What are the requirements to qualify for student loan forgiveness?

Asked by: Saige Graham  |  Last update: January 25, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (74 votes)

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.

What are the criteria for student loan forgiveness?

The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loan after you've made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a qualifying employer.

How will I know if my student loan will be forgiven?

Comments Section You'll receive a letter confirming forgiveness. Before that you'd receive notice you'd hit 120, you'd get a letter telling you you've been identified for forgiveness and to expect X days, then your account would zero on the servicer, then on studentaid.gov.

Who is ineligible for loan forgiveness?

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.

Is it too late to apply for student loan forgiveness in 2024?

There is no deadline to apply for pslf, you can submit pslf forms for retroactive employment at any time. The deadline you're referring to is for the idr waiver and it is for folks who want to consolidate for the higher count using the idr waiver or need to consolidate due to ineligible loan types.

Student loan forgiveness: What you need to know before applying

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Can I still apply for the Biden student loan forgiveness?

You can still apply for Student Loan Forgiveness in 2024. Despite the Supreme Court striking down Biden's initial plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loans, the president has introduced other programs that have provided $167.3 billion in student loan forgiveness to over 4 million borrowers.

Who is eligible for student loan forgiveness in 2024?

Borrowers with only undergraduate debt would qualify for forgiveness if they first entered repayment 20 years ago (on or before July 1, 2005), and borrowers with any graduate school debt would qualify if they first entered repayment 25 or more years ago (on or before July 1, 2000).

What loans don t qualify for forgiveness?

At the federal level, some government-backed student loans also don't qualify for forgiveness, including:
  • Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)
  • Federal Perkins Loan.

Why is my student loan not eligible for forgiveness?

Only borrowers who have entered repayment on at least one of their loans when the debt relief is applied would be eligible for forgiveness on the loan(s) in repayment.

Who is excluded from student loan forgiveness?

What student loans are not eligible for forgiveness? Private student loans, by definition, are private and are not eligible to be forgiven. These are loans the borrower owes to student loan providers and not the federal government.

How do I make sure my student loans are forgiven?

Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) 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—or as few as 10 years under our newest IDR plan, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan.

At what age do student loans get written off?

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.

How will I know if I automatically qualify for student loan forgiveness?

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.

What is the deadline for student loan forgiveness?

Many student loan borrowers have an opportunity to receive full student loan cancellation or more credit towards cancellation. The U.S. Department of Education will conduct a one-time adjustment this summer , but you may need to take steps to qualify. The deadline to act is June 30, 2024. Here's what you need to know.

How do I know if I'm eligible for the $10000 student loan forgiveness?

You qualify to have up to $10,000 forgiven if your loan is held by the Department of Education and you make less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 for a family. If you received Pell grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, you can have up to $20,000 forgiven.

Is there a form I need to fill out for student loan forgiveness?

After you make your 120th qualifying monthly payment for PSLF, you'll need to submit the PSLF form to receive loan forgiveness. You must be working for a qualifying employer at the time you submit the PSLF form.

Why would I not be eligible for student loans?

If you don't meet baseline eligibility requirements, or if you've previously defaulted on a loan, you may not be approved for a federal student loan. You must maintain "satisfactory progress" in school to be approved for student loans. You can take steps to regain or improve your eligibility for student loans.

How do I check the status of my student loan forgiveness?

If you've been making payments toward PSLF, you can view your progress in your My Aid page by following these steps:
  1. Log in to your StudentAid.gov account.
  2. From your Dashboard, navigate to “My Aid.”
  3. Select “View Details” to open your My Aid page, then scroll down to PSLF/TEPSLF Payment Progress.

Why do I not qualify for student loan forgiveness?

Incomplete Loan Data Could Result In Some Periods Not Counting Toward Student Debt Forgiveness. Another possible issue for some borrowers could be defective loan data. The Education Department relies on data submitted by loan servicers to a system called the National Student Loan Data System.

Are student loans forgiven at age 70?

Are student loans forgiven when you retire? No, the federal government doesn't forgive student loans at age 50, 65, or when borrowers retire and start drawing Social Security benefits. So, for example, you'll still owe Parent PLUS Loans, FFEL Loans, and Direct Loans after you retire.

Do direct unsubsidized loans qualify for loan forgiveness?

Which loans are eligible for loan forgiveness? Only Federal Direct Loan Program loans that are not in default are eligible for PSLF (ie - Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Direct Consolidation Loans).

Why did I get a student loan refund check?

Why did my college send me a check? A refund check is money that is directly deposited to you by your college. It is the excess money left over from your financial aid award after your tuition and additional fees have been paid. Your college may send you a check or the money may be deposited into your checking account.

Can private student loans be forgiven?

Private student loans are usually only forgiven when the borrower becomes permanently disabled or dies—sometimes not even then. While there are several options for federal student loan cancellation and forgiveness, private programs for cancellation are less common.

Am I eligible for student loan forgiveness if I never graduated?

The type of degree does not matter. In fact, you can qualify even if you did not graduate. The requirements are based on your years of service and the number of payments you have made. It also only forgives federal direct student loans.