Normally, a teacher who qualifies for Teacher forgiveness after five years of service at a low income Title I school, cannot also obtain Public Service Loan Forgiveness using that time. That won’t matter for someone who has less than $17,000 of federal student loan debt which is the cap for the Teacher forgiveness, but most borrowers that we talk to, have much more debt than that. To be an educator, often one or even two masters degrees, are encouraged. That comes at a pretty steep cost.
I’ve just learned that the PSLF Waiver now allows this time to count for PSLF as well as Teacher Forgiveness. Under the normal rules, it does not.
- If you got Teacher Loan Forgiveness, the period of service that led to your eligibility can count toward PSLF if you certify PSLF employment for that period
(https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/pslf-limited-waiver)
We’ve also heard that people think the PSLF is only for teachers at low income schools. It is not. It’s for all kind of public service positions, at any type of school, or other public service industry. You just have to be employed by a government entity, or a qualified non-profit. The deadline to consolidate to Direct loans to qualify for the PSLF limited Waiver program is October 31, 2022. If you have questions, or would like help to file what is necessary, please reach out to us for a 1 on 1 consultation.