Everything to Know About Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

To qualify for PSLF, you must:

• be employed by a qualifying employer, such as the U.S. government or a nonprofit organization;
• work full time for that agency or organization (at least 30 hours per week);
• have Federal Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan);
• be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan or the standard plan;
• make 120 qualifying payments toward your student loans.

Even if your parents took out Parent PLUS loans to help with your education, only borrowers that work in public service are eligible for PSLF. If your parent does not work in public service, then they are ineligible to receive forgiveness under this program.

Payments made during the COVID-19 national pause count for PSLF as long as you were working for a qualifying employer and your loans were not in in-school deferment. That’s about three years of credit toward the 10 you need to reach forgiveness under the PSLF program.

If your loans are in default, you will first have to exit default to qualify for the PSLF program. Time spent in default does not count as time in repayment.

If you cannot get your form signed by a former employer, your PSLF student loan providers will accept W-2s and pay stubs to confirm employment.

You would need to submit a W-2 for every year you worked at a qualifying employer while making payments, or submit the pay stubs you received for the duration of the employment period. After completing sections 1 through 3 of the PSLF form, send it to your servicer along with the alternative documentation of employment.

It may take a while for the Department of Education to approve your application, process any loan consolidation, and get an accurate payment count before you see a change reflected in your loan status.

As of June 2024, MOHELA has paused processing PSLF forms while they update their systems and transfer some PSLF borrowers to other servicers. Unlike years past, borrowers can now pursue PSLF with any federal servicer, not just MOHELA. This servicing transition is expected to last into July; once processing resumes, borrowers typically see their accounts updated within 2 months.

For more information about the PSLF program, watch the recording of the All Things Public Service Loan Forgiveness webinar hosted by Idealist.

For any specific questions about your account, contact your student loan provider.