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ACTION STEPS & RESOURCES TO APPLY FOR

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF) PROGRAM


There are temporary changes to PSLF that will expire on October 31, 2022. For this reason, even if you have previously applied for PSLF and were denied, we encourage you to learn more about this opportunity and apply before the deadline. Below you will find a general outline of action steps required to apply for PSLF under these temporary changes as well as additional resources where you can find more information about PSLF.

PSLF Program Action Steps

  1. Visit the StudentAid.gov website to determine if you qualify for PSLF
    • There are different types of federal loans, and the U.S. Department of Education stated that to qualify for PSLF, borrowers must first convert any non-Direct Loan into a Direct Loan through a process called consolidation.
    • You can confirm your loan type by logging in to studentaid.gov, where you can also consolidate your loans if necessary.

     

  2. Complete the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Form
    • Use the PSLF Help Tool, to complete the PSLF form. It only takes a few minutes.
    • Complete a PSLF form for every qualifying employer (i.e. federal, state, local government and non-profit organization 501 (c)(3) organizations).
    • Only employment from October 1, 2007 or later will count.
    • You will need the County of Monterey’s IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN) to add as an employer on the PSLF Help Tool. The County’s EIN is 94-6000524.

     

  3. Submit the completed PSLF form to your Department Human Resources Analyst to sign and return to you.
    • Please submit your PSLF form to your Department Human Resources Analyst for signing as soon as possible. Also, please note that the Department Human Resources Analyst’s signature must be a wet signature on the form. The term wet signature means the use of a physical signature, made by hand with a pen (“wet ink”). 
    • Once signed by your Department Human Resources Analyst, follow the submission instructions on Section 7 of the form. 

  4. You are responsible for submitting your completed form to the Federal Government by the October 31, 2022, deadline.

Keep in mind that you may need to take additional administrative steps with the Department of Education, so allow time for this in order to meet the submission deadline.

Below is a comparison of the normal PSLF requirements and the temporary changes that are currently in place until October 31, 2022. Click HERE for more information.

 

 Normal PSLF Requirements

  • Receive credit only on Direct Loans
  • Repay under the 10-year Standard Plan or an income-driven repayment plan
  • Make on-time payments
  • Work full time for a qualifying employer in order to receive credit
  • Must work for a qualifying employer at the time of application and forgiveness
  • If you got Teacher Loan Forgiveness, the period of service that led to your eligibility cannot also count toward PSLF

Changes Until Oct. 31, 2022

  • Receive credit for periods of repayment on Direct, FFEL, or Perkins Loans
  • Periods of repayment under any plan count
  • Periods of repayment on loans before consolidation count, even if on the wrong repayment plan
  • Periods of repayment where payments were late or for less than the amount due also count
  • Periods of repayment on loans before consolidation count, even if paid late or for less than the amount due
  • Can get forgiveness even if not employed or not employed by a qualifying employer at the time of application and forgiveness
  • 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  

 

DISCLAIMER: The PSLF Program is sponsored by the federal government and the Human Resources Department is advising you of the opportunity to apply for PSLF. The role of the Department Human Resource Analyst is to verify dates of employment with the County of Monterey only. The County is not responsible for the PSLF Program and did not create the PSLF form.  

Additional PSLF Resources:

Several states, including California, have state-based student loan ombudsmen who may be able to assist individual borrowers. For the California State ombudsmen information, access the Student Borrower Protection Center webpage and scroll down to the page entitled “Support for Student Loan Borrowers” and scroll to the section entitled “State-level Student Borrower Support”.

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