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Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
& Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF)
Certification & Application
PSLF

OMB No. 1845-0110
Form ApprovedUnder
Review
Exp. Date:
12/31/2026TBD

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct
Loan) Program

WARNING: Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or misrepresentation on this form or
on any accompanying document is subject to penalties that may include fines, imprisonment, or both,
under the U.S. Criminal Code and 20 U.S.C. 1097.

Section 1: Borrower Information

Social Security Number (SSN):
Date of Birth:
Name:
Address:
City:

State:

Zip Code:

Telephone – Primary:
Email:
For more information on PSLF, visit StudentAid.gov/publicservice. To apply online, visit StudentAid.gov/PSLF.

Section 2: Borrower Request, Understandings, and Certification
I request (1) that the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) consider this form an
application for loan forgiveness to determine whether I qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF, and discharge
any qualifying loans that I have, and (2) if none of my loans qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF forgiveness
when I submit this form, determine how many qualifying payments I have made toward PSLF and
TEPSLF.
I believe I qualify for forgiveness now and request a forbearance while my application is being
processed. I understand this period of forbearance will not count toward forgiveness, if the
Department determines I am not yet eligible for forgiveness.

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Borrower Name:

Borrower SSN:

I understand that:
1.

To qualify for forgiveness, I must have made 120 qualifying payments on my Direct Loans
while employed full-time by a qualifying employer. Neither the 120 qualifying payments nor
the qualifying employment have to be consecutive.

2.

To qualify for forgiveness, I must be employed full-time by a qualifying employer when I apply
for forgiveness.

3.

If the Department determines that I appear to be eligible for forgiveness, the Department may
contact my employer before granting forgiveness to ensure that I was employed by the
employer at the time I applied for forgiveness.

4.

If I am eligible for forgiveness, the amount forgiven will be the principal and interest that was
due on my eligible Direct Loans when I made my final qualifying payment. Any amount that I
pay on those loans after I have made my final qualifying payment will be treated as an
overpayment. I must continue to make payments on any of my other loans.

5.

If I am not yet eligible for forgiveness, I will be notified of the determination, why it was made,
and how many qualifying payments I have made toward PSLF and TEPSLF. If I requested
my loans be placed in forbearance while this determination was being made, they will be
placed back into repayment.

I certify that all the information I have provided on this form and in any accompanying document is
true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Borrower's Signature:

Date (mm/dd/yyyy):
Pages 1 and 2 of this form must be completed in their entirety.

Section 3: Before You BeginReminders


We highly recommend that you complete this form online by going to StudentAid.gov/pslf.
Doing so allows you to search for your employer using the PSLF Employer Database to
prepopulate this form, provide your own electronic signature, request that your employer sign
electronically, and, once your employer signs electronically, submit this form directly to the
Department on your behalf.



You should complete this form annually or any time you change employers or have a change
in your employment status.



Review the instructions in Section 6 before you complete the remainder of this form.

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Borrower Name:

Borrower SSN:

Section 4: Employer Information (to be completed by the borrower or employer)
1. Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN/EIN):
2. Employer Name:
3. Employer Address:
Street:
City:

State:

Zip Code:

Employer Website (if any):
4. Employment Period:
Employment or Certification Begin Date (mm/dd/yyyy):
Employment or Certification End Date (mm/dd/yyyy):
5. Employment Status:

Full-Time

6. Average hours per week:

OR

Still Employed

Part-Time
(round up to nearest whole number)

Check this box if your employer cannot be contacted because the organization has closed or is
unable to certify your employment, and skip to Section 5B.

Section 5A: Employer Certification (to MUST be completed by the employer)
Terms in Bold are defined in Section 7.
By providing an acceptable signature below, I certify and declare under penalty of perjury that (1)
the information in Section 4 is true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief (see
Section 6 for instructions), (2) I am an authorized official of the organization named in Section 4,
and (3) the borrower named in Section 1 is or was a direct employee of the organization named in
Section 4; or is or was employed under a contract in a position or providing services that, under
applicable state law, cannot be filled or provided by a direct employee of the organization named in
Section 4.
Additionally, I certify and declare under penalty of perjury that the organization named in Section 4
does not engage in activities such that it has a substantial illegal purpose as defined under 34
CFR 685.219.
I declare under penalty of perjury (pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746) that the foregoing is true and
correct.
If any of the information is crossed out or altered in Section 4 or 5A, the authorized official must initial those changes.
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Official's Name:

Official's Phone:

Official's Title:
Official's Email:
Authorized Official's Signature:

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Date (mm/dd/yyyy):

Page 4 of 26

Please omit pages 4–16 when mailing or faxing back.

