Application and Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Form

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF) & TEMPORARY
EXPANDED PSLF (TEPSLF) CERTIFICATION & APPLICATION

PSLF

OMB No. 1845-0110
DRAFT FORM
Exp. Date XX/XX/XXXX
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program
PSFAP - XBCR
WARNING: Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or misrepresentation on this form or on
any accompanying document is subject to penalties that may include fines, imprisonment, or both, under
the U.S. Criminal Code and 20 U.S.C. 1097.

SECTION 1: BORROWER INFORMATION
Please enter or correct the following information.
Check this box if any of your information has changed.
SSN
Date of Birth
Name
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Telephone - Primary
Telephone - Alternate
Email
For more information on PSLF, visit StudentAid.gov/publicservice. To apply online, visit StudentAid.gov/PSLF.
SECTION 2: BORROWER REQUEST, UNDERSTANDINGS, AND CERTIFICATION
I request (1) that the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) determine whether I qualify for PSLF or TESPLF, and
discharge any qualifying loans that I have, and (2) if none of my loans qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF when I submit this form,
determine how many qualifying payments I have made towards PSLF and TEPSLF.
I just want to find out how many qualifying payments I have made or if my employer is a qualified employer.
I believe I qualify for forgiveness under PSLF or TEPSLF right now.
If I indicated that I believe I qualify for forgiveness now, I want a forbearance while my application is being processed, but
understand that periods of forbearance do not count towards forgiveness.
I understand that:
1. To qualify for forgiveness, I must have made 120 qualifying payments on my Direct Loans while employed full-time by a
qualifying employer. Neither the 120 qualifying payments nor employment have to be consecutive.
2. To qualify for forgiveness, I must be employed full-time by a qualifying employer when I apply for and get forgiveness.
3. By submitting this form, my student loans held by the Department may be transferred to FedLoan Servicing.
4. If the Department determines that I appear to be eligible for forgiveness, the Department may contact my employer
before granting forgiveness to ensure that I continue to work for the employer.
5. If I am eligible for forgiveness, the amount forgiven will be the principal and interest that was due on my eligible Direct
Loans when I made my final qualifying payment. Any amount that I pay on those loans after I have made my final
qualifying payment will be treated as an overpayment. I must continue to make payments on any of my other loans.
6. If I am not eligible for forgiveness, I will be notified of the determination, why it was made, and how many qualifying
payments I have made towards PSLF and TEPSLF.
I certify that all of the information I have provided on this form and in any accompanying document is true, complete, and
correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and that if I cease to be employed by a qualifying employer after I submit this
application, but before forgiveness is granted, I will notify the Department (see Section 7) immediately.
Check this box if you cannot obtain certification from your employer because the organization is closed or because the
organization has refused to certify your employment. The Department will follow up to assist you in getting
documentation of your employment. Complete Section 3, but do not complete Section 4.
Date

Borrower's Signature
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Borrower Name

Borrower SSN

SECTION 3: EMPLOYER INFORMATION (TO BE COMPLETED BY THE BORROWER OR EMPLOYER)
1.

10. Is your employer tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)?
If your employer is tax-exempt under another
subsection of 501(c) of the IRC, such as 501(c)(4) or
501(c)(6), check "No" to this question.
Yes - Skip to Section 4.

Employer Name:

2. Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)

No - Continue to Item 11.
3.

11. Is your employer a not-for-profit organization that is
not tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code?
Yes - Continue to Item 12.

Employer Address:

No - Your employer does not qualify.
4. Employer Website (if any):

12. Is your employer a partisan political organization or a
labor union?
Yes - Your employer does not qualify.
No - Continue to Item 13.

5. Employment Begin Date:

6. Employment End Date:
OR
7. Employment Status:

Full-Time

Still Employed
Part-Time

13. Which of the following services does your employer
provide? Check all that apply and then continue to
Section 4. If you check "None of the above", do not
submit this form.
Emergency management
Military service (See Section 6)
Public safety

8. Hours Per Week (Average)

Law enforcement

Include vacation, leave time, or any leave taken
under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. If your
employer is a 501(c)(3) or a not-for-profit organization,
do not include any hours you spent on religious
instruction, worship services, or proselytizing.

