The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), the official name of the Government Employee Employee Student Loan Forgiveness Program, allows USPS employees and any Government Employee Workers at any level of government and with any organization to earn complete forgiveness for Federal student loans.
Serving as a (USPS) Post Office Employee, often known as a mail carrier, is an excellent option for folks who enjoy spending time outside. Despite the physical demands of the job, the salary and perks are adequate.
According to the US Department of Labor, the median annual salary for a (USPS) Post Office Employee is $58,110. This indicates that half of all postal carriers make less than this amount, while the other half earn more.
5 Characteristics (USPS) Post Office Employee Must Fulfill to Qualify for PSLF.
1. Qualifying Employer
When it comes to qualifying employment for the PSLF Program, the sort of job you do for your employer makes no difference. It’s more about who your boss is. PSLF is open to people who work for the organizations listed below:
One example of a government agency at any level is the United States military (federal, state, local, or tribal).
Not-for-profit organizations are exempt from paying taxes under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
Volunteering full-time with AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps also qualifies you for the PSLF Program.
PSLF is not available to the following sorts of employers:
- Trade unions
- Parties and political parties
- Non-profit organizations, such as government contractors, are for-profit entities.
Contractors: To be eligible for PSLF, you must be directly employed by a qualifying organization. If you are employed by an organization that is working under a contract with a qualified employer, it is your employer’s status, not the organization’s.
2. Must Be Full-Time Employee
For Post Office Employees, you must either meet your employer’s definition of full-time or work at least 30 hours per week, whichever is greater, to be considered full-time for PSLF purposes.
You will be considered full-time if you work a total of at least 30 hours per week for numerous qualifying part-time jobs.
If you work for a non-profit organization, time spent on religious instruction, worship services, or any other type of proselytizing as part of your job requirements may be counted toward meeting the full-time employment requirement.
3. Must-Have Eligible Loans
(USPS) Post Office employees who have received loans via the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program.
Federal student loan programs that do not qualify for PSLF include the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan). They may become eligible if you consolidate your debts into a Direct Consolidation Loan.
PSLF does not apply to student loans from private lenders.
Only eligible payments made on the new Direct Consolidation Loan can be included toward the 120 payments required for PSLF under conventional PSLF Program standards if you consolidate your loans. Any payments made on the loans prior to consolidation are not counted. If you combine these loans into a Direct Loan before October 31, 2022, you may be eligible for a limited PSLF waiver credit for payments made on those loans.
4. Must-Have An Eligible Repayment Plan
(USPS) Post Office Employees must participate in income-driven repayment (IDR) programs that qualify as eligible repayment plans (plans that base your monthly payment on your income).
While payments made under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan are qualified, to take advantage of PSLF, you must transfer to an IDR plan.
Once you have completed the 120 qualifying PSLF payments under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan, your loans will be paid in whole, and there will be no balance to forgive.
However, before enrolling in an IDR plan, you should be informed that your payment may grow depending on your income and the amount you owe. If this is the case, and you do not wish to pay the higher amount, the PSLF Program may be ineffective for you.
*Important*
As a result of the restricted PSLF waiver, the qualifying repayment plan restrictions have been temporarily suspended. If you made payments on any form of non-consolidation Direct Loan on any repayment plan before to October 6, 2021, you may be eligible for PSLF credit if you had qualifying employment.
These sorts of loans include:
- Loans that are directly subsidized.
- Unsubsidized Direct Loans, and
- PLUS a graduate Student loans are those that are made to students.
- Borrowers may be eligible for credit for payments made on the underlying loans after October 1, 2007.
PSLF does not apply to the following repayment plans:
- Standard Repayment Plan for Direct Consolidation Loans
- Graduated Repayment Plan
- Extended Repayment Plan
- Alternative Repayment Plan
5. Must Make The 120 Qualifying Payments.
A qualified monthly payment is one that you make regularly.
- following the 1st of October, 2007
- under a repayment plan that qualifies
- for the total amount payable as indicated on your bill
- a minimum of 15 days beyond your due date and
- If you’re working full-time for a qualifying company
The majority of the PSLF qualifying payment rules have been delayed until October 31, 2022. Under this temporary waiver, you may be able to receive credit for payments made on loans that would not normally qualify for PSLF. These payments will be included even if you did not pay the entire amount or on time. Only donations received after October 1, 2007 are qualifying payments.
You may only make qualifying monthly payments when you are compelled to do so. As a result, while your loans are in default, you will be unable to make a qualifying monthly payment.
- In-school
- Grace-Period
- Deferment
- Forbearance
If you’re in deferment or forbearance and want to make qualifying payments, contact your federal student loan servicer to request that the deferment or forbearance be lifted. You may still earn PSLF credit throughout the COVID-19 national emergency administrative forbearance period, which spans from March 13, 2020, to January 31, 2022.
To qualify, you do not have to make 120 qualifying monthly payments in a row. For example, if you work for a nonqualifying employer for a while, you will not lose credit for previous qualifying payments.
Signing up for automatic debit with your loan servicer is the best way to ensure that you pay on time and in full.
Do You Need Help With Your Student Loans?
We’re here to help if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this information. We’ve been aiding people like you for a long time in getting their federal student loans out of default.
Call us right now to set up a no-obligation consultation. We will devise a strategy that takes your present financial condition into account while positioning you to achieve your long-term objectives.
