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What Jobs Qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)?
What Jobs Qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)?
The rules and requirements for PSLF have changed multiple times since the program’s inception, especially in recent years with expansions and provisions to help more public sector professionals — such as doctors, nurses, first responders, and teachers — in response to the COVID-19 national emergency and beyond.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program1 was created by the US government as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 and offers a path to forgiveness for federal student loan borrowers working full-time for the government or a qualifying nonprofit organization.
Additionally, the rules and requirements for PSLF have changed multiple times since the program’s inception, especially in recent years with expansions and provisions to help more public sector professionals — such as doctors, nurses, first responders, and teachers — in response to the COVID-19 national emergency and beyond.
Read on for a deeper understanding of how the PSLF program works and what types of public sector jobs could qualify. You can also learn more at laurelroad.com/student-loan-forgiveness/.
What is PSLF?
The 10-year PSLF program allows borrowers employed at government organizations and qualifying nonprofit organizations to have their Federal Direct Loans forgiven after ten years of repayment (or 120 qualifying payments), entirely tax-free. Here’s how it works.
How does PSLF work?
To pursue and qualify for PSLF, 120 qualifying monthly payments must be made under an Income-driven Repayment (IDR) plan, paid on-time (within 15 days of due date) and in the full due amount.
The different types of IDR plans that qualify include:
Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE Plan) / Saving on A Valuable Education Plan (SAVE Plan)
Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (PAYE Plan)*
Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR Plan)
Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR Plan)**
*Only new enrollments from borrowers of consolidated Parent PLUS loans are being accepted into the ICR plan. No change for current enrollees.
**New enrollments in PAYE are being accepted until further notice, but this plan will eventually be phased out. No changes for current enrollees.
Compare and learn more about the different types of IDR programs here, and note that the following repayment plans do not qualify for PSLF:
Standard Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans
Graduated Repayment Plan
Extended Repayment Plan
Alternative Repayment Plan
If you are currently enrolled in one of these plans, you can switch into one of the IDR plans that does qualify – REPAYE/SAVE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR. Learn more here.
One-time IDR Adjustment
For eligible federal borrowers, past periods of repayment, deferment, and forbearance could now count toward IDR forgiveness with a one-time payment count adjustment. To learn more, schedule a free call with a student loan specialist.
What jobs qualify for PSLF?
As for job types and titles, qualifying employment for the PSLF Program isn’t so much about the specific job that you do for your employer, it’s more about who your employer is. As a full-time government employee (federal, state, local, or tribal), you’re eligible for PSLF. You could even be eligible for PSLF as a government contractor, so long as you’re directly employed by a qualifying employer — such as a nonprofit — that is doing work under a government contract. Just note that as a contractor, you’re generally considered to work full-time if you work at least 30 hours per week or if you meet your employer’s definition of full-time — whichever is greater.
Qualifying for PSLF as a nonprofit employee
If you’re employed by a nonprofit, the general rule is that it needs to be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. However, there’s a chance you could be eligible for PSLF even if your organization is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. According to studentaid.gov, a nonprofit that is not tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) could be considered a qualifying employer if it provides certain types of qualifying public services. For example, eligible not-for-profit organizations include most private elementary and secondary schools, private colleges and universities, and many other organizations.
A not-for-profit organization that is not exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is considered a qualifying employer if it provides at least one of the following public services:
Emergency management
Military service (on behalf of the U.S. armed forces or the National Guard
Public safety
Law enforcement: crime prevention, control or reduction of crime, or the enforcement of criminal law
Public interest law services
Early childhood education
Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly
Common job categories that could qualify for PSLF include:
Healthcare workers such as:
Doctors
Physician Assistants
Nurses
EMTs
Hospital support personnel
Therapists
Mental Health Counselors
Other HCPs
Educators such as:
K-12 teachers
Special education teachers
Student aides
Professors
School administrators
Librarians
School support personnel
First responders employed by federal, state, local or tribal governments, such as:
Law enforcement professionals
Firefighters
EMTs
Active duty military personnel
Government personnel employed by federal, state, local or tribal governments, such as:
Officials
Aides and support personnel
Social workers
Researchers
Contract workers
Compensated volunteer and non-profit work such as:
AmeriCorps
Peace Corps
To better understand your PSLF eligibility, take our quiz below. You can also use the employer search tool on studentaid.gov to see if your current and past employers are on the eligible list.
Jobs that don’t qualify for PSLF
To further understand of what types of jobs and employers typically do qualify for PSLF, it’s helpful to understand the ones that do not. Here’s a short list:
For-profit organizations, including for-profit government contractors
Labor unions
Partisan political organizations
Learn more about job types, employers, and employment circumstances that do not qualify for PSLF here.
How to apply for PSLF
Getting in and staying in the PSLF program a notoriously challenging process with a high rejection rate. According to October 2022 data from ED, only 8.05% of all PSLF and TEPSLF applications have been approved, (233,320 approved for discharge among 2,897,797 total applications).
To pursue and qualify for PSLF, you will need to follow these general steps:
To apply for PSLF, take the following steps:
1
Check your eligibility
Check your eligibility
Is your employer a government entity or qualifying not-for-profit organization? You can use the employer search tool on studentaid.gov to check if your current or past employers are eligible.
2
Certify your employment
Certify your employment
You’ll need to do this via an Employment Certification Form (ECF), filled out by each eligible employer in your work history. You will need to re-certify your current employment and submit this form again, at least annually, and if you change employers while you’re enrolled, you’ll need to obtain certification from your new employer and submit the form again.
3
Apply for forgiveness
Apply for forgiveness
Once you’ve made 120 qualifying payments (over the course of 10 years) and met all requirements, you can apply for forgiveness.
4
Submit your PSLF form
Submit your PSLF form
Generate your PSLF form and sign it, then submit it to the PSLF servicer.
If you don’t qualify for PSLF, you still have other options for federal student loan forgiveness through IDR programs, regardless of the outcome of the ongoing litigation around the Biden Administration’s student loan debt relief plan.
Learn more forgiveness through IDR programs at laurelroad.com/income-driven-repayment/ and contact us for a free 30-minute student loan forgiveness consultation. Our student loan specialists at GradFin can help you compare IDR options and determine which program is best for you.
Final words: PSLF qualifying jobs
For many working Americans, PSLF is a financial lifeline that significantly eases the burden of student loan debt, making it possible to actualize a successful career in public service.
While expanded eligibility criteria and waivers have helped make PSLF available to more federal student loan borrowers, many public sector professionals still find the constantly changing legislative landscape as well as the paperwork required for the program to be daunting and time-consuming.
If you’re starting the PSLF application process or are unsure about whether your current or past employment qualifies for PSLF, schedule a free consultation with our student loan specialists at GradFin to have your questions answered and learn more about all the forgiveness options available to you.
To qualify for PSLF, you must be employed at a qualifying government or nonprofit organization.
True
To qualify for PSLF, you must be employed at a US government organization at any level (federal, state, local, or tribal) – including U.S. military service, or a qualifying nonprofit organization.
False
True or false?
Enrollment in an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan or the Standard Repayment is NOT a requirement for PSLF.
True
False
Borrowers must enroll in an IDR plan or the Standard Repayment Plan to pursue PSLF.
Select all that apply.
Which of the following career fields could potentially qualify for PSLF?
Military service
Law enforcement and first responders
Education
Healthcare
All of the above
All of the above could qualify for PSLF.
Result
Great! You’re on your way.
Now that you understand the requirements of PSLF, our student loan specialists at GradFin can help determine your eligibility and next steps toward forgiveness programs like PSLF.