Public interest legal services (See Section 6)
Early childhood education (See Section 6)
Public service for individuals with disabilities
Public service for the elderly

9. Is your employer a governmental organization?

Public health (See Section 6)

A governmental organization is a Federal, State,
local, or Tribal government organization, agency, or
entity, a public child or family service agency, a Tribal
college or university, or the Peace Corps or
AmeriCorps.
Yes - Skip to Section 4.

Public education
Public library services
School library services
Other school-based services

None of the above - the employer does not
qualify.
SECTION 4: EMPLOYER CERTIFICATION (TO BE COMPLETED BY THE EMPLOYER)
By signing, I certify (1) that the information in Section 3 is true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and
belief, (2) that I am an authorized official (see Section 6) of the organization named in Section 3, and (3) that the borrower
named in Section 1 is or was an employee of the organization named in Section 3.
Note: If any of the information is crossed out or altered in Section 3, you must initial those changes.
Official's Name
Official's Phone
No - Continue to Item 10.

Official's Title

Official's Email
Date

Authorized Official's Signature
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SECTION 5: INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE FORM
When completing this form, type or print using dark ink. Enter dates as month-day-year (mm-dd-yyyy). Use only numbers.
Example: March 14, 2016 = 03-14-2016. For more information about PSLF and how to use this form, visit StudentAid.gov/
publicservice. Return the completed form to the address shown in Section 7.
SECTION 6: DEFINITIONS
QUALIFYING PAYMENT DEFINITIONS
Qualifying payments are on-time, full monthly
payments made on an eligible loan after October 1, 2007
under a qualifying repayment plan while employed full-time
by a qualifying employer.
An on-time payment is a payment made no more than
15 days after the due date for the payment.
Eligible loans are loans made under the William D. Ford
Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program that are not in
default.
Qualifying repayment plans for PSLF include the
Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) plan, the Pay As You Earn
(PAYE) plan, the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan, the
Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan, the Standard
Repayment plan with a maximum 10-year repayment
period, and any other Direct Loan repayment plan if
payments are at least equal to the monthly payment
amount that would be required under the Standard
Repayment plan with a 10-year repayment period.
Qualifying repayment pans for TEPSLF include the
qualifying repayment plans for PSLF, as well as the
Graduated Repayment Plan, Extended Repayment Plan,
Standard Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans,
and Graduated Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation
Loans.
QUALIFYING EMPLOYMENT DEFINITIONS
A Qualifying employer includes the government, a notfor-profit organization that is tax-exempt under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a private not-forprofit organization that provides certain public services.
Serving in an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position is also
qualifying employment.
Government includes a Federal, State, local or Tribal
government organization, agency or entity; a public child or
family service agency; or a Tribal college or university.
A private not-for-profit organization is an
organization that is not organized for profit, is not a labor
union, is not a partisan political organization, and provides
at least one of the following public services: (1) emergency
management, (2) military service, (3) public safety, (4) law
enforcement, (5) public interest legal services, (6) early
childhood education, (7) public service for individuals with
disabilities and the elderly, (8) public health, (9) public
education, (10) public library services, (11) school library
services, or (12) other school-based services.
AmeriCorps position means a position approved by the
Corporation for National and Community Service under
Section 123 of the National and Community Service Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12573).

QUALIFYING EMPLOYMENT DEFINITIONS (CONTINUED)
Peace Corps position means a full-time assignment
under the Peace Corps Act as provided for under 22 U.S.C.
2504.
An employee means an individual who is hired and paid
by the qualifying employer.
Full-time means working for one or more qualifying
employers for the greater of: (1) an annual average of at
least 30 hours per week or, for a contractual or employment
period of at least 8 months, an average of 30 hours per
week; or (2) unless the qualifying employment is with two or
more employers, the number of hours the employer
considers full time.
An authorized official is an official of a qualifying
employer who has access to the borrower's employment or
service records and is authorized by the employer to certify
the employment status of the organization's employees or
former employees, or the service of AmeriCorps or Peace
Corps volunteers.
Early childhood education includes licensed or
regulated child care, Head Start, and State funded prekindergarten.
Law enforcement means crime prevention, control or
reduction of crime, or the enforcement of criminal law.
Military service means service on behalf of the U. S.
Armed Forces or the National Guard.
Public interest legal services refers to legal services
that are funded in whole or in part by a local, State, Federal,
or Tribal government.
Public health includes nurses, nurse practitioners,
nurses in a clinical setting, and full-time professionals
engaged in health care practitioner occupations, health
support occupations, and counselors, social Workers, and
other community and social service specialists as such terms
are defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
OTHER DEFINITIONS
A forbearance is a period during which you are allowed
to postpone making payments temporarily, allowed an
extension of time for making payments, or temporarily
allowed to make smaller payments than scheduled.

