please continue to contact the appropriate contact centers. Additionally, you can continue to send operational questions through the Customer Support form in the FSA Partner Connect Help Center.

Students, borrowers, and parents should visit StudentAid.gov/bigupdates for the latest information about changes to the federal student aid programs created by the Act. These stakeholders should not use the email address in this announcement, which is intended for institutions and other stakeholders to support effective implementation of the Act and the newly published regulations. Borrowers may also contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center to receive assistance with general inquiries.

The dates of the office hours and webinars are below. More details will be posted to the Knowledge Center soon: