According to the Federal Student Aid Office, a qualifying loan for PSLF is any non-defaulted loan you received under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, with some important exceptions based on when your loan was made and your loan type.
Direct Loans made before July 1, 2026
If your Direct Loans were made before July 1, 2026, they qualify for PSLF as long as they are not in default and you are not repaying them under the Tiered Standard Repayment Plan. Qualifying repayment plans for these loans include Pay as you Earn (PAYE), Income Contingent Repayment (ICR), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), 10-year Standard, and the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
Direct Loans made on or after July 1, 2026
If your Direct Loans were made on or after July 1, 2026, they can qualify for PSLF only if you repay them under the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). The Tiered Standard Repayment Plan does not qualify for PSLF. Legacy plans such as PAYE, IBR, and ICR are not available for loans made on or after July 1, 2026.
Direct Parent PLUS Loans
Direct Parent PLUS Loans do not qualify for PSLF. New Parent PLUS borrowers whose first loan is on or after July 1, 2026 are only eligible for the Tiered Standard Repayment Plan, which does not qualify for PSLF.
If you are an existing Parent PLUS borrower who consolidates your loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan before July 1, 2026 and makes at least one income-driven repayment (IDR) payment through July 1, 2028, you may be able to transition to IBR and retain PSLF eligibility. However, if you take out any new Direct Loan on or after July 1, 2026, all of your loans will be limited to Tiered Standard repayment only, making them ineligible for PSLF.
FFEL, Perkins, and other non-Direct Loans
Loans from the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Perkins Loan Program, or other non-Direct Loan programs do not qualify for PSLF on their own. However, they may become eligible if you consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan.
- Parent PLUS loans consolidated before July 1, 2026 will receive a weighted average for qualifying payments once consolidated if consolidated with other direct loans with qualifying payment, and may retain access to IBR and PSLF eligibility under the conditions described above.
- FFEL loans and Perkins loans are not eligible for the weighted average and will fully reset when consolidated.
- Direct Consolidation Loans made on or after July 1, 2026 are only eligible for the Tiered Standard Repayment Plan or the Repayment Assistance Plan. Only RAP qualifies for PSLF.
Important note about repayment plans and PSLF
Even if your loan type qualifies, only on-time payments made under a qualifying repayment plan count toward PSLF. Months spent in deferment or forbearance while enrolled in RAP do not count toward PSLF. Payments made under PAYE or ICR only count toward PSLF for loans made before July 1, 2026, and only for payments made through June 30, 2028.