Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

If you have ever worked for a government or 501c3 organization, you may be eligible for federal loan cancellation under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Depending on your profession, you may also qualify for state repayment assistance programs. Please review Important Notice for Employees with Student Loan Debt to see if you may be eligible for programs and how to apply.

Starting on May 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will pause processing any Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) forms, including applications, and resume in July 2024. With this pause, ED will move away from having one contractor, MOHELA, manage the program and will split the work between several contractors. These changes are part of a broader effort to streamline the servicing of student loans and transition borrowers to a single federal repayment portal at StudentAid.gov. For more information, please visit StudentAid.gov. During this time, borrowers should continue to make payments as usual, but note that these payments will not be reflected in PSLF’s Payment Count Tracker until the pause ends.

PSLF Overview

The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer.

PSLF Qualifications

  • 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.

Applying for PSLF:

It is recommended that you certify your employment each year. To certify your employment:

  1. It is recommended you use the PSLF Help Tool. The PSLF Help Tool will help prepare your PSLF form. If you choose to fill out the form manually, you can download and print the form.
  2. After getting your PSLF Form, you should list the address and Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your employer as found on your W2.
  3. You should have the employer that you are filling out the form for sign it. Please note that your employer’s signature must be hand drawn (from a signature pad, mouse, finger, or by taking a picture of a signature drawn on a piece of paper that you then scan and embed on the signature line of the PSLF form) to be accepted.
  4. Send the completed form, with your employer’s certification, to MOHELA, the U.S. Department of Education’s federal loan servicer for the PSLF program. You may fax the form to 866-222-7060 or mail the form to the address below:
    U.S. Department of Education
    MOHELA
    633 Spirit Drive
    Chesterfield, MO 63005-1243