This week we received an email from Dave, who is concerned his employer may not be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Today we will discuss how to determine PSLF employer eligibility and specific steps to take. If you have a question for the Sherpa, feel free to ask us.
Regardless of whom you work for, the best way to determine if your employer is eligible for PSLF is to submit an employer certification form. Borrowers who complete the employer certification form will receive a count of the number of qualifying payments they have made towards the required 120.
People like Dave, who are worried that their employer might not be eligible, may need to take a couple of extra steps to protect themselves going forward.
A New Shortcut – The Department of Education PSLF Help Tool
When this article was first written, people like Dave had to do a bunch of research into employer eligibility for PSLF.
The Department of Education recently made employment verification much easier. Using the PSLF Help Tool, borrowers can verify employer eligibility and generate the necessary form that needs to be completed.
According to the Department of Education, the process takes about 30 minutes. Borrowers will need their FSA ID and a W-2 or Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from their employer.
Dave’s Email About PSLF Employer Eligibility
Hi Sherpa,
Fellow attorney here…and I’m flummoxed.
While my question might seem highly specialized, I still think it could be more broadly helpful.
Anyway:
I’m hoping to continue making qualifying payments for PSLF at my new job at the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TEL). TEL was created by statute in Tennessee as “a body, politic and corporate, and a quasi-public instrumentality, and not a state agency or department, which shall be deemed to be acting in all respects for the benefit of the people of the state through the operation of a state lottery and in the performance of other essential public functions entrusted to it.” TCA 4-51-101(c).
What the hell is a “quasi-public instrumentality?” And is it a “governmental entity” for the sake of PSFL?
To attempt to answer my own questions, the only definition to the phrase “quasi-public instrumentality” in TN statute comes in TCA 4-39-101, which provides chapter definitions for Payment of Taxes by State Vendors and Subcontractors.
“As used in this chapter:
…
(3) “State governmental entity” means a state agency, department, board, or commission, or a public corporation or quasi-public instrumentality that performs essential public functions entrusted to it by the state; and”
—
Should I start celebrating that my work for the Lottery, a “quasi-public instrumentality” in TN, indeed qualifies for PSLF? Quasi-public instrumentality = state governmental entity under the law, right? Or am I being a first-year law student stretching on an exam?
I think there’s meat on the bone with questions about “quasi-public instrumentalities,” even if my question might be a little specific for the general audience that finds your site.
Thanks for taking the time,
Dave
Answering Dave’s Question
Dave writes with a highly technical legal question. If he were to initiate a lawsuit against the Department of Education, the laws cited might become relevant. Fortunately, for both Dave and the average borrower, a complicated legal analysis is not usually necessary to resolve Public Service Loan Forgiveness Questions.
Employers Eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Three employer types qualify as public service:
- Government – Including Federal, State, and Local
- Non-Profits – 501(c)(3) Organizations
- A Private Not-For-Profit Organization – Must have one of the following public service activities as the primary purpose:
- (1) emergency management,
- (2) military service,
- (3) public safety,
- (4) law enforcement,
- (5) public interest legal services,
- (6) early childhood education,
- (7) public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly,
- (8) public health,
- (9) public education,
- (10) public library services,
- (11) school library services, or
- (12) other school-based services.
How Do I Know If My Employer Qualifies?
People in Dave’s position who are not clear if their employer is eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) should submit an employer certification form. This form is available on the Department of Education’s website and must be completed by your employer. We recommend anyone pursuing PSLF submit this form every year to ensure the records stay up to date.
Once submitted, the form will be reviewed for verification that your employer qualifies as a public service employer.
Not only with the Employer certification form help you verify that your employer is eligible, but it is also confirms that you are on an eligible repayment plan and that your loans are eligible. Successful form submission will result in FedLoan servicing sending a letter explaining how many qualifying payments you have made towards PSLF. Once you get to 120 certified payments, your loans will be eligible to be discharged.
Does My Old Employer Count Towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
Because there isn’t a requirement to “enroll” in PSLF, old employment can be certified and count towards PSLF.
The challenge with prior employers is getting the necessary paperwork signed. For this reason, the sooner you can get your documents submitted, the better.
Strategy Limitations
The steps we have outlined so far constitute what we would consider to be the “best practice” for verifying employer eligibility. However, successful completion of these steps does not guarantee public service loan forgiveness eligibility. Recently, a lawsuit was initiated by four attorneys who received multiple employer certifications from their loan servicer. They were on track for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, but then the Department of Education changed its mind about their qualification under the 3rd definition of public service. Not only were they told their employer didn’t qualify, but the Department of Education retroactively rejected previously certified payments.
If you work for a 501(c)(3) organization or the government, this specific issue isn’t much of a concern. However, borrowers with some ambiguity about their eligibility should follow the case closely.
