Hey all. I caught NPR’s The Takeaway on my way in to work and they were discussing the PSLF Waiver program. Apparently there is a concern that lots of people who qualify are not hearing about the waiver. Posting here in case that includes any OMDers
What I gathered is that:
You can retroactively count payments that previously didn’t qualify for various reasons k
(eg late, you were on the wrong loan type or payment plan, etc) as long as you were working for a qualified public service at the time
You can apply if you didn’t previously realize you were eligible
You must apply by Oct 31 when the waiver expires
There is no special application process for the waiver, you just apply to PSLF.
Any of this might be wrong so please correct me and provide your insights!
Good for you for posting this! I’m the only person I know or have ever met who got PSLF before this waiver. It’s really important to get an application in before the deadline- many more payments will count that way, potentially getting to forgiveness years sooner.
For those on Facebook, there’s a group called Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) that will walk you through the ins and outs ( check the pinned posts and FAQ). If you can’t handle the book of faces, the general info on r/PSLF is also good, just with more noise to the signal.
One more important point: some types of loans are being qualified under the waiver that were not before, but for these you’ll need to consolidate into a federal direct loan, which takes time. So it’s important to get in it quickly!
Repeated for emphasis: the federal student aid info page on the waiver, which talks through how to figure out what loans you have and how to get started. Federal Student Aid
I got a full tuition scholarship, and family loan assistance for room/board/life totaling ~25k which I paid back 2 years ago now, plus offset about 2 semesters with summer work
It’s definitely a privilege but also I wasn’t eligible for federal assistance due to being on an H4 visa at the time, despite living in the US over 10 years. Felt very unfair
But I do appreciate my parents stretching their budget to afford that 6-8k/yr for me. 🥹
… but I do relate to that burden as a member of my generation so it catches my ear and I want people to know. Glad you came in to share your experience.
Huh, I was pretty sure I didn’t qualify for any of the waiver stuff (but am pursuing regular PSLF) but I have a few months of economic hardship deferment on my loans that may end up counting based on the FAQ linked via NPR. I’ll have to see what happens with it!
I should qualify for regular PSLF around January 2028ish but I am glad the waiver is out there to make it easier for others! I ended up with entirely Federal Direct Loans which has simplified my process considerably.