Section 5B: Alternative Documentation For Employment Certification (only if
Section 5A cannot be completed)
If you cannot obtain certification from your employer because the organization is closed or because
the organization is unable to certify your employment and indicated that by checking the box above
on this form, you can submit alternative documentation that may allow your employment to be
certified. See Section 6 for more information. If this form is submitted without the necessary
supporting documents, we will contact you to request additional information before your employment
can be certified.

Section 6: Instructions for Completing This Form
When completing this form, type or print using dark ink. Enter dates as month/day/year (mm/dd/yyyy).
Use only numbers. Example: March 14, 2023 2027 = 03/14/20232027. If you need to correct any
answer on this form, cross through the original answer, provide the correct answer, AND initial the
change. If this form is completed using the PSLF Help Tool at StudentAid.gov/pslf, you can request
that your employer sign it electronically and submit it directly to the Department. If this form is being
completed manually or was generated to sign manually, it must be signed using an acceptable
signature and submitted to us. Terms in BOLD are defined in Section 7.
Notes for completing Section 4:
Question 1: The Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN/EIN) is a 9-digit number that
can generally be found in box b of your IRS Form W-2 (W-2). However, if your employer uses a
Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or you are employed under a contract in a position
or providing services that, under applicable state law, cannot be filled or provided by a direct
employee of the qualifying employer, you will need to obtain the FEIN/EIN of the qualifying
employer directly, because the FEIN/EIN on your W-2 or 1099 may be that of a different
organization. An FEIN/EIN that is found using an internet search or on an IRS Form other than a
W-2 (for example an IRS Form 1099), may not be the FEIN/EIN that an employer uses for payroll
purposes and will not be included in the PSLF Employer Database.
Question 2: If this form was generated by the Help Tool, the employer name selected from the
PSLF Employer Database or name you manually entered will be pre-populated. If this form is
being completed manually, enter the name of your employer as it appears on your W-2 (unless
your employer uses a PEO, in which case provide your non-PEO employer’s name).
Question 3: If this form is being completed manually, enter the address of your employer. If your
form was generated by the Help Tool, that information will be prepopulated on this form.

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Question 4: Employment or Certification Begin Date Enter the date that you began your
employment with the employer whose FEIN/EIN appears in Question 1:


If this is the first time you are submitting this employer for certification, or



If you have continued to be employed in the same employment status (Question 5) since you
began employment with this employer.

Enter the begin date that you would like to be evaluated with the employer whose FEIN/EIN
appears in Question 1:


If your employment status has changed since you last had your employment certified with
this employer, or



If you have had a break in employment since you last had your employment certified with this
employer.

Enter the date that you:


Ended employment with the employer whose FEIN/EIN appears in Question 1, or



Ceased to be in the employment status reported in Question 5.

Check the box labeled “Still Employed”, if you are still employed with the employer whose
FEIN/EIN appears in Question 1 at the time you are completing this form.
Question 5: Check the Full-Time box if you worked an average of 30 hours or more per week for
the period of time being certified in Question 4 or otherwise meet the definition of Full-Time
provided in Section 7. If you worked an average of less than 30 hours per week, check the PartTime box.
Question 6: Provide the average number of hours you worked per week during the period being
certified rounded up to the nearest whole number. This should include vacation, leave time, or any
leave taken under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, but should not include time spent
performing volunteer services.
Notes for completing Section 5A:
The Authorized Official must review the information provided in Section 4 for accuracy. As part of
this review, they should ensure that the FEIN/EIN provided in Question 1 belongs to their organization
OR is the FEIN/EIN that is used for payroll purposes, that the employee named in Section 1 is or was
a direct employee of their organization for the period being certified, OR is or was employed under a
contract in a position or providing services for their organization that, under applicable state law,
cannot be filled or provided by a direct employee of their organization. If the Authorized Official
needs to correct any answer in Section 4, they must cross through the original answer, provide the
correct answer, AND initial the changes.
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The Authorized Official must provide a response to the statement that the employer does not engage in
activities such that it has a substantial illegal purpose for this form to be processed (as defined below in
Section 7 of this form).

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Notes for completing Section 5B:
If you are unable to have this form completed by an Authorized Official because the organization
has closed or you are unable to contact your employer to obtain an acceptable signature, you may
be able to certify your employment using alternative documentation. This process will add significant
time to the review of this form. If the employment being certified is or was with the U.S. Military, you
can submit this form with a Form DD-214 or an SCRA Status Report document that corresponds with
the employment period in Question 4, instead of completing Section 5A. If the employment being
certified is for any other employer, you must submit documentation that confirms both the FEIN/EIN of
the employer AND your period of employment, instead of completing Section 5A. This would include
an IRS Form W-2 for every calendar year included in your employment period (with or without
corresponding paystubs), OR paystubs for every month that you were employed during the
employment period. Any month that cannot be documented will not be certified as eligible
employment.

Section 7: Definitions
Definitions Specific to this Form
The PSLF Employer Database is a searchable database maintained by the Department that
borrowers search by entering their employer’s FEIN/EIN when using the Help Tool to generate
this form. Forms generated this way will be prepopulated with data from this database when the
form is generated by using the Help Tool. Many employers are already included in the database
and more are added every day. The database can be searched without logging in by going to
StudentAid.gov/pslf/employer-search. The database will display if the employer is eligible,
ineligible, or undetermined during the period of employment entered by the borrower.
The PSLF Help Tool can be accessed at StudentAid.gov/pslf. This Help Tool permits a
borrower the ability to search the PSLF Employer Database to generate this form for eligible
employers in the database. The Help Tool also allows a borrower to request the Authorized
Official to sign this form electronically. By signing electronically, this form can be submitted for
review without the need to print it out or obtaining an acceptable signature.
The Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN/EIN) is a number issued by the IRS to an
employer and is generally provided to the employee in box b of the employee’s IRS Form W-2.
This should not be confused with a similar State ID number that is found in box 15 of the W-2.
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is an organization that provides administrative
services, such as payroll and benefits, for another organization under a contractual agreement.
PEOs are co-employers of an employee, but for PSLF purposes, the employee is considered a
direct employee of the non-PEO employer. A borrower whose employer uses a PEO, will need to
obtain the non-PEO employer’s FEIN/EIN because the FEIN/EIN that appears on their W-2 is that

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of the PEO. A PEO is not the same as a staffing agency which instead is the sole employer of an
individual who performs their work for a different organization.
A direct employee is an employee that is hired by and receives a W-2 to document their
compensation from their employer or from a PEO contracted by the employer. An employee that is
self-employed or receives an IRS Form 1099 is generally not considered a direct employee unless
they are employed under a contract in a position or providing services that, under applicable state
law, cannot be filled or provided by a direct employee of the qualifying employer.
An Authorized Official is an individual who by the authority of an employer has access to the
borrower's employment or service records and is authorized by the employer to certify the
employment status of the organization's employees or former employees, or the service of
AmeriCorps or Peace Corps volunteers.
The employment period is the time between the employment or certification begin date and the
employment or certification end date provided on the form or, if the borrower indicates they are
still employed, the time between the employment or certification begin date and the date the
Authorized Official certifies the form. Borrowers are encouraged to certify their employment
annually or when they change employers or employment status.
Employment status is the determination of whether the borrower is Full-Time or Part-Time during
the employment period on the form. A separate form must be submitted when there is a change in
employment status with the same employer. A borrower with multiple simultaneous qualifying
Part-Time employers during the same period can be considered to meet Full-Time employment if
the Part-Time hours at each employer total 30 or more hours.
Full-Time employment, for PSLF purposes, means working 30 or more hours per week on
average for the employment period on the form regardless of whether the employer considers that
Full-Time for other purposes. Working less than 30 hours per week on average is considered PartTime. When determining if a borrower is Full-Time, an employer must include all hours, including
vacation, leave time, or any leave taken under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. However,
do not include time spent performing volunteer services. If a borrower is employed on a
contractual basis where they provide an average of 30 hours of work per week for a minimum of 8
months in a 12 month period, such as in an educational setting, but they continue to be
considered employed for the full year, they should be considered Full-Time for the full 12 months.
If the borrower performs non-tenure track employment, such as an adjunct or non-tenure track
faculty member, the employer can calculate the weekly average hours for determining Full-Time
status by using a formula that multiplies the contact hours per week by at least 3.35 hours.

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An acceptable signature for this form includes:


a handwritten signature in dark ink,



a hand drawn electronic signature made using a mouse or finger on a digital device, or



a digitized image of a handwritten signature that has been embedded on the signature line of
this form.

Other forms of signatures including, certificate-based signatures and typed names, even if using a
font that mimics cursive text, are NOT acceptable signatures for this form.
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General Definitions Related to PSLF and Student Loans
NOTE: Additional PSLF and TEPSLF specific terms are defined in-context in Section 10.
A loan enters default when a borrower’s payment is delinquent more than 270 days. A loan in
default is not eligible for PSLF and payments made while in default are not eligible payments for
PSLF. A borrower can resolve a defaulted loan by contacting their servicer.
A deferment is a period during which you are allowed to postpone making payments temporarily,
on the basis of meeting the eligibility requirements for the deferment.
Eligible Loans are loans made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)
Program that are not in default.
An eligible payment is a payment that is made in full for a month that you are repaying your loan
under an eligible repayment plan or is the equivalent of an eligible payment attributed to a month
in which you are in repayment.For a payment to be an eligible payment under the Repayment
Assistance Plan, the payment must be both made in-full and on-time, meaning the full scheduled
amount due must be received on or afterbetween the most recent due date and beforey the due
date of the current monthdue date.
A forbearance is a period during which you are allowed to postpone making payments
temporarily, allowed an extension of time for making payments, or temporarily allowed to make
smaller payments than scheduled.
An Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plan is a repayment plan that bases your monthly payment
on your annual income and family size. These plans are qualifying repayment plans for PSLF and
are, generally, the only plans that would have a remaining loan balance after you have made 120
qualifying payments. You must recertify your income annually to remain on an IDR plan.
A qualifying employer is a U. S. based governmental organization, an organization under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a)
of the Internal Revenue Code, or a non-profit organization that dedicates a majority of its full-time
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equivalent employees to providing certain non-governmental public services. Serving in an
AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position is also qualifying employment.

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A qualifying payment is recorded when an eligible payment (or equivalent) is matched to a
month of eligible full-time employment with a qualifying employer.
Activities that may result in the determination that an employer has a substantial illegal purpose
include: Substantial illegal purposes that may result in the revocation of an employer’s
qualifying status include:
 aiding or abetting violations of Federal immigration laws;
Helping, encouraging, or participating in violations of federal immigration laws, such as illegal
entry or other violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1325; see also 8
U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). Aiding or abetting has the same meaning as in 18 U.S.C. 2.
 supporting terrorism, including by facilitating funding to, or the operations of, cartels, or by
engaging in violence for the purpose of obstructing or influencing Federal Government policy;
Providing money, resources, or other support to terrorist organizations (including cartels
designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under 8 U.S.C. 1189) or committing violence to
obstruct or influence federal government policies. Terrorism is defined in 18 U.S.C. 2331,
violent acts aimed at government policy are covered under 18 U.S.C. 1501 et seq., and crime
of violence is defined in 18 U.S.C. 16.
 engaging in the chemical and surgical castration or mutilation of children in violation of Federal or
State law;
Performing procedures on individuals under 19 that alter or remove sexual organs or attempt
to change their physical appearance to match a gender identity different from their biological
sex, in violation of federal or state law.
 engaging in the trafficking of children to States for purposes of emancipation from their lawful
parents in violation of Federal or State law;
Transporting individuals under 19 across state lines without parental or guardian consent to
remove them from lawful parental control or legal guardianship, in violation of federal or state
law.
 engaging in a pattern of aiding and abetting illegal discrimination; or
Repeatedly helping or encouraging violations of federal anti-discrimination laws, such as those
prohibiting discrimination based on race, disability, or age (42 U.S.C. 1981 et seq.; 42 U.S.C.
12101 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.). Aiding or abetting has the same meaning as in 18
U.S.C. 2.
 engaging in a pattern of violating State laws.
Repeatedly committing minor crimes under state law, including trespassing, disorderly
conduct, creating a public nuisance, vandalism, or blocking highways. A violation requires a
final, non-default judgment by a state court.

