Waiting for Student Loan Forgiveness is HARD

Public Service Loan Forgiveness takes a long time—and a lot of patience—and it’s hard to keep your cool while you’re waiting. We get it! Ten years is a long time to plan, to wait, and to stick to the plan.

All too often, we hear from borrowers how tired they are: of the uncertainty, of the paperwork, of the back-and-forth with their servicer…just plain TIRED! But if you’re one of millions with federal student loan debt working for a non-profit, the payoff is worth it. Someday you’re going to get one last email saying “Direct to Discharge.”

The Last Leg of the PSLF Waiting Game

Once you’ve finally hit 120 qualifying payments for PSLF, the wait isn’t over, and all that patience you’ve cultivated over the last decade comes in handy. After your final PSLF application is submitted, it can still take a couple of months before everything is processed, your loans zeroed out, and forgiveness finalized.

If it’s been a while since you submitted your last employment certification, it may take a little longer for MOHELA to complete and you may want to follow up with them to check in on any hang-ups. They’re processing a lot of PSLF applications right now due to the Limited Waiver Opportunity, and there are sure to be even more soon, thanks to the IDR Account Adjustment, which will affect all IDR borrowers. 

One of our clients, Dr. Kim, just completed her PSLF journey, and had this to say:

Applicants should expect a lengthy processing time for the loan forgiveness application to go through. However, it’s helpful to keep track of the status of your application and to reach out to Mohela if your application appears to be stuck in a particular step or the application status/progress (including qualifying employers, the number of qualifying loan payments) hasn’t been updated in a while. While the delay is most likely due to lengthy processing times from the high volume of applications, occasionally there may be errors in the application, glitches in the computer system, or application processing errors.

Remember, if you’re one of the millions of Americans waiting on PSLF, you’re not alone! And if you need a helping or comforting hand, we’re just a phone call away from answering your questions, guiding you through conversations with MOHELA, or just helping you keep calm while you get your PSLF on.