PSLF Calculator

120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years) while working full-time for a qualifying employer — federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, AmeriCorps, or Peace Corps. The payments don't need to be consecutive.

A payment counts if it's made on time (no later than 15 days after the due date) for the full amount due, while employed full-time for a qualifying employer, under a qualifying repayment plan (any income-driven plan, including the new RAP, or the 10-year Standard plan), on a Direct Loan, and made after October 1, 2007.

Yes — IBR (like PAYE, ICR, SAVE, and now RAP) is a qualifying repayment plan for PSLF, as is the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan. Use this alongside our IBR Calculator to estimate both your monthly payment and how much you'll pay in total before reaching forgiveness.

Your remaining Direct Loan balance is forgiven tax-free at the federal level once you submit a PSLF form confirming your 120th qualifying payment and qualifying employment — no further payments are required after that.

Yes — this is called negative amortization. If your IDR payment is smaller than the monthly interest accruing on your balance (common for lower-income borrowers with larger loans), your balance can actually increase over time even while you're making every required payment. This isn't a problem under PSLF specifically, since the entire remaining balance — however large — is forgiven at your 120th qualifying payment.