Section 8: Where to Send This Form
Return the completed form and any documentation to:
Mail to:
U.S. Department of
Education P.O. Box 300010
Greenville, TX 75403
Federal Student Aid | StudentAid.gov

Fax to: 540-212-2415
To upload: Log in to StudentAid.gov
and visit My Activity

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Section 9: Help With Completing the Application
If you need help completing this form, contact us:
Phone: 1-888-303-7818 (TTY: dial 711, then phone number)
Website: StudentAid.gov

Section 10: Important Information About PSLF and TEPSLF
Terms in Bold are defined in Section 7.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was created by Congress in October 2007, to
encourage employment in the public service sector. A borrower qualifies for forgiveness of any
remaining principal and interest on their eligible loans once they have made the equivalent of 120
qualifying payments after October 1, 2007, while employed full-time with a qualifying employer.
Congress authorized a Temporary Expansion of the PSLF program (TEPSLF) in March 2018, that
allowed borrowers that were otherwise eligible for PSLF to become eligible if the only reason they did
not qualify for PSLF was because some or all of their payments were made under an certain ineligible
repayment plans. For a more comprehensive overview of these programs, including FAQ’s, visit
StudentAid.gov/publicservice.
Loan Eligibility
Only Direct Loan Program loans (including Direct Consolidation Loans) that are not in default are
eligible for PSLF. Loans you received under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the
Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program, or any other student loan program are not eligible for
PSLF.
If you have FFEL Program or Perkins Loan Program loans, you may consolidate them into a Direct
Consolidation Loan to take advantage of PSLF. However, payments made on those loans before you
consolidated them do not count as eligible PSLF payments. In addition, if you made eligible Eligible
payments made on aon the original Direct Loans and thenbefore consolidate consolidation it into a
Direct Consolidation Loan, the eligible payments you

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made on the original Direct Loan(s) will be added as eligible payments to the new Direct
Consolidation Loan based on a weighted average of the loans that were included in the Direct
Cconsolidatedion Loan.
If you are planning to consolidate your FFEL Program or Perkins Loan Program loans into a Direct
Consolidation Loan to take advantage of PSLF and do not have any Direct Loans, do not submit this
form until you have consolidated your loans. The online application for Direct Consolidation Loans
contains a section that allows you to indicate that you are consolidating your loans for PSLF.
If you plan to consolidate Perkins Loan Program loans, first understand that Perkins Loan Program
loans may be cancelled for certain types of public service. If you consolidate a Perkins Loan Program
loan, you will no longer be eligible for Perkins cancellation.
The online application is available at StudentAid.gov/consolidation. If you don't know whether you
have Direct Loans, log in to your account on StudentAid.gov.
Payment Eligibility
An eligible payment is one that is made in full for a month that you are repaying your loan under an
eligible repayment plan or is the equivalent of an eligible payment attributed to a month in which you
are in repayment. Only eligible payments made on or after October 1, 2007, can become a qualifying
payment for PSLF or TEPSLF.
A payment is considered made in full if it is received for the full amount due based on your scheduled
payment or if you make multiple payments within the payment period that add up to at least the full
scheduled amount due. A payment is also considered paid in full if it is any of the eligible payment
equivalents described in this sectionand whether you are in repayment under an IDR plan other than the
Repayment Assistance Plan.
Eligible Repayment Plans
Your payments must be made under a qualifying repayment plan. Qualifying repayment plans for
PSLF include:
any of the following Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plans:


Repayment Assistance Plan,




Income-Based Repayment (IBR)Plan,
Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) (formerly REPAYE),



Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Plan (prior to 7/1/2028),



Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR)

Plan(prior to 7/1/2028)
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

. Or

The 10-Year Standard Repayment plan, or any other Direct Loan repayment plan (except the
Tiered Standard plan and Alternative Repayment plan), if those payments are at least equal to the
monthly payment amount that would be required under the 10-Year Standard Repayment plan.

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NOTE: The Standard Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans made on or after July 1, 2006,
and before July 1, 2026, has repayment periods that range from 10 to 30 years. Monthly payments
you make under this plan are eligible payments for PSLF only if the repayment period is 10 years.
This repayment plan is always a qualifying repayment plan for TEPSLF (for more information
regarding eligible repayment plans for TEPSLF, see below). Borrowers with any loan made on or
after July 1, 2026, are ineligible for this plan regardless of when their other Direct Loans were made.
While repayment plans other than an IDR plan may be qualifying repayment plans for PSLF, you
must have a remaining balance to forgive when you reach 120 qualifying payments. Otherwise, your
loans will be fully repaid within 10 years. You will generally only have a remaining balance if you have
been repaying under an IDR plan. To apply for an IDR plan, visit StudentAid.gov/idr/.
Payment Eligibility
An eligible payment is one that is made in full for a month that you are repaying your loan under an
eligible repayment plan or is the equivalent of an eligible payment attributed to a month in which you
are in repayment. Only eligible payments made on or after October 1, 2007, can become a qualifying
payment for PSLF or TEPSLF.
A payment is considered made in full only if it is received for the full amount due based on your scheduled
payment or if you make multiple payments are made within the payment period that add up to at least the
full scheduled amount due. A payment is also considered paid in full if it is any of the eligible payment
equivalents described in this section and whether you are in repayment under an IDR plan other than the
Repayment Assistance Plan.
Eligible Payment Equivalents
You can receive aA payment equivalent by makingis a payment made that exceeds your monthly
scheduled payment due so long as itand also satisfies a future scheduled payment. This is often
referred to as a lump sum payment. The number of payment equivalents depends on the amount
received and your scheduled monthly payment due. However, if you are enrolled in the Repayment
Assistance Plan, you will not beare in eligible to receive matching principal or interest subsidies
provided under the plan if you choose to receive the payment equivalents. for PSLF. Thus, ifiIf you
are enrolled in the Repayment Assistance Program, you will need to waive the advancement of your
due date in order to receive your principal or interest subsidies and continue making your scheduled
payment. You cannot receive a payment equivalent beyond your next IDR recertification date or 12
months, whichever is sooner. Any paymentspayment equivalent s in excess of this amountyour
recertification date or made when you opt out of advancing your due date will be applied to principal.
These payment equivalents but will not result in additional eligible payments.
Scheduled payments are those that are made while you are in repayment. They do not include
payments made while your loans are in an in-school or grace status, or in a deferment or forbearance
status (except those included below).
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Receiving one of the following deferments or forbearances at any time during a month is
equivalent to an eligible payment while you are in repayment under an IDR plan other than the
Repayment Assistance Plan:


Cancer treatment deferment,



Economic hardship deferment,



Military service deferment,



Post-active-duty student deferment,



AmeriCorps forbearance,



National Guard Duty forbearance,



U.S. Department of Defense Student Loan Repayment Program forbearance,



Administrative forbearance; or



Mandatory administrative forbearance

Employment Eligibility
To qualify for PSLF, you must be a direct employee of a qualifying employer. A direct employee is
someone who is hired and paid by the employer, and who receives an IRS Form W-2 from the

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employer. You may physically perform your work at a qualifying or non-qualifying organization, as
long as you are a direct employee of a qualifying employer.
However, if you are employed under a contract in a position or providing services that, under
applicable State law, cannot be filled or provided by direct employees of the qualifying employer, you
can be treated as a direct employee of the qualifying employer where you perform your work.
Qualifying Employer
For PSLF, a qualifying employer is a:


U.S. based governmental organization (at the federal, state, local, or Tribal level, including the
U.S. Armed Forces and National Guard)



a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), or



a non-profit organization that provides certain non-governmental public services.

Additionally, a qualifying employer must not be determined by the Secretary through a
preponderance of evidence and opportunity to respond to have engaged on or after July 1, 2026 in
illegal activities such that the employer is found to have a substantial illegal purpose. Such
determinations will be made known in the PSLF employer database.
Service in an AmeriCorps position approved by the Corporation for National and Community Service
under Section 123 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12573) or a fulltime assignment in a Peace Corps position under 22 U.S.C. 2504 is also qualifying employment.
A non-profit organization that is not a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC
may be a qualifying organization if a majority of its full-time equivalent employees are engaged in one
or more specific non-governmental public services.
These services include:


Emergency management,



Civilian service to military personnel,



Military service,



Public safety,



Law enforcement services,



Public health services,



Public education,



Public library services,



School library and other school-based services,

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

Public interest legal services,



Early childhood education, and



Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.

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Full definitions of each of these non-governmental public services are available at
StudentAid.gov/publicservice.
Non-Qualifying Employer
For PSLF, a qualifying employer cannot be a:


a business organized for profit,



a labor union, or



a partisan political organization, or.



employment as a member of the U.S. Congress (if you’re employed as a Representative or
Senator) is not a qualifying employer.

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
Additionally, employment as a member of the U.S. Congress is not qualifying employment.
Additionally, on or after July 1, 2026, an qualifying employer that must not be determined by the
Secretary has determined under 34 CFR 685.219 to havethrough a preponderance of evidence and
opportunity to respond to have engaged on or after July 1, 2026 in illegal activities such that the
employer is found to have a substantial illegal purpose is not a qualifying employer.
Such determinations will be made known in the PSLF employer database.

Full-Time Employment
For PSLF purposes, full-time means at least an average of 30 hours per week for the employment
period being certified.
All hours for which you are paid should be included in the average hours worked per week, however,
time spent performing volunteer work should not be included.
Vacation or leave time provided by the employer or leave taken for a condition that is a qualifying
reason for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29, U.S.C. 2612(a)(1) and (3)
should be included in the average hours worked per week.
If you are a teacher or in another position under contract for at least eight out of 12 months, you meet
the full-time standard if you work an average of at least 30 hours per week during the contractual
period and receive credit by your employer for a full year's worth of employment.
If you are a non-tenure or adjunct faculty member at an institution of higher education meaning you
are paid solely for the credit hours you teach, you meet the definition of full-time if you are employed
the equivalent of 30 hours per week as determined by multiplying each credit or contact hour taught
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per week by at least 3.35.
If you are employed part-time by more than one qualifying employer simultaneously, you may
meet the full-time employment requirement if you work a combined average of at least 30
hours per week with your employers.

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Qualifying Payment
You must accumulate 120 qualifying payments to have your eligible loans forgiven through PSLF.
These qualifying payments do not need to be consecutive.
An eligible payment is considered to become a qualifying payment when the month to which the
eligible payment is attributed is matched to a month that you have certified full-time employment with
a qualifying employer.
TEPSLF Eligibility
To qualify for TEPSLF, you must be ineligible for PSLF only because some or all of your payments
were not made under the Extended, Graduated, or Consolidation Standard Plans under a qualifying
repayment plan for PSLF and if the payment that you made 12 months prior to reaching 120
qualifying payments for TEPSLF and the 120th qualifying payment were at least as much as you
would have paid under the lowest payment available to you on an IDR plan other than the Repayment
Assistance Plan.

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If you meet these requirements, you will be evaluated for TEPSLF eligibility under the expanded list of
qualifying repayment plans for TEPSLF which include the:


Qualifying repayment plans for PSLF except the Repayment Assistance Plan,



Graduated Repayment Plans,



Extended Repayment Plans,



Standard Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans, and



Graduated Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans.

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
Additionally, borrowers whose only available IDR plan is the Repayment Assistance Plan because
they have a loan made on or after July 1, 2026, cannot be considered for TEPSLF eligibility.

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Other Important Information
The period of service used to qualify for Teacher Loan Forgiveness or Civil Legal Assistance Attorney
Student Loan Repayment programs cannot also count as eligible payments for PSLF.
You have the option to request a forbearance on your Direct Loans if you are submitting this form
and you believe that you qualify for forgiveness right now because you have made 120 qualifying
payments. However, when evaluating whether to choose forbearance, it is important to understand
that these periods of forbearance will not count toward PSLF or TEPSLF if it is determined you do not
have 120 qualifying payments yet. Note: If you do not request a forbearance, any payments made
after your 120th qualifying payment will be refunded to you or applied to any other outstanding loans
held by the Department.
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If you have a month in your payment history that would otherwise count as a qualifying payment, but it
is not because you were in a deferment or forbearance status other than those that are considered
an eligible payment equivalent, you can take action to make that month a qualifying payment. To do
so you must make a payment of at least as much as what you would have made under an IDR plan
that you were eligible for each month that meets the condition. More information about this process is
available at StudentAid.gov/publicservice.

