Who is ineligible for loan forgiveness?

Asked by: Nelle Kulas  |  Last update: July 22, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (30 votes)

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.

What makes you ineligible for loan forgiveness?

If you took out private student loans to fund your higher education, these aren't eligible for forgiveness, as PSLF only forgives some federal student loans. At the federal level, some government-backed student loans also don't qualify for forgiveness, including: Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)

Who doesn't qualify for loan forgiveness?

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.

Who is now eligible for student loan forgiveness?

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.

Who is ineligible for federal 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.

Find out if you're now ineligible for loan forgiveness

23 related questions found

Is everyone eligible for federal student loans?

Eligibility for federal student aid is based on financial need and on several other factors such as U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizenship, enrollment in an eligible program, satisfactory academic progress in college, and more.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Eligibility requirements are an optional addition to all programs. They help make sure that applicants are in the right place and eligible to be considered by allowing you to set certain parameters that your applicants must agree to before starting an application.

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 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.

Why can't i apply for loan 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.

What jobs are considered public service?

Qualifying Employer – Q&As
  • Emergency management.
  • Military service.
  • Public safety.
  • Law enforcement.
  • Public interest law services.
  • Early childhood education.
  • Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.
  • Public health.

What happens if you don't qualify for student loan forgiveness?

If we determine that you're not eligible for loan forgiveness at this time, you'll be notified and will be provided with the reason(s) we determined you were ineligible. You'll then be required to resume making payments on your loans. Learn more about PSLF eligibility.

What are the requirements for loan forgiveness?

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

Can your income be too high for PSLF?

Does my income level determine my eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)? There is no income requirement to qualify for PSLF.

Who is affected by student loan 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.”

Who's eligible for student debt relief?

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).

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 to know if I will qualify for student loan forgiveness?

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.

Who actually gets student loan forgiveness?

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.

Will student loans take my taxes in 2024 IRS?

Collection activities are currently paused for all federal student loans through September 2024, which should protect your 2022 and 2023 federal and state tax refunds. But you may need to take action.

What is the eligibility list?

An Eligibility List is the list that is established after a recruitment has been conducted. The list contains those applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for a specific position and have successfully completed the selection process.

Who is eligible for federal student loans?

Eligibility Requirements. Our general eligibility requirements include that you have financial need for need-based aid, are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at an eligible college or career/trade school.

What are examples of eligibility?

Having a valid driver's license means you have the eligibility to drive a car. The noun eligibility is good for describing the state of being qualified for or worthy of something. You might have the eligibility to take an upper level computer class, but not have the eligibility to take advanced Arabic, for example.