Don’t Ignore Other Forgiveness Opportunities: Public Service Loan Forgiveness is the most popular forgiveness program, but many other forms of federal forgiveness are available
We suggest that borrowers in this situation create a savings account or conservative investment account to set aside money for a potential PSLF issue. If, for some reason, these borrowers cannot qualify for PSLF, funds are available to pay off the debt aggressively. The saved money will likely earn less interest than the loans generate, so things won’t break even, but it is a good way for borrowers to protect themselves. If PSLF ends up working out, the money is a great head start for a downpayment on a house or retirement.
Bottom Line: Verifying Employer Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness is Easy
Figuring out whether or not you qualify for Pubic Service Loan Forgiveness should not require a law degree.
For the vast majority of borrowers, it is as simple as submitting a form.
2 problems: 1) I worked full time for Mayo Clinic Health System 2008-2013. I have no one to sign my PSLF form. Their HR has people go through iVerify for employment verification. IVerify will verbally confirm dates of employment but will not sign form
2) When I put in the EIN number from my W2’s for those years – the PSLF HELP tool says Not Eligible. Sent in Form with “employer refuses to sign” box checked anyway as I have no other options. Mohela says “Employer Not eligible”. Provide proof employer is eligible. Mayo Clinic is a known non profit! How can I prove this. I did send in all W2,s – they are asking for 5 years of paystubs from 10 years ago to prove I worked full time. I have no way to get these either as I no longer have access to payroll system.
That must be really frustrating, Nancy.
I’m not surprised that Mohela is being difficult with such limited documentation. I think your approach to work the problem from both the Mohela side of things and the Mayo Clinic side is smart.
What does surprise me is that the Mayo Clinic isn’t being more helpful. Any non-profit has a huge incentive to help their employees with PSLF as it can be a great recruiting tool. Nancy, I think pushing the issue a bit more with Mayo Clinic might be my next move. If they can confirm that you worked there and confirm that you were full time, they should be willing to document it for PSLF. Their behavior so far seems strange.
Hi. I worked for CACI as an attorney for the DOJ (and at the DOJ offices) for 4.5 years. Would those years qualify?
I have been with the NYCDOE for over 5 years.
They could qualify. I can’t say for certain. The best way to find out is to use the PSLF Help Tool, as described in this article.
I did my application in August and the status of my employer is “undetermined” what do I do?
Its been a couple of months at this point. I think it is fair to call and ask for an update on the status of the application.
I am starting a new job as of September 20, 2022 as a Cook at an elementary public school and this is my first time in education and would like to know if I can fill out forms for a PLSF, once I find out if the school is on the list of participating schools
Congrats on the new job. My suggestion would be to fill out a PSLF application after you have been on the job for a month or two (your employer needs to certify that you work there). Getting that first application on file right away is a great way to ensure that there are not any other PSLF eligibility issues to address.
I worked for a non-profit doing community work and funding grants to other non-profit organizations for several years. I got a new position doing the exact same thing (community work and funding grants to non-profits) but now at a for-profit company. Is there an exception because I have still being doing the same work? Is it the public service that qualifies me or the company? Does that mean a janitor at a nonprofit would qualify but I would not? Doesn’t seem fair.
You are right that it doesn’t seem fair, Micah. Your situation really illustrates the absurdity of basing PSLF on employers rather than the work that is done. Unfortunately, there isn’t an exception like the one you are looking for. PSLF eligibility is all about who you work for rather than what you do.
I worked twentysix years with New York city Department of Educationn, twelve years as a special education teacher and thirteen years as a guidance counselor am I qualify to get loan forgiveness I am no retired and had been making partial payment each month until the federal government put a stop on student loans payment
It sounds like you have a PSLF employer. As long as you meet the other requirements for PSLF, you may be able to get the debt forgiven. I’d suggest using the Department of Education PSLF Help Tool to get started on the paperwork. If you have questions about your specific loans, your servicer should be able to help.
I worked for 11+ years for a federally chartered credit union. We were tax exempt, but, I don’t know if that status existed under 501c3. Generally, do credit unions qualify under 501c3? If so, do you believe they would qualify as an approved employer under PSLF?
Thank you
I don’t know how credit unions structure their organizations well enough to have an opinion on their eligibility. I’d encourage you to use the PSLF Help Tool linked in the article to get an idea. As always, the best way to find out is to send in an application for all of that time. The worst they can say is no, it doesn’t qualify.
If an employer qualities as a non-profit, and I cannot find someone in HR or an old supervisor (former employer) to certify the employment, what do I do? I’m pretty sure W-2s won’t work.
You will need someone from the old employer to certify your employment. A W-2 alone is not sufficient.
i work for labcorp as a phlebotomist do i qualify
If labcorp is a for-profit company, probably not. You can use the PSLF Help Tool linked in the article to verify eligibility.