Federal Student Loan Forgiveness: Do you qualify?
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2022.
Key Takeaways
- There are still several programs available for federal student loan forgiveness.
- Eligibility for student loan forgiveness depends on factors like where you work.
- Some borrowers qualify for forgiveness after 20 to 30 years on a federal repayment plan.
- NFCC-certified credit counselors can review your loans and suggest your best options.
Editor’s Note: All loan forgiveness programs listed here are available as of July 2026. For updates on available programs and eligibility, visit StudentAid.gov.
If you have a federal student loan, you’re probably a bit confused or even stressed out about all the changes that have been made to the federal loan forgiveness programs.
Given all the conflicting announcements over the past few years, it can be tempting to ignore the news. You may have even assumed that student loan forgiveness is no longer available. However, there are still ways that some borrowers can qualify to have their federal student loan debt forgiven.
Instead of ignoring the updates, we recommend being proactive in looking into the current loan forgiveness options. After all, it doesn’t hurt to check and see what you’re eligible for. In fact, it only takes a few minutes to review the programs online. Here’s a handy guide to help you understand what’s available.
4 federal student loan forgiveness programs
While some past options are no longer available, such as the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, there are still a handful of forgiveness programs for federal student loans. Here’s a rundown.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
This long-standing program can help people who work in public service roles. If you work full-time for an eligible employer, PSLF can forgive your Direct Loan balances after you make 120 qualifying monthly payments.
If you work for one of the following employers, you may qualify for PSLF:
- U.S.-based government organizations, including the military and public schools.
- Eligible nonprofits and some other tax-exempt organizations.
You can visit the Employer Eligibility Search page to look up your employer to see if it qualifies.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
If you’re a teacher who’s worked full-time for five consecutive years in a qualifying low-income school, you may be eligible to have up to $17,500 of your federal student debt forgiven.
Some of the loan types that qualify for Teacher Loan Forgiveness include:
- Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
- Subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
If you have a Direct Consolidation Loan or Federal Consolidation Loan that you used to repay other federal student debt, you may also be eligible to have a portion of your debt forgiven. You can learn more on the Department of Education’s (ED’s) Teacher Loan Forgiveness page.
Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Forgiveness
You can have your loan balance discharged if you’ve been on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan for 20 to 30 years. That potentially includes payments that were due during a deferment or forbearance period.
The length of payments you need before qualifying for forgiveness depends on your loan type, the IDR plan you’re enrolled in and when you took out your loan. Here’s an overview:
- 20 years: Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plans if you borrowed the money on or after July 1, 2014, and Pay As You Earn (PAYE).
- 25 years: IBR plans if you borrowed before July 1, 2014, and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR).
- 30 years: Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge
Borrowers who are totally and permanently disabled may qualify to have their federal student loans discharged, and their TEACH Grant service obligations discharged. TPD discharge can potentially help you if you have any of the following loan types:
- Direct Loans
- Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans
- Perkins Loans
To qualify, you’ll need to show documentation of your disability from the VA, SSA, or an authorized medical professional.
Other ways to qualify for federal student loan forgiveness
Don’t fit into any of the categories above? There’s still a chance you could have some or all of your federal student loan balance forgiven. Here are some other situations where borrowers may qualify for help:
- You have a Federal Perkins Loan.
- You’re a parent who borrowed the money.
- You’ve declared bankruptcy.
- The borrower is deceased.
- Someone fraudulently took out the loan in your name.
Where to get help with federal student loans
If you still have questions about student loan forgiveness or repayment, there are plenty of free and low-cost resources available!
One way to learn more is to visit StudentAid.gov and review the information pages and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pages.
For one-on-one support, you can schedule a student loan counseling session with an NFCC-Certified Credit Counselor. During your appointment, you and your counselor will explore your best options for managing student debt, navigating loan forgiveness and preparing to pay taxes on your forgiven debt.
