Where did my qualifying payments for PSLF go?

Last week, we explored one of the most common nightmares for student loan borrowers pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness: missing qualifying payments. Every year, those working toward PSLF must submit an employment certification form (ECF), which determines whether their employer qualifies them for the program. When they have received it, your servicer replies with a “PSLF tracker letter,” which tells you how many qualifying payments you’ve made. Servicer errors pop up on these documents with alarming regularity, and—even though they’re usually just mistakes—they can cause major anxiety!

How do I find my qualifying payments?

There are a number of scenarios in which QPs can disappear, all of which are alarming, but some are truly strange. Our friend from last week, Dr. Elvira, had all of her payments from the previous year disappear. There are a variety of ways this could happen, including simple errors by the borrower when completing the ECF. If the latter happens, it’s usually resolved simply. More complicated solutions are needed when the truly bizarre occurs. We’ve seen clients who—after years of paying their loans, slowly watching their QPs go up—suddenly see a random number of payments disappear. This can happen to all loans, a single loan, or even a seemingly random group of loans.

If your QPs go missing, don’t panic! It’s usually a simple mistake that can be corrected with a little patience. If this happens to you, give us a call—we’re here to guide you through thick and thin!