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Section 11: Important Notices
PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT
Authority: The authorities for collecting the requested information from and about you are §421 et
seq., §451 et seq., or §461 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C.1071
et seq., 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq., or 20 U.S.C. 1087aa et seq.),.) and the authorities for collecting and
using your Social Security Number number (SSN) are §§428B(f) and 484(a)(4) of the HEA (20 U.S.C.
1078-2(f) and 1091(a)(4)) and 31 U.S.C.7701(b). for the purposes of PparticipatingParticipating in the
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)
Program, or Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Program. and giving us your SSN are voluntary,
but you must provide the requested information, including your SSN, to participate. The collection of
your SSN is also authorized by Executive Order 9397, as amended by Executive Order 13478
(November 18, 2008).

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Purpose: The principal purposes for collecting the information on this form, including your SSN, are
to verify your identity, to determine your eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a loan (such as a
deferment, forbearance, discharge, or forgiveness) under the Direct Loan, FFEL, or Federal Perkins
Loan Programs, to permit the servicing of your loans, and, if it becomes necessary, to locate you and
to collect and report on your loans If your loans become delinquent or default. We also use your SSN
as an account identifier and to permit you to access your account information electronically.
Routine Uses: The information provided on this form will only be disclosed outside of the Department
with prior written consent or as otherwise allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act)
(5 U.S.C. 552a). The Privacy Act’s requirement for prior written consent has an exception for disclosure,
without consent, for “routine uses” that the Department publishes in our System of Records Notices
(SORNs). The Department may disclose, without consent, the information provided on this form
pursuant to the routine uses identified in the “Common Services for Borrowers (CSB)” (18-11-16) SORN,
which is available on the Department’s “Privacy Act System of Record Notice Issuances (SORN)”
webpage located at https://www2.ed.gov/notices/ed-pia.html.https://www.ed.gov/about/edoverview/required-notices/privacy/privacy-act-system-of-record-notice-issuances. The information in
your file may be disclosed, on a case-by-case basis or under a computer matching program, to third
parties as authorized under routine uses in the appropriate systems of records notices.
These routine uses include, but are not limited:

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To verify the identity of the individual whom records indicate has applied for or received title IV, HEA
program funds, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies, educational and financial institutions,
and their authorized representatives; to Federal, State, Tribal, or local agencies, and their authorized
representatives; to private parties, such as relatives, business and personal associates, and present
and former employers; to creditors; to consumer reporting agencies; to adjudicative bodies; and to the
individual whom the records identify as the party obligated to repay the title IV, HEA obligation. To
determine program eligibility and benefits, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies,

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educational and financial institutions, and their authorized representatives; to Federal, State, or local
agencies, and their authorized representatives; to private parties, such as relatives, business and
personal associates, and present and former employers; to creditors; to consumer reporting
agencies; and to adjudicative bodies. To permit originating, disbursing, servicing, collecting,
assigning, adjusting, transferring, referring, furnishing of credit information, or discharging title IV,
HEA obligations, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies, educational institutions, or financial
institutions that originated, held, serviced, or have been assigned the title IV, HEA obligation, and

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their authorized representatives; to a party identified by the debtor as willing to advance funds to
repay the title IV, HEA obligation; to Federal, State, or local agencies, and their authorized
representatives; to private parties, such as relatives, business and personal associates, and present
and former employers; to creditors; to consumer reporting agencies; and to adjudicative bodies. To
investigate possible fraud or abuse or to verify compliance with contractual requirements or Federal,
State, local, or Tribal statutory, regulatory, or program requirements, disclosures may be made to
guaranty agencies, educational and financial institutions, third-party servicers, and their authorized
representatives; to Federal, State, Tribal, or local agencies, and their authorized representatives; to
private parties, such as relatives, present and former employers, and business and personal
associates; to creditors; to consumer reporting agencies; and to adjudicative bodies. To verify
whether a title IV, HEA obligation qualifies for discharge, disclosures may be made to guaranty
agencies, educational and financial institutions, and their authorized representatives; to Federal,
State, or local agencies, and their authorized representatives; to private parties, such as relatives,
present and former employers, and business and personal associates; to creditors; to consumer
reporting agencies; and to adjudicative bodies.

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Effects of Not Providing Information: Providing information on this form, including an aid
recipient’syour SSN, is voluntary; however, failure to provide the requested information if not enough
information is provided to process this form, themay result in your request may bebeing delayed or
denied.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION NOTICE.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB
control number for this information collection is 1845-0110. Public reporting burden for this collection
of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is
required to obtain a benefit (34 CFR 685.219).
If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this
form, please contact us (see Section 9).

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