Skip to content
Menu
Apply for
  • Birth Certificate US
  • Apply for PAN Card
    • Apply Online for PAN
    • Form 49A
    • Instructions 49A
    • Documents 49A
  • FAFSA
  • Universal Credit
    • All about universal credit
    • How to Apply
    • Joint Claim Online
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Settled Status
  • Legal Info
    • Privacy Policy
    • Legal Advice
    • Cookies Policy
  • Contact
Apply for
How to Qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

How to Qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Posted on by

If you work for the government or a nonprofit organization, you may be able to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF.

Contents

  • 1 What is Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
  • 2 What is an Employment Certification Form?
    • 2.1 Submitting An ECF Will Confirm If Your
  • 3 Which Employers Qualify For PSLF?
    • 3.1 Submit Your Employment Certification Form Annually
  • 4 Which Loans Qualify For PSLF?
  • 5 Which Repayment Plans Qualify For PSLF?
  • 6 Which Payments Qualify for PSLF?
  • 7 Checklist

What is Public Service Loan Forgiveness?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness is a government program that erases the remaining balance of your student loans after you’ve made 120 qualifying payments. The payments don’t have to be consecutive.

What is an Employment Certification Form?

You can track your payment count every year by submitting an Employment Certification Form. While you’re working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, you should submit a ECF every year and every time you change public sector jobs.

Submitting An ECF Will Confirm If Your

Filling out your ECF annually is the best way to verify that you’re on track for PSLF. To help you fill out your ECF each year, we’ve created new PSLF tool. The tool will assist you in completing your part of the form.

Afterwards, print it out, get your employer to sign it and send it. And don’t forget to save a copy. We’ll review your ECF to make sure you meet all of the program’s qualifications.

Which Employers Qualify For PSLF?

The first Public Service Loan Forgiveness qualification is about who you work for not about what you do. Qualifying employers include these government  and nonprofit organizations:

  • Federal, State, Local, And Tribal Government Organizations
  • 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organizations
  • Non-501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organizations That Meet Public Service Requirements
  • Americorps
  • Peace Corps

Submit Your Employment Certification Form Annually

To make sure your employer qualifies, submit an Employment Certification Form every single year. This is a critical step.

Which Loans Qualify For PSLF?

The second qualification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness is loan type. Remember, Direct Loans are the only kinds of loans that qualify for PSLF. If you don’t have Direct Loans, you can consolidate some types of ineligible loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan to qualify.

Heads-Up:

If you have other types of loans and consolidate them, your payment count toward PSLF resets to zero.

Warning: Only payments you make on the new direct consolidation loan will count.

Which Repayment Plans Qualify For PSLF?

The third qualification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness is your repayment plan. These plans are based on your income, and they’re the only plans that qualify for PSLF. If you’re on any other plan or just starting repayment, switch to one of these plans to ensure you’ll qualify for forgiveness.

  • Repay: Revised pay as you earn repayment plan
  • Paye: Pay as you earn repayment plan
  • IBR: Income-Based repayment plan
  • ICR: Income-Contingent repayment plan.

Which Payments Qualify for PSLF?

The fourth qualification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness is all about your payments. Remember, you must make 120 qualifying payments to qualify for PSLF. So make your payments on time every time, and follow all the requirements throughout the repayment process.

  • Is made after Oct. 1, 2007
  • A qualifying repayment plan
  • Pays the full amount due as shown on your bill no later than 15 days after your due date
  • Is made while you´re employed full time by a qualifying employer.

Checklist

Here’s a quick checklist to recap the basic Public Service Loan Forgiveness qualifications.

  • Employer: Certain government and nonprofit organizations
  • Loan type: Direct loans
  • Repayment plan: Income-Driven plans
  • Payments: 120 qualifying payments.

Most importantly, and we can’t stress this enough, submit your Employment Certification Form each year.

Remember: Fill out an employment certification from every year.

This is essential. You most likely won’t get forgiveness without doing this. For more information, visit StudentAid.gov.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • W9 vs 1099 Form – The Differences
  • Complete the W-9 form – Step by Step
  • W9 Form – All you need to know
  • Who has to complete a W-9 tax form?
  • Recovery Rebate Credit Instruction
  • Get My Payment Instructions
  • FAFSA: How to Fill It Out Correctly
©2023 Apply for
This website uses cookies. Okay? OKRead More
Privacy And Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVEACCEPT