The PSLF program supports public servants—including teachers, nurses, social workers, first responders, service members, and other public servants—by forgiving the remaining student loan balance for those who make the required 120 qualifying monthly payments.
If you work full time for a government or nonprofit organization, you may qualify for forgiveness of the entire remaining balance of your Direct Loans after you've made 120 qualifying payments—i.e., at least 10 years of payments. To benefit from PSLF, you need to repay your federal student loans under an IDR plan.
You must be a direct employee of a qualifying employer for your employment to qualify. This means that employees of contracted organizations, that are not themselves a qualifying employer, won't qualify for PSLF including government contractors and for-profit organizations.
This includes employers such as the U.S. military, public elementary and secondary schools, public colleges and universities, public child and family service agencies, and special governmental districts (including entities such as public transportation, water, bridge district, or housing authorities).
The undersupply of public service workers
Data on the programs of study among individuals who hold federal student loans suggests that nurses, medical assistants, law-enforcement officers, teachers, and social workers comprise the largest public service occupations among debt holders.
Employment with a U.S. government entity at any level (federal, state, local, or tribal), or an organization that is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is a qualifying employer for PSLF regardless of the specific services that are provided.
However, if the organization is a labor union or a partisan political organization, it isn't an eligible PSLF employer. Eligible not-for-profit organizations include most private elementary and secondary schools, private colleges and universities, and thousands of other organizations.
To be considered a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), an employer must be a not-for-profit or governmental organization. If your employer is organized as a for-profit organization, it can't be a qualifying employer, regardless of the services it provides.
Any borrower with ED-held loans that have accumulated time in repayment of at least 20 or 25 years will see automatic forgiveness, even if the loans are not currently on an IDR plan. Borrowers with FFELP loans held by commercial lenders or Perkins loans not held by ED can benefit if they consolidate into Direct Loans.
After at least 20 years of student loan payments under an income-driven repayment plan — IDR forgiveness and 20-year student loan forgiveness. After 25 years if you borrowed loans for graduate school — 25-year federal loan forgiveness.
If you repay your loans under an IDR plan, any remaining balance on your student loans will be forgiven after you make a certain number of payments over 20 or 25 years. Past periods of repayment, deferment, and forbearance might now count toward IDR forgiveness because of the payment count adjustment.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved through various actions $175 billion in student debt relief for nearly 5 million Americans, each of whom have been approved for an average of roughly $35,000 in student debt cancellation.
Can student loan forgiveness get reversed? In some cases, it appears to be happening. Some borrowers on online message boards have been sounding the alarm that MOHELA, one of the Education Department's contracted loan servicers, has been “unforgiving” federal student loans that had previously been discharged.
Jobs that don't qualify for PSLF
Here's a short list: For-profit organizations, including for-profit government contractors. Labor unions. Partisan political organizations.
Sallie Mae is not a federal loan servicer.
When Sallie Mae first formed, it was a government-sponsored enterprise servicing federal student loans — or loans made by the government. But in 2014, it split into two separate companies.
Public services include people and organizations in Government and Diplomacy (elected officials, agency workers, diplomats), Education and Teaching (public school teachers, school administrators), Public Safety (police officers, firefighters, health workers), Non-Profit Organizations, and Environment and Conservation.
You can qualify for loan forgiveness after working full-time for at least 10 years while making 120 qualifying payments. You don't have to work for the same employer for the entire 10 years; if you work for several nonprofits over the years, your time with each employer can count toward the time needed for forgiveness.
“People who cannot afford their student loans because they are in public service, have disabilities, were cheated by their college, or who have completed decades of payments are now getting the relief they were promised. These permanent reforms will continue to more and more borrowers every year.”
Only Direct Loan Program loans that are not in default are eligible for PSLF and TEPSLF. Loans you received under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program, or any other student loan program are not eligible for PSLF.
Public Services careers are usually those that are provided by government to its citizens, either directly or through the financing of another entity to provide that service.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a prominent option for a registered nurse. This program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments. Eligible nurses must work full-time for a qualifying employer, such as a government or nonprofit organization.
Public health employees include:
Scientists who go out and track the source of diseases. Nurses who administer vaccinations in clinics and conduct home visits to assist new babies. Sanitarians, technicians and engineers who make certain restaurants are clean and drinking water is safe.