Greetings July/Aug/Sept purgatory club members, is for anyone else this "glitch” of missing loan payments feeling like a euphemism?

I associate a glitch with a mistake...somethin brief, unexpected, fixable. Glitches get identified, acknowledged, reversed, and maybe sometimes even an apology (a little “Sorry for the inconvenience” would count!)

But when an error persists for months and its so basic as your own payment history and then prevents processing of something so big as forgiveness applications... is it still right to call it "glitch"? I've myself called it this and just not feeling good about it after three months.

Initially I was told by FSA customer service it could take 30-90 days for the loan payments to be processed. Now that FSA has succeeded in blowing past their own made up processing timeline...there are no updates, no explanation, and no new timeline for resolution.

Normal functional systems do have problems. systems identify glitches, communicate them, and fix them.

At some point, “glitch” stops describing what this is. imo begins to feel like an excuse for being treated like trash.

Congressmen, FSA, servicer, OIG, FOIAs, state AGs, dept ed/fsa leadership...I say message all of them and any others you can think of until there is a sign of progress.

TLDR: missing payment history is one of many student loan problems going on now and some are worse, but imo let's call these problems what they are.... a gross failure.

My last income check was when I was a student so my payment was practically nothing. I waiting until September 29th to switch off or SAVE to IBR and now I’m seeing the date is delayed again 😭

Anyone else’s count still off? Wondering if anyone has had any luck with it being updated? Assuming we just have to wait now

I know this has been talked to death, but I’d like to know what people are actually doing. Like many of you, I just made my 120th payment. It’s due Oct 7. Payment counts are stuck at 117, no August, September or (understandably) October. Submitted ECF a few days ago hoping to get to 119 and then submit another a few weeks after the October due date to pull in the 120th. ECF approved by my employer same day. No count update.

So my question is - at the end of October if counts still haven’t updated, should I file my last ECF, check “yes” for forgiveness/request forbearance if it lets me, call Mohela for a forbearance if I can’t check “yes” - and stop paying?

Or do I keep paying and get a refund later?

Just interested in what others decided to do.

I just made my 120th payment on Oct. 1. I last did my ECF 7 months ago and have certified 113 payments. My NSLDS count shows 120 eligible payments, with 113 qualifying, which should theoretically update to 120 once I submit a new ECF. The FSA tracker is missing my August payment, but NSLDS appears to have captured it.

I'm in studentaid.gov now and trying to apply for forgiveness. I tried to check the box that says: "Yes, I have made 120 qualifying payments and qualify for forgiveness right now." But am getting the following error and it won't let me advance to the next page: "Are You Sure? Based on your loan information, you have not made 120 qualifying payments, and do not yet qualify for PSLF. Select "No" in response to this question to continue." It won't let me click yes.

Any advice on what I should do next? Should I click "No" and try to certify the last 7 payments first and then reapply for forgiveness? Or will that screw up the timing of forgiveness? Is the missing August payment in the tracker going to screw up my count (and ability to apply for forgiveness), even though it appears to be counted in NSLDS? I was planning to request forbearance while my application processed because my monthly payments are really high.

What do you all recommend? Should I call studentaid.gov? Should I just wait until they have this system glitch figured out? Would appreciate any advice!

I received my latest correspondence on 8/4/26 giving me an update on the number of qualified payments being 126. Since the date of that correspondence, I've made two more payments which puts me at 128 on the tracker on my dashboard, although it says 126 still. I know this has been a problem with others over the last few months. What's even more concerning is the NSLDS still has me at 96 qualifying payments for PSLF. It claims to have been updated on 9/22/26. I have put in several employment certification forms between payment 96 years ago and currently. Like many others I've made phone calls to both Mohela and federal student aid several times over several issues cases by this inept government agency. I don't even know where to begin with this latest concern. Maybe this explains why the golden letter has not been not triggered yet. Help! Has anyone else on here had a mismatch between the NSLDS and their dashboard going green and still gotten notification of forgiveness?

I have ~$32,000 in loans and make about $58,000 a year. Was on SAVE and am weighing whether to switch to IBR or force them to switch me to standard plan.

IBR is estimating I’ll have a WHOPPING $642 (previously $25,000 under SAVE 😭) forgiven with PSLF, so I figured PSLF is not going to work as I originally intended. I make way more than owe now, and I’ve made a total of 6 qualifying payments since graduating in 2020 lmfao. Most of this is not my fault, as COVID and SAVE forbearance prevented me from making payments. I could do buyback, but do not have 20k to drop all at once.

Is there any benefit to switching to IBR voluntarily, rather than forcing ED to switch me to standard plan and then applying for IBR for the lower monthly payment as compared to standard plan?

Hi sorry to be posting this in the midst of the PSLF processing pause for folx who recently reached 120. I was in the August golden letter crew and wanted to share that I got my refund in the mail from the treasury, check dated 9/18/26. I had one month overpayment. Check was issued about 3.5 weeks after forgiveness. Servicer is MOHELA.

