Limited-Time PSLF Program

On October 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced a set of improvements to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, including waivers of certain program requirements, which will be available to borrowers until Oct. 31, 2022. The necessary waivers are authorized by the HEROES Act in 20 U.S.C. §1098bb to benefit student loan borrowers, particularly the public service workers who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aspire Servicing Center offers the following information related to PSLF related to your federal student loans:

1. The loans we service do not currently qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF, but your prior periods of repayment may qualify for credit toward PSLF or the Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF) Program if you receive or apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan on or before October 31, 2022.
2. Regardless of the limited-time PSLF waiver, your loans must be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan program in order to qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF; prior periods of repayment will not qualify for credit toward PSLF or TEPSLF if consolidated after October 31, 2022.
3. To understand whether you may already have qualifying payments for PSLF under the limited-time PSLF waiver, you should register for an FSA ID if you don’t already have one, and log in to the PSLF Help Tool to check if your employer qualifies.
• Reminder: You will need your employer’s Federal Employer Identification Number from your IRS Form W-2.
4. If your employer is a qualifying employer or if you are uncertain but want your loans to qualify for PSLF, TEPSLF, and the limited-time PSLF waiver, you should apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan on or before October 31, 2022.
5. If you apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan, we will work to process any paperwork necessary to have your loans consolidated expediently.
6. After your consolidation loan is made, you should go back to the PSLF Help Tool to certify all periods of qualifying employment.

Resources

To obtain more information about PSLF, TEPSLF, or the limited-time PSLF waiver, below are a list of resources put out by Federal Student Aid to assist you. The resources currently available are:

• StudentAid.gov/PSLFwaiver — Information page on the limited-time PSLF waiver
• StudentAid.gov/pslf — The PSLF help tool, where you can find out if the Department of Education has previously determined that your employer qualifies for PSLF or not
• StudentAid.gov/publicservice — Information page about PSLF
• StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account — Where you can go to get an FSA ID, which will enable you to receive direct communications from the Department of Education as well as use the PSLF Help Tool and consolidate your loans
• StudentAid.gov/consolidation — The landing page for the consolidation application
• ED Press Release and Fact Sheet
• FAQs — Answers to common questions related to PSLF
• Posts on FSA Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

You may also call Federal Student Aid at 1-800-4-FEDAID if you have additional questions about the limited-time PSLF waiver. Please note this call center is not equipped to inform you about how the waiver will or will not affect you individually.

Note: The Department of Education will later work toward implementing the provisions of the waiver related to active-duty military borrowers, who may qualify for credit toward PSLF during specific periods of deferment or forbearance.