So, My wife and I have not filed taxes in over three years.  My wife also has currently defaulted student loans.  We are on-track to get everything back to normal this year.  This will involve filing all past taxes and consolidating her student loan.

The loan servicer says she is only eligible for consolidation under the IBR plan due to the default.  Paperwork has been submitted, but we had selected MFJ instead of MFS.  As we look at how we’ll file taxes, MFS will be the route from 2016 forward.

If we begin payments under the MFJ schedule, can we switch mid-year (March) after the taxes are filed?  If not, are we better off contacting the servicer to see if they will use MFS to calculate payments without taxes being filed?

Appreciate any input.