Although you're asked to choose a plan when you first begin repayment, you might want to switch plans later if a different plan would work better for your current financial situation. Under the FFEL Program, you can change plans once a year. Under the Direct Loan Program, you can change plans any time as long as the maximum repayment period under your new plan is longer than the time your Direct Loans have already been in repayment. You can choose the Income Contingent Repayment Plan at any time.