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SECTION 7: WHERE TO SEND THE COMPLETED FORM
Return the completed form and any documentation to:

If you need help completing this form, call:

Mail to: U.S. Department of Education, FedLoan Servicing,
P.O. Box 69184, Harrisburg, PA 17106-9184.
Fax to: 717-720-1628.

Domestic: 855-265-4038.
International: 717-720-1985.
TTY: dial 711, then enter 800-699-2908.
Website: MyFedLoan.org.

Upload to: MyFedLoan.org/FileUpload, if FedLoan
Servicing is already your servicer.

SECTION 8: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PSLF AND TEPSLF
PAYMENT ELIGIBILITY (CONTINUED)
You may receive loan forgiveness only after you have made
120 qualifying payments on eligible loans while working
If you make an eligible lump sum payment using a Peace
full-time in qualifying employment. There are certain
Corps transition payment, you must do so within 6 months
additional eligibility requirements for TEPSLF.
of the Employment End Date, as reported in Section 3.
PAYMENT ELIGIBILITY
To receive PSLF, you must make 120 on-time, full,
scheduled, separate monthly payments on your Direct Loans
under a qualifying repayment plan after October 1, 2007.
On-time payments are those that are received by your
servicer no later than 15 days after the scheduled payment
due date.
Full payments are payments on your Direct Loan in an
amount that equals or exceeds the amount you are required
to pay each month. If you make multiple, partial payments in
a month and the total of those partial payments equals the
required full monthly payment amount, those payments will
count as one qualifying payment provided all of the partial
payments were made within 15 days of the due date.
Scheduled payments are those that are made while you
are in repayment. They do not include payments made while
your loans are in an in-school or grace status, or in a
deferment or forbearance period.
If you were an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps volunteer, you
may receive credit for making qualifying payments if you
make a lump sum payment by using all or part of a Segal
Education Award or Peace Corps transition payment.
You may also receive credit for qualifying payments if a
lump sum payment is made on your behalf through a
student loan repayment program administered by the U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD).
If you make a lump sum payment by using an
AmeriCorps Segal Education Award or a Peace Corps
transition payment, or if a lump sum payment is made on
your behalf through a DOD student loan repayment
program, the Department will give you credit for qualifying
payments equal to the lesser of (1) the number of payments
resulting after dividing the amount of the lump sum
payment by the monthly payment amount you would have
made under one of the qualifying repayment plans listed
below; or (2) 12 payments.

You may only use an AmeriCorps Segal Education Award
or Peace Corps transition payment one time to receive
credit for more than one qualifying payment towards PSLF.
However, lump sum payments made on your behalf under a
DOD student loan repayment program may be counted as
up to 12 qualifying payments for each year that a lump sum
payment is made.
Your payments must be made under a qualifying
repayment plan. Qualifying repayment plans for PSLF
include the REPAYE plan, the PAYE plan, the IBR plan, the
ICR plan, the 10-Year Standard Repayment plan, or any other
Direct Loan repayment plan, but only payments that are at
least equal to the monthly payment amount that would be
required under the10-Year Standard Repayment plan.
Qualifying repayment plans for TEPSLF include the
qualifying repayment plans for PSLF, as well as Graduated,
Extended, Standard Repayment Plan for Direct
Consolidation Loans and Graduated Repayment Plan for
Direct Consolidation Loans.
Though repayment plans other than the REPAYE, PAYE,
IBR, and ICR plans are qualifying repayment plans for PSLF,
you must enter REPAYE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR to have a
remaining balance to forgive after becoming eligible for
PSLF. Otherwise, your loans will be fully repaid within 10
years. To apply for these plans, visit StudentAid.gov/IDR.
IMPORTANT: The Standard Repayment Plan for Direct
Consolidation Loans made on or after July 1, 2006 has
repayment periods that range from 10 to 30 years. Monthly
payments you make under this plan are qualifying payments
for PSLF only if the repayment period is 10 years, which
would be the case only if the total amount of the
consolidation loan and your other eligible student loans is
less than $7,500. This repayment plan is always a qualifying
repayment plan for TEPSLF.

