The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program allows student loan borrowers who work in certain career fields, such as nonprofit or government, to have their federal student loans forgiven after approximately 10 years of repayment. So if you’re eligible, how much forgiveness can you expect to receive from PSLF? Find out with our Public Service Loan Forgiveness Calculator below.
No. While we’d love to be able to do that with 100% certainty, there are a LOT of requirements for PSLF. Receiving a result from this calculator does not mean that you’re eligible to receive forgiveness from PSLF. Generally, you must meet some main requirements for PSLF, including:
If you believe you are eligible for PSLF, it’s recommended that you submit the Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness form. When you do this, the Dept. of Education will let you know if, in fact, you do qualify and are making qualifying payments towards PSLF.
For the PSLF Calculator to provide a forgiveness estimate, we have to make some assumptions which may or may not hold true in every situation. The calculator assumes the following:
Typically, a qualifying payment is:
No. Payments do not need to be consecutive. You must simply make 120 total qualifying payments that meet all other qualifying employment and payment criteria.
The payment plans that qualify are:
Choosing the right repayment plan depends on several different factors. To maximize the benefits of PSLF, it’s often recommended that borrowers choose the repayment option that minimizes monthly payments and/or maximizes the total amount of debt forgiven. The PSLF Calculator calculates both of these.
However, keep in mind that not all borrowers are eligible with all repayment plans displayed. With this in mind, be sure to verify your eligibility before attempting to enroll in a repayment plan.
Unfortunately, no, not at this time. While Parent PLUS loans are technically eligible for PSLF under certain circumstances, our calculator does not support the required Income-Contingent Repayment plan that Parent PLUS borrowers must use to be eligible for PSLF.
The following types of loans are eligible for PSLF:
The bad news is that only payments made after this consolidation takes place count toward the 120 qualifying payments needed.
Currently, there’s no way to apply for or enroll in forgiveness through PSLF. This is because the program did not begin until October 2007, so the first borrowers will not become eligible for forgiveness until 10 years from this date (October 2017).
Instead, for now it’s recommended that you submit the Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness form to confirm you’re on the right track for PSLF. Other than that, all you need to do right now is make sure you’re meeting all requirements and keep making qualifying payments for PSLF.
No. Unlike forgiveness through income-driven repayment options, debt forgiven through PSLF is not subject to income tax.