Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
What is the PSLF program?
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal program that forgives the remaining balance on Direct loans for public service employees after they have made 120 qualifying monthly payments (approximately 10 years) under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for an eligible public employer, such as a state agency, public higher education institution, or educational service district or school district.
In March 2022, in response to the student loan debt crisis facing the country, the state Legislature passed legislation to raise awareness and remove barriers for public service employees to access the PSLF program (RCW 28B.77.009, RCW 43.41.425, RCW 41.04.045, and RCW 41.04.055). While the PSLF program is a key benefit of public service employment, many people who qualify for the program do not access it.
How does the PSLF employment certification process work?
Employees initiate the employment certification process by submitting the employment certification portion of the PSLF form to their agency's PSLF contact via the PSLF Help Tool or by completing a manual PSLF form. Employees will need their agency's employer identification number (EIN) and PSLF contact email address in order to submit their PSLF form for processing. They can find this information using the Washington state agency directory of PSLF contacts. Employees should certify their employment annually.
State agencies digitally sign and return the form through the PSLF Help Tool, which is then submitted to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) for processing. Manual PSLF forms are returned to the employee for them to send to FSA for processing by mail to U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 300010 Greenville, TX 75403 or by fax to 540-212-2415.