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SECTION 8: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PSLF (CONTINUED)
LOAN ELIGIBILITY
Only Direct Loan Program loans that are not in default
are eligible for PSLF. Loans you received under the Federal
Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Perkins
Loan (Perkins Loan) Program, or any other student loan
program are not eligible for PSLF.
If you have FFEL Program or Perkins Loan Program loans,
you may consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan
to take advantage of PSLF. However, payments made on
those loans before you consolidated them do not count as
qualifying PSLF payments. In addition, if you made
qualifying payments on a Direct Loan and then consolidate
it into a Direct Consolidation Loan, you must start over
making qualifying payments on the new Direct
Consolidation Loan.
If you are planning to consolidate your FFEL Program or
Perkins Loan Program loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan
to take advantage of PSLF and do not have any Direct Loans,
do not submit this form until you have consolidated your
loans and have subsequently made 120 qualifying
payments. The online application for Direct Consolidation
Loans contains a section that allows you to indicate that you
are consolidating your loans for PSLF. If you plan to
consolidate Perkins Loan Program loans, first understand
that Perkins Loan Program loans may be cancelled for
certain types of public service. If you consolidate a Perkins
Loan Program loan, you will no longer be eligible for Perkins
cancellation. The online application is available at
StudentAid.gov/consolidation. If you don't know whether
you have Direct Loans, go to StudentAid.gov/dashboard.
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY
To qualify for PSLF, you must be an employee of a
qualifying employer. An employee is someone who is hired
and paid by the employer, and who receives an IRS Form
W-2 from the employer. You may physically perform your
work at a qualifying or non-qualifying organization, as long
as you are an employee of a qualifying employer. If you are
working at the location of or with an organization under
contract with your employer, the organization that hired
and pays you must be a qualifying employer, not the
organization where you perform your work.
A qualifying organization is a government organization, a
tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code (IRC), or a private not-for-profit
organization that provides certain public services. Service in
an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position is also qualifying
employment.
A private not-for-profit organization that is not a taxexempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC may
be a qualifying organization if it provides certain specified
public services.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY (CONTINUED)
These services include (1) emergency management,
military service, public safety, or law enforcement services,
(2) public health services, (3) public education or public
library services, (4) school library and other school-based
services, (5) public interest legal services, (6) early childhood
education, (7) public service for individuals with disabilities
and the elderly. The organization must not be a business
organized for profit, a labor union, or a partisan political
organization.
Employment as a member of the U.S. Congress is not
qualifying employment.
You must be employed full-time by your employer.
Generally, you must meet your employer's definition of
full-time. However, for PSLF purposes, that definition must
be at least an annual average of 30 hours per week. For
purposes of the full-time requirement, your qualifying
employment at a 501(c)(3) organization or a not-for-profit
organization does not include time spent participating in
religious instruction, worship services, or any form of
proselytizing.
If you are a teacher or in another position under contract
for at least eight out of 12 months, you meet the full-time
standard if you work an average of at least 30 hours per
week during the contractual period and receive credit by
your employer for a full year's worth of employment.
If you are employed in more than one qualifying parttime job simultaneously, you may meet the full-time
employment requirement if you work a combined average
of at least 30 hours per week with your employers.
Vacation or leave time provided by the employer or leave
taken for a condition that is a qualifying reason for leave
under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29, U.S.C.
2612(a)(1) and (3) is equivalent to hours worked in qualifying
employment.
TEPSLF ELIGBILITY
To qualify for TEPSLF, you must be ineligible for PSLF
only because some or all of your payments were not made
under a qualifying repayment plan for PSLF and if the
payment that you made 12 months prior to applying for
TEPSLF and the last payment made before applying for
TEPSLF were at least as much as you would have paid under
the REPAYE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR plans.
If you meet these requirements, you will be evaluated for
TEPSLF eligibility under the expanded list of qualifying
repayment plans for TEPSLF.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
You are not permitted to apply the same period of
service to receive PSLF and the Teacher Loan Forgiveness or
Civil Legal Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment
programs.

