Time is Running Out!

Temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program end on October 31.

Do you have a federal student loan? Are you employed by a U.S. Federal, state, local or tribal government, or a not-for-profit organization? If so, you may be able to benefit from temporary changes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. These changes, called the “Limited PSLF Waiver,” are helping borrowers across the nation more easily get their loans forgiven – but if you haven’t already applied for PSLF, you must submit a PSLF form and/or consolidate your non-Direct federal student loans by October 31 to get the benefit. You can learn more about the waiver HERE. In short, the waiver will allow borrowers to gain additional PSLF credit, even if they had been told previously that they had the wrong loan type or the wrong repayment plan.

To qualify for PSLF, you must:

be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization (federal service includes U.S. military service);
work full-time for that agency or organization;
have Direct Loans (or consolidate other federal student loans into a Direct Loan);
repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan*; and
make 120 qualifying payments.

For a limited time, the waiver:

Gives borrowers credits for past periods of repayment on federal student loan – even loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF (i.e., Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), Federal Perkins Loans, Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL), National Defense Student Loans (NDSL), and other types of federal loans that are not Direct Loans) – as long as the borrower consolidates into a federal Direct Loan.
Counts past periods of repayment whether or not you, made that payment on time, for the full amount due, or on a qualifying repayment plan. The Department of Education will even count certain periods of forbearance toward PSLF.

If you previously applied for PSLF and were denied because of your loan type, you are encouraged to try again. And, even if you previously applied for PSLF, and were accepted into the program, the Department of Education encourages you to update your employment certification by completing a PSLF form. Click HERE to view the Federal Student Aid PSLF Program Borrower Fact Sheet and find out more.

Just a few minutes of your time may save you thousands of dollars on your student loans! Remember, you need to take the steps necessary to qualify for the Limited PSLF Waiver before October 31, 2022. Use the PSLF Help Tool to see if you qualify and submit your application today!

Click HERE for a printable version to distribute in your workplace.

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