What are the requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)?
The PSLF Program requires you to make 120 qualifying payments on Direct Loans in a qualifying repayment plan (typically an income-driven plan) while working full-time (on average, 30 hours per week) for a qualifying employer. Any full-time, public service employment after October 7, 2007, qualifies. Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans include:
- Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan
- Income-Contingent (ICR) Plan*
- Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Plan*
- Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)
Note that ICR and PAYE are sunsetting on July 1, 2028. You can apply to IDR online here. Payments made under PSLF must be for the full amount due each month. Parent PLUS loans consolidated or disbursed after July 1, 2026, cannot enroll in income-driven repayment and are therefore ineligible for PSLF.
How do I verify my loan types?
Log in to your FSA account at studentaid.gov. In the My Loans section, click Loans:
- Scroll down to the Loan Breakdown
- View Loan Type for each loan listed
Note: Direct Loans do not need to be consolidated. FFEL and Perkins Loans must be consolidated for consideration under PSLF.
What is student loan consolidation?
Consolidation combines one or more existing loans into one new Direct Consolidation Loan. You never have to pay to consolidate your federal education loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan. There are pros and cons to consolidation that you can read about here. For example, consolidating after July 1, 2026, will limit your repayment options to the Tiered Standard and Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Additionally, your payment progress towards IDR may reset to zero. We encourage borrowers to research consolidation before doing so. You can apply to consolidate online here.
How do I verify my public service employment?
You must submit an Employment Certification Form (ECF) to certify your public service employment and earn progress towards forgiveness. To certify, you will need your Employer Identification Number (EIN) and an HR email contact to verify your employment status. If your employer is closed or they refuse to sign your PSLF form, you can read about alternative certification options here.
If you have not submitted an ECF, you may complete the form here. If you are employed by DC government, the District of Columbia Government Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 536001131 and the verification email is [email protected].
I reviewed the webinars and read the instructions, but I want a one-on-one meeting with the DC Student Loan Ombudsman.
Before we can schedule a one-on-one appointment, please note that the services of the DC Student Loan Ombudsman are only available to District of Columbia residents and DC Government employees.
If you meet the residency or District Government employment requirements, to ensure a productive meeting, please make sure you have a functioning FSA User ID and password. You can check your FSA User ID and password at studentaid.gov or call Federal Student Aid at 1 (800) 533-3243 for assistance resetting or obtaining the required log in credentials.
If this meeting is for assistance using the PSLF Help Tool, you will need the tax identification number and email address for each employer from which you require certification of past or present employment.
While you wait for your appointment, please take some time to review our webinars at disb.dc.gov/page/student-loan-ombudsman-webinars.
I am not a District of Columbia resident or a DC Government employee but live in Maryland and Virginia. Where can I get assistance?
The services of the DC Student Loan Ombudsman are only available to District residents and DC Government employees. If you live in the neighboring jurisdictions of Maryland or Virginia, their ombudsperson can be contacted through the following links:
Maryland: dllr.state.md.us/finance/consumers/frslombud.shtml
Virginia: schev.edu/studentloan
Don’t live in DC, Maryland or Virginia? You can get assistance from: