If you borrowed less than $12,000 from the government to go to college and have made payments for 10 years, your loan likely qualifies for forgiveness. 

Starting next month, the Department of Education will forgive the remaining balance of loans for borrowers who had an initial balance of $12,000 or less and have made at least 120 monthly payments or more if they enroll in the new Saving for a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, the White House said Friday. The provision of the new SAVE income-driven repayment plan was originally scheduled to go into effect in July.

The surprise announcement pushes forward one of several major changes to the student loan system that was set to go into effect in 2024 and is part of President Joe Biden’s push to offer student loan forgiveness to millions of borrowers.

Although the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s plan for broad student loan forgiveness, the administration has forgiven loans for 3.6 million people in specific circumstances, including for teachers and other public servants; disabled borrowers; and people whose schools closed or were accused of misconduct.

“This action will particularly help community college borrowers, low-income borrowers, and those struggling to repay their loans,” Biden said in a statement. “And, it’s part of our ongoing efforts to act as quickly as possible to give more borrowers breathing room so they can get out from under the burden of student loan debt, move on with their lives and pursue their dreams.”

The popularity of the new SAVE plan is a bright spot in Biden’s student loan reform efforts, which have seen setbacks in other areas. Borrowers have faced the Supreme Court canceling forgiveness they had expected; the resumption of student loan payments in October after the pandemic-era pause in payments and interest; and errors by the private companies that send out student loan bills and provide customer service on behalf of the government.

The SAVE income-driven repayment plan allows borrowers to make payments based on how much money they make, with any remaining balance forgiven if they pay for 10-25 years depending on how much they borrowed and whether their loans were for undergraduate or graduate degrees. More than 6.9 million have enrolled in the new repayment option, with 3.9 million qualifying for “payments” of $0 a month because of their income, the White House said.

In addition to forgiving loans early for low-balance borrowers, SAVE allows borrowers to make lower monthly payments than previous income-driven plans. Payments will get even lower starting in July, when caps on the level of discretionary income paid toward their student loans are cut in half, from 10% to 5%.