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SECTION 8: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PSLF (CONTINUED)
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
You have the option to postpone making payments on your Direct Loans if you are submitting this form and you believe
that you qualify for forgiveness right now. However, when evaluating whether to choose forbearance, it is important to
understand that periods of forbearance do not count towards PSLF or TEPSLF. If you decline forbearance, any payments
made after your 120th qualifying payment will be refunded to you or applied to any other outstanding loans held by the
Department.
SECTION 9: IMPORTANT NOTICES
Privacy Act Notice. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C.
552a) requires that the following notice be provided to you:
The authorities for collecting the requested information
from and about you are §421 et seq., §451 et seq., or §461 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.
1071 et seq., 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq., or 20 U.S.C. 1087aa et
seq.) and the authorities for collecting and using your Social
Security Number (SSN) are §§428B(f) and 484(a)(4) of the
HEA (20 U.S.C. 1078-2(f) and 1091(a)(4)) and 31 U.S.C.
7701(b). Participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct
Loan (Direct Loan) Program, Federal Family Education Loan
(FFEL) Program, or Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan)
Program and giving us your SSN are voluntary, but you must
provide the requested information, including your SSN, to
participate.
The principal purposes for collecting the information on
this form, including your SSN, are to verify your identity, to
determine your eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a
loan (such as a deferment, forbearance, discharge, or
forgiveness) under the Direct Loan, FFEL, or Federal Perkins
Loan Programs, to permit the servicing of your loans, and, if
it becomes necessary, to locate you and to collect and
report on your loans if your loans become delinquent or
default. We also use your SSN as an account identifier and to
permit you to access your account information
electronically.
The information in your file may be disclosed, on a caseby-case basis or under a computer matching program, to
third parties as authorized under routine uses in the
appropriate systems of records notices. The routine uses of
this information include, but are not limited to, its disclosure
to federal, state, or local agencies, to private parties such as
relatives, present and former employers, business and
personal associates, to consumer reporting agencies, to
financial and educational institutions, and to guaranty
agencies in order to verify your identity, to determine your
eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a loan, to permit
the servicing or collection of your loans, to enforce the
terms of the loans, to investigate possible fraud and to verify
compliance with federal student financial aid program
regulations, or to locate you if you become delinquent in
your loan payments or if you default. To provide default rate
calculations, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies,
to financial and educational institutions, or to state
agencies. To provide financial aid history information,
disclosures may be made to educational institutions.

To assist program administrators with tracking refunds
and cancellations, disclosures may be made to guaranty
agencies, to financial and educational institutions, or to
federal or state agencies. To provide a standardized method
for educational institutions to efficiently submit student
enrollment statuses, disclosures may be made to guaranty
agencies or to financial and educational institutions. To
counsel you in repayment efforts, disclosures may be made
to guaranty agencies, to financial and educational
institutions, or to federal, state, or local agencies.
In the event of litigation, we may send records to the
Department of Justice, a court, adjudicative body, counsel,
party, or witness if the disclosure is relevant and necessary
to the litigation. If this information, either alone or with
other information, indicates a potential violation of law, we
may send it to the appropriate authority for action. We may
send information to members of Congress if you ask them
to help you with federal student aid questions. In
circumstances involving employment complaints,
grievances, or disciplinary actions, we may disclose relevant
records to adjudicate or investigate the issues. If provided
for by a collective bargaining agreement, we may disclose
records to a labor organization recognized under 5 U.S.C.
Chapter 71. Disclosures may be made to our contractors for
the purpose of performing any programmatic function that
requires disclosure of records. Before making any such
disclosure, we will require the contractor to maintain Privacy
Act safeguards. Disclosures may also be made to qualified
researchers under Privacy Act safeguards.
Paperwork Reduction Notice. According to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required
to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid
OMB control number for this information collection is
1845-0110. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 30 minutes per
response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining
the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information. The obligation to respond to this
collection is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with
34 CFR 685.219. If you have comments or concerns
regarding the status of your individual submission of this
form, please contact your loan holder directly (see Section
7).

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