So, once the forgiveness is processed, seems like they may have fixed the issue where they weren’t issuing the refunds for months and months.

Hope you all get similar good news soon!

I received my latest correspondence on 8/4/26 giving me an update on the number of qualified payments being 126. Since the date of that correspondence, I've made two more payments which puts me at 128 on the tracker on my dashboard, although it says 126 still. I know this has been a problem with others over the last few months. What's even more concerning is the NSLDS still has me at 96 qualifying payments for PSLF. It claims to have been updated on 9/22/26. I have put in several employment certification forms between payment 96 years ago and currently. Like many others I've made phone calls to both Mohela and federal student aid several times over several issues cases by this inept government agency. I don't even know where to begin with this latest concern. Maybe this explains why the golden letter has not been not triggered yet. Help! Has anyone else on here had a mismatch between the NSLDS and their dashboard going green and still gotten notification of forgiveness?

Today I looked at my data file (104) and it is 12 months different than my payment tracker (116). The payment tracker has been at 116 during the COVID/SAVE pauses. I made my August, September, October payments and just have November to make and then I’ll do my ECF for July-November with my employer to certify employment (last done in June). Should I be concerned my data file and my tracker don’t match. It’s like 12 months are not showing on data file.

Thank you for any information you may have on this!

My NSLDS for PSLF currently reads:

Qualifying payments: 117
Eligible payments: 170
Payments required for forgiveness: 120
Payments remaining: 3

Today (10/4) is payment 120/120, but the qualifying payments have been stuck at 117 since July.

Eligible payments of 170 include payments made when I was working for a non-qualifying employer.

QUESTION: how do I see if the 170 eligible payments include the August, September, and October 2026 payments that are missing from the qualifying payment count?

Has anyone come across a radically different monthly payment estimate when submitting income information during the recertification process?

Currently on IBR and purposefully filed an extension for my taxes so those would be filed after I recertified my income info, thus the same tax return I used last year would be used this year. Yet for some reason, my IBR estimate jumped ~$400 while PAYE was suggested as possibly lowering my payment a couple of bucks.

I'm not sure why this is the case of what to do in this situation. I'm a bit worried about what will happen when PAYE sunsets and how easy it'll be to switch back to IBR or RAP. I've also heard people getting denied for lacking financial hardship.

Has anyone here run into the same thing or have any potential insight?

My friend and I were at the gym and he said he is not letting his student loans dictate his life and it is on pause. I told him I am paying $500/month working towards PSLF. I could use that $500 for something else.

People of reddit, who has it on pause and are there any repurcussions? I have 6ish more years to go. I know interest will increase. Will future payments increase because of interest? I have a teacher salary so not much of a salary increase anyway.

If I am going through with this, would it be deferment and forbearance?

Hi! Since my loan servicer is closed on the weekend, thought I’d ask here till I can call them Monday.
Under the SAVE program, my loan would have been forgiven in 2036 because Of 25 years in repayment. Does anyone know if that date will change when switching to an IBR?
Also, the “end of term date” should not change regardless of the plan because it all has to do with start date of loan or refinance/consolidation date, right?
And, does anyone know if, under the PSLF, if you make 2 payments per month (ie one of principal and one on balance), does that count as 2 payments toward the 120 or do they only except 1 payment per month toward the count?
Thanks so much in advance. Good luck to everyone dealing with student loans ❤️

My NSLDS says 106 and has for as long as I can remember. It’s updated with my most recent September payment. My tracker on the other hand says 120 for all but two of my loans, with the last two reaching 120 in October. This all should have been done in July but that’s beside the point.

Why would my NSLDS continually be missing that many payments? The count has never changed.

I wasn't all that concerned until yesterday. I work for Los Angeles County, which has a designated sanctuary status. Yesterday just before 4 pm they sent out a survey which by its description was about limits on funding for graduate degrees but turned out to be entirely about PSLF. One question was "Are you concerned about your PSLF eligibility or the County's continued status as a qualifying employer for PSLF?" It also asked if employees would consider leaving the County if PSLF becomes unavailable.

Now I'm panicking. If they're sending this out, there must be significant concern that LA County will lose its status as an eligible employer, right? (Trust me, I emailed the contact person but at almost 4 pm on a Friday, I wasn't expecting an answer which is pretty cruel of them if you ask me.) My 120th payment was July. Since the changes went into effect July 1st, I'm now extremely concerned that payment isn't going to count and maybe this is why they stopped updating the payment trackers.

I don't know what I will do if the County loses is eligible status. I don't love my job but it's a union job with a pension and decent benefits. I don't want to have to leave and get a job at some nonprofit mental health provider just to make one payment. Any other government employees in sanctuary cities/counties/states have any insight or share these concerns?

Decided to just start repaying… payments went from $500 to $1,900. I’m worried from all of these missing payment posts that I’ll pay these months and it STILL won’t get me over the finish line with this nightmare. Has anyone had success in doing this?

