A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Education to stop operating its SAVE repayment program and parts of other IDR plans. The federal government has temporarily halted applications and loan forgiveness for all income-driven repayment (IDR) plans for student loans.

After a federal court upheld a pause on the SAVE plan, the Education Department removed other income-driven repayment applications from its website.

With IDR applications frozen, the process of paying back your student loans continues to look confusing -- and more expensive.