FedLoan Servicing, the PSLF servicer, was established by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) to support the U.S. Department of Education’s ability to service student loans owned by the federal government. PHEAA conducts its student loan servicing activities nationally as FedLoan Servicing and American Education Services (AES).

FedLoan Servicing is one of a limited number of organizations approved by the Department of Education to service these loans and is dedicated to supporting borrowers with easy and convenient ways to manage their student loans.

PSLF FAQ for FedLoan Servicing

For Students

I currently make payments to another company. How will FedLoan Servicing keep track of my payments?

If you submit an Employment Certification Form (ECF) for employment at a qualifying organization for the PSLF Program, and all of your federal loans are not already serviced by FedLoan Servicing, all of your U.S. Department of Education owned student loans will be transferred to us. Having all of these loans with FedLoan Servicing will make it easier for you to track your progression in the PSLF Program.NOTE: After your loans have transferred, we will review the information provided by your previous servicer(s) to determine any qualifying payments that were made prior to the transfer while employed with a qualifying employer.

How Often Can I View My Updated Qualifying Payment Count?

You can view the number of qualifying payments* made toward forgiveness online anytime. Just create an online account and sign in to Account Access, our secure website.

A change to your number of qualifying payments or your expected eligibility date listed on the web may result when one of the following has occurred:

•            A new Employment Certification Form (ECF) is approved certifying dates of employment during which you made qualifying payments.

•            A deferment or forbearance is added, removed, or adjusted on your account which overlapped with a period of time when you made potential qualifying payments. Please note: Payments made during a period of time which is covered by a deferment or forbearance do NOT count as qualifying payments for purposes of PSLF.

•            Other adjustments were made to your account which directly impacted potential qualifying payments that you made.

*Please note: “qualifying payments” are payments made during periods of qualifying employment that your employer has certified via an ECF.

For Employers

How do I know if my organization is considered to be a qualifying public service organization for purposes of Public Service Loan Forgiveness for my employee(s)?

Your organization type should be described as one of the following three categories in order to be considered a qualifying employer for purposes of PSLF.

1.  A government organization

Any Federal, State, local, or Tribal government entity is an eligible employer for the PSLF Program. Examples include the U.S. military, public elementary and secondary schools, public colleges and universities, public child and family service agencies, and special governmental districts (including entities such as a public transportation, public water, or public bridge district, or a public housing authority).

2.  A non-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

Eligible not-for-profit organizations include those that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Examples include most private, not-for-profit elementary and secondary schools, private, not-for-profit colleges and universities

3. A private, non-profit organization (providing certain public services)

If your organization is a labor union or a partisan political organization it is not an eligible PSLF employer. Eligible services include:

•            Emergency management

•            Military service

•            Public safety

•            Law enforcement

•            Public interest law services

•            Early childhood education (including licensed or regulated child care, Head Start, and state-funded pre-kindergarten)

•            Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly

•            Public health (including nurses, nurse practitioners, nurses in a clinical setting, and full-time professionals engaged in health care practitioner occupations and health care support occupations)

•            Public education

•            Public library services

•            School library services

•            Other school-based services

NOTE: For purposes of the full-time requirement with a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit or other private non-profit public service organization, a borrower’s qualifying employment does not include time spent on job duties that are related to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing.

What is my role in the application process for forgiveness?

In order to determine if your employee is eligible for PSLF, the Department of Education needs your help to certify the employment status of the employee that did/does work for your organization as this information is required. Your current or former employee will ask you to complete the employer Section (3) of the Employment Certification Form (ECF).

Who is eligible to complete Section 3 of the Employment Certification Form?

The Employment Certification Form (ECF) must be completed by someone who has access to the borrower’s employment or service records, is authorized by the organization to certify the employment status of a current or former employee or service member, and is able to provide all necessary data requested in Section 3 of the ECF.

How often should the Employment Certification Form be completed to certify employment?

There is no specific requirement for the frequency of completing the Employment Certification Form (ECF) and updating FedLoan Servicing with the employment status for the employee. The employee must be employed at an approved public service organization for at least 10 years while they are making qualifying payments so at least 10 years of employment/service will need to be certified. The general frequency for submitting an ECF to provide an update on employment/service status is once a year for the prior year of employment/service.

Helpful Hints for Completing the Employment Certification Form (ECF)

1. Make sure the employee completes Sections 1 and 2 of the form.

2. Do not certify the ECF if your organization is for-profit.

3. Complete all fields of Section 3 or your employee’s ECF may be denied.

•            Required fields that are most commonly left blank:

•            Federally assigned employer ID# (EIN)

•            Type of non-profit organization

•            Signature and/or date

•            Required fields that are most commonly completed incorrectly:

•            ECF ITEM 2A

•            If the employee is currently employed, list the date you are signing the form as the employment end date on the ECF. Future employment cannot be certified.

•            ECF ITEM 3

•            Check one box (a, b, or c) next to the category which best describes your public service organization. For additional information, see Section 5 of the form

•            Is your organization a government organization (such as Federal, State, or local government, Tribal organization, public school system, military)?

•            If yes, check only box a and nothing else.

•            Is your organization tax-exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code?

•            If yes, check only box b and nothing else.

•            Is your organization a private non-profit organization other than a 501(c)(3) that provides at least one of the public services listed under box c?

•            If yes, check box c and the appropriate box for the type(s) of public service you provide. At least one of the boxes under box c must be checked.

4. Make sure to sign and date the form

5. When all sections of the form are complete, it can be returned by mail or fax to FedLoan Servicing.