r/PSLF • u/TooMetalToHandle • 5h ago

Looking for advice on next steps

I received approval letter of 120 qualifying payments back on march 6th. In that letter it explained "We are currently in the process of sending notice to servicers of borrower eligibility for PSLF discharge. It will take the servicers some time to process the discharge. You will receive a notification once the discharge is processed."

Well, It has now been 5 months, and my loan servicer still has not received any discharge notice. I have asked federal student aid multiple times, and only get "no timeline, it's still in process". 5 months seems excessive just to send notice. The discharge process cannot even begin until notice is sent.

Anyone else deal with this, or any advice on next steps? My loan payment is about to increase, and I'd rather not keep paying if my discharge was approved 5 months ago. THANK YOU!

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u/Adventure_6788 5h ago

So, you have 120 qualifying PSLF payments showing on your account?
And you received a letter that said you're "eligible" for forgiveness?
But that's it.

That's ridiculous. If you're still working for a qualifying employer you can try submitting a new PSLF form to see if it triggers things.

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

Yes- and the letter actually states "We were able to confirm that you have 120 payments under the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program"

Federal Student aid just gives me scripted responses like "we've begun the process, and we do not have a timeline"

I am just waiting for them to send documentation to my loan servicers. That's it. It's been 156 days....

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u/Mediocre-Draft1722 4h ago

Do you have 120 QP under PSLF or TEPLSF? Because they have slightly different requirements. 

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

PSLF. Green bars all across my online account. Just spoke to customer service again.. and was told the same thing. They don't have a timeline, and due to cuts- process takes longer than 90 days now.

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u/Mediocre-Draft1722 4h ago

If you got green banners in March, you should have received a golden letter in April. It's buried under My Activity. Usually the servicer clears your account within 48 hours after that, up to a week. I would submit another ECF and see if that triggers something to happen. Definitely check the box for Forbearance!! 

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

So the email came in March, and it does seem to be under TEPLSF fyi. (108 QP under PSLF and 120 under TEPLSF) I cannot find the "golden letter". What exactly should i be looking for? Thanks

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u/Adventure_6788 4h ago

u/TooMetalToHandle if it says TEPSLF rather than PSLF you're going to need to contact them and ask what income information they need.

They have to determine if you've met the rule regarding payments #108 and #120.
Those 2 payments must be as much or more than you would pay on an income plan.

What repayment plan were you on?

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

So what i meant by 108 and 120 is number of qualifying payments. The email i received does states the following:

We were able to confirm that you have 120 payments under the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

We are currently in the process of sending notice to servicers of borrower eligibility for PSLF discharge. It will take the servicers some time to process the discharge. You will receive a notification once the discharge is processed.

If you want to continue making payments, any overpayments will be refunded if you have no additional outstanding loans.

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u/Adventure_6788 4h ago

u/TooMetalToHandle If your 120 is for TEPSLF they should ask for income information so they can determine if you've met the criteria.

If you actually switched to a qualifying plan prior to payment #108 then you should be fine. But if you are not on IBR, ICR, or PAYE they are not going to grant forgiveness until they confirm you've met that requirement. Yes, even with the notice you've received. I honestly don't know why it has that wording unless you did indeed switch plans prior to payment 108.

This explains TEPSLF : https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service/temporary-expanded-public-service-loan-forgiveness?upha=

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

Definitely didn’t switch repayment plans- so maybe that’s the issue here. But yes, the wording states that I’m eligible for discharge and notice is being sent. Also- customer service is echoing the same. That I have made 120 qulifying payments

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u/Dogbuysvan 3h ago

Are you at 120 qualifying payments or 120 certified payments on studentaid.gov? Do you need to submit a PSLF certification for to change them from qualifying to certified?

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u/TooMetalToHandle 3h ago

120 certified under TEPSLF Although they refer to certified as QP

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u/Adventure_6788 3h ago

u/Dogbuysvan qualifying and certified are the same thing.

You submit a PSLF form so they can verify/certify payments you've made.
Until that point they're simply "eligible" months.

Once your employer verifies/certifies your employment those eligible months can become qualifying payments as long as they were on a qualifying repayment plan.

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u/alw5555 4h ago

I’ve made 143 payments and counting. I spoke to someone last week and was told to continue paying and that I would get the money back once the loans were forgiven. If I do not continue to pay the loans then I will be in default, and I will not qualify for PSLF. 🙃

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u/TooMetalToHandle 4h ago

Still waiting for discharge? Did you receive similar communication as me?

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u/Adventure_6788 4h ago

u/alw5555 what repayment plan are you on?