PSLF Calculator (Public Service Loan Forgiveness)

Public Service Loan Forgiveness exists to wipe out remaining student debt for people who spend their careers in public service, and this tool maps the route there. It estimates how many payments you have left, how much could ultimately be forgiven, and what comes out of your pocket along the way. The core requirement is 120 qualifying monthly payments, which do not have to be consecutive, made while you work full-time for an eligible employer.

The projection begins with your current balance, interest rate, and repayment plan. It sets your monthly payment from your income and family size under the plan you pick: 10% of income above 150% of the 2026 poverty guideline for PAYE, 10% of that amount for IBR if your first loan came on or after July 1, 2014 and 15% if you borrowed earlier (pick the matching IBR option), and 20% of income above 100% of the guideline for ICR. IBR and PAYE payments never go above the 10-year standard payment on your balance. It holds that payment flat, applies interest and payments month by month through payment 120, and any balance still standing then, provided every other requirement is satisfied, is forgiven tax-free.

Eligibility hinges on details that are easy to get wrong. Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and Perkins Loans qualify only after they are folded into a Direct Consolidation Loan, since PSLF covers Direct Loans alone. Your payments also have to be made under a qualifying plan, meaning the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), IBR, ICR, PAYE or the 10-year Standard plan, while an eligible public-service employer certifies your employment; payments under the Tiered Standard Plan that started in July 2026 do not count. Submit the PSLF form to certify your employment every year and again each time you change jobs, which keeps your payment count accurate and heads off disputes later.