What is Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness?

The PSLF Program is for employees of the U.S. federal, state, local, tribal government or other not-for-profit organizations. It allows eligible employees to have their remaining federal direct loan balances forgiven (i.e. eliminated) after 120 months of qualifying on-time monthly payments and reaching the required service period.

This is typically an ideal option for public school teachers or other educational professionals to eliminate any remaining federal direct loan balances from either their undergraduate or graduate degrees. However, there were some challenges with its initial implementation and many borrowers were denied the benefits of PSLF for reasons that may have been inadvertent or beyond their control.

The public outcry enabled the U.S. Department of Education to temporarily loosen the criteria for the program, on a funds-available basis. Therefore, since there is a limited amount of funding available, if you think you may qualify, you should consider submitting your application right away as it is on a first come first serve basis.

How Do I Qualify for TEPSLF?

In order to qualify for the TEPSLF program you must have already submitted the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Application and received a denial because all or some of your payments were not made under a ‘qualifying’ repayment plan.

Additionally, you must have had at least 10 years of full-time employment certified by a qualifying employer and approved by FedLoan Servicing, ED’s Federal Loan servicer for the PSLF Program. You must also have met the TEPSLF requirement for the amount you paid 12 months prior to applying for TEPSLF and the last payment you made before applying for it was at least as much as you would have paid under an income driven repayment plan.

Finally, you must have also made the 120 qualifying on-time payments under the new requirements for TEPSLF while working full-time for your qualifying employer or employers. It’s important to note that you must also have at least one federal direct loan to qualify, as borrowers who have only Federal Family Educational Loans (FFEL Loan Program), Perkins loans, non-federal and/or private loans will not qualify.

If you feel that you meet these qualifications and wish to have your PSLF eligibility reconsidered under the TEPSLF program, the process is simple. Simply send an email request to TEPSLF@myfedloan.org including your name and date of birth and that you are wishing your application to be reconsidered.

After your email is processed, FedLoan Servicing will review your previously submitted PSLF application and you will receive an email letting you know whether or not you can be considered for TEPSLF. Reconsideration reviews are ongoing, but will only continue until the funds run out. As this is only a temporary program, it’s best to submit your reconsideration request early to ensure the best chance at funding.

There are lots of resources currently available for both the PSLF program, as well as the TEPSLF program; however, if you have specific questions regarding your eligibility, it’s best to contact your loan servicer directly to ensure that you are on the correct path towards qualification. Some resources and additional information are listed below:

• Qualifying for PSLF
• Qualifying Repayment Plans
• PSLF Application Process
• PSLF Help Tool
• TEPSLF General Information
• PSLF or TEPSLF Questions

Interested in learning more about your financial aid options for graduate school? Explore our comprehensive funding e-guide here.

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Once you graduate, if you teach full time for five consecutive years in a low-income school (or educational service agency), you may be eligible to have up to $17,500 of your Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized loans eliminated (so yes, this could include any eligible student loan debt from your bachelor’s degree too!). However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind if you want to apply for this program.

First of all, does where you work qualify you for the program? If you are a teacher in a federally approved ‘low-income’ school district (or educational service agency), you may qualify. Every year the U.S. Department of Education puts out an updated list of all the approved schools. While this list may change annually, it’s always a good idea to check ahead when you are interviewing for where you want to work to see if your school qualifies. Check to see if your school qualifies.

Do You Qualify?

Second of all, do YOU as a borrower qualify? Any Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized loan balances can qualify, as long as you are in good standing on your payments. If you are in default on your student loan debt, you will need to be back in good financial standing with your loans before the remaining balance can be forgiven. But if you make your payments on time, and you borrow only Subsidized or Unsubsidized loans, you should be in good shape for forgiveness. It’s also important to note that Direct Plus Loans and Perkins Loans do not qualify for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

The good news is that applying for this program is easy. After you’ve completed your five years of service at an eligible school, you can submit your Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application to your loan servicer (aka, who you send your payments to each month). However, it’s always a good idea to contact your servicer before you start your five years of teaching, just in case they have any specific annual requirements. Here’s current application for forgiveness. Your chief administrative officer (or HR Office) at your school will need to complete the certification section prior to your submission to the loan servicer.

There is also a little known secret: If you have more than $17,500 in qualified Federal Direct Student Loans, you could qualify for even MORE forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program as well! For more information on qualifying for both programs together, check out the Federal Student Aid page.

Interested in learning more about your financial aid options for graduate school? Explore our comprehensive funding e-guide here.

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