Eligibility Requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Qualifying employment for the PSLF Program isn’t about the specific job that you do for your employer. Instead, it’s about who your employer is. Employment with the following types of organizations qualifies for PSLF:
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Government organizations at any level (U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal)
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Not-for-profit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Serving as a full-time AmeriCorps or Peace Corps volunteer also counts as qualifying employment for the PSLF Program.
The following types of employers are ineligible and will not count as a qualifying employer for PSLF.
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Labor unions
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Partisan political organizations
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For-profit organizations, including for-profit government contractors
*For more information on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Employment eligibility, Go here to enter your FEIN to see if your employer is eligible. https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service#qualifying-employment
You can find your FEIN on a W2.
Eligibility requirements for Teacher Loan Forgiveness?
- You must have been employed as a full-time, highly qualified teacher for five complete and consecutive academic years, and at least one of those years must have been after the 1997–98 academic year.
- You must have been employed at an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves low-income students (a "low-income school or educational service agency").
- The loan(s) for which you are seeking forgiveness must have been made before the end of your five academic years of qualifying teaching service.
Teaching for Less Than a Complete Academic Year
If you were unable to complete a full academic year of teaching, that year may still be counted toward the required five complete and consecutive academic years if:
- you completed at least one-half of the academic year; and
- your employer considers you to have fulfilled your contract requirements for the academic year for the purposes of salary increases, tenure, and retirement; and
- you were unable to complete the academic year because
you returned to postsecondary education, on at least a half-time basis, in an area of study directly related to the performance of the teaching service described above;
you had a condition covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA); or
you were called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces.
Who is considered a teacher?
A teacher is a person who provides direct classroom teaching, or classroom-type teaching in a non-classroom setting. Special education teachers are considered teachers.
Am I a highly qualified teacher?
There are basic requirements that all teachers must meet to be considered highly qualified. There are also additional requirements that you must meet depending on whether you’re an elementary or secondary school teacher, and whether you’re new to the teaching profession.
Basic Requirements for All Teachers
To be a highly qualified teacher, you must have
- attained at least a bachelor’s degree;
- received full state certification as a teacher; and
- not had certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis.
You’re considered to have received full state certification even if you received your certification through alternative routes to certification or by passing the state teacher licensing examination.
If you’re a teacher at a public charter school, you are considered to have received full state certification as a teacher if you meet the requirements set forth in the state's public charter school law.
For more information on Teacher Loan Forgiveness Employment eligibility, Go Here: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher