<prompt> Human: I have been paying my student loans for 3 years now. I owe 38k. I have been on an income based repayment plan since I started paying the loan. I pay 203 a month. I just noticed that not one of the payments Ive made in the last three years has gone to the principle balance. I know if I dont increase my monthly payment I will end up paying about 78k for this loan, but what happens if its still not paid off in 20 years or 30 years. And when do the payments start going toward the principle balance?  <response>: Thats because your payments are scaled according to your income, not according to how much youd actually need to pay down the loan.what happens if its still not paid off in 20 years or 30 years.Depends on your IBR plan. Most of them require a certain number of payments, then the rest is forgiven. The amount forgiven may or may not be taxed as income in the year it is forgiven.And when do the payments start going toward the principle balance?Never, if your payments continue to be less than the interest generated as determined by your income. 