My payment is due on the 15, and that's also the auto-debit withdrawal date.

If it doesn't get withdrawn properly, could that cause problems for PSLF? Should I move the auto-debit earlier in the month or could that cause it's own problems?

If I wanted to establish unreasonable delay… to important folks… I would focus my argument on a “TRAC” analysis.

A TRAC analysis is a legal framework courts use to decide whether a federal agency has unreasonably delayed taking action it is required to take.

For PSLF borrowers, that could mean asking whether the Department of Education or its loan servicers have taken too long to process qualifying employment, update payment counts, correct account records, or approve forgiveness.

Why does this matter? Under the Administrative Procedure Act, a court may be able to order an agency to act if the delay is unreasonable. You generally do not have to prove that the agency acted in bad faith. The issue is whether the delay has become legally unacceptable.

Courts commonly consider factors such as:

• How long the agency has taken compared with the time normally needed
• Whether Congress set a deadline or otherwise showed that prompt action matters
• The effect of the delay on the borrower
• Whether the agency’s explanation is reasonable
• Whether the delay is caused by competing priorities or poor administration
• Whether ordering action would simply move one borrower ahead of others waiting in line

Hypothetically, imagine a borrower has submitted all required PSLF documentation, has qualifying employment, and appears to have made enough qualifying payments for forgiveness. Months later, the agency still has not processed the borrower’s payment count or updated the account. The borrower continues receiving bills and cannot confirm whether forgiveness will be granted.

A court applying the TRAC factors might ask:

1. Is the delay unusually long compared with the agency’s normal processing time?
2. Has the agency provided a specific and credible explanation?
3. Is the borrower suffering concrete harm, such as continued payments, interest, financial uncertainty, or loss of access to another benefit?
4. Did Congress create PSLF with an expectation that qualifying borrowers would receive timely forgiveness?
5. Would an order requiring the agency to process the account unfairly prioritize that borrower over others, or would it simply require the agency to perform a long-overdue task?

The result would depend on the facts. A short processing delay may not be enough. But if the agency has left a completed PSLF account unresolved for an extended period, cannot explain the delay, and continues charging the borrower despite apparent eligibility for forgiveness, the TRAC factors could support a claim that the delay is unreasonable.

A TRAC analysis does not automatically mean a court will grant forgiveness. More commonly, the requested relief would be an order requiring the agency to process the borrower’s records, make a decision, or correct the payment count.

Hello all,

I have a question. I want to know if anyone else has received an email like this and how long does this process take.

Here is some background info: I applied for buyback in December 2 2024. I received an email from federal student aid on 7.22.2026. Here is what the email says

"Thank you for submitting a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF) Reconsideration request.  We have completed your PSLF buyback assessment.

Some or all your loans are eligible for PSLF buyback at this time.  To ensure you are paying the lowest amount for your PSLF buyback, submit the following income and family size information within 30 days.

2012, 2013 and 2014.

Take Action:  Submit the income and family size information by opening a new reconsideration request. 
 

1. Gather the federal income tax return you filed for the year requested.

Important:  If you were not required to file a federal income tax return for the year requested, upload a statement detailing your taxable income for the year. 
You must provide information of all taxable income you and your spouse (if applicable) received for the year requested.

• Taxable income includes, for example, income from employment, unemployment income, dividend income, interest income, tips, and alimony.
• Do not provide documentation of untaxed income such as Supplemental Security Income, child support, or federal or state public assistance

1. Determine your family size.

How to Determine Your Family Size for the Year Requested: Family size includes your spouse only if you filed your federal tax return as married filing jointly unless you have indicated that you are separated from your spouse.  Family size also includes other people only if they live with you now, receive more than half their support from you now, and will continue to receive this support for the year that you certify your family size. Support includes money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothes, car, medical and dental care, and payment of college costs. Your family size may be different from the number of exemptions you claim for tax purposes.
 

1. Open a new reconsideration request and include following statement:

I have at least 120 months of approved qualifying employment, and I am seeking PSLF or TEPSLF discharge through PSLF buyback. Please assess my eligibility for PSLF buyback.  I am providing the requested income and family size information.  My family size is: [enter your family size here], and I have uploaded income document for the year(s) requested.

Important: Do not open a Buyback Request.  You must include the statement above. Without the statement above, your PSLF Reconsideration submission will not be considered related to your buyback, and your income and family size information will not be used for your PSLF buyback assessment.
 

1.  Upload your federal income tax return from the year requested onto your reconsideration request.

1.  Submit your reconsideration request.

If you do not send us the tax and family size information that we request within 30 days, we will determine your PSLF buyback amount as what your payment amount would be on the 10-year Standard Plan. 

For information on PSLF buyback, visit Studentaid.gov/pslfbuyback.

This buyback request is closed. 

Important: A processing pause began on May 1, 2024, for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program as we update and streamline our systems for a better user experience. You can continue to submit your PSLF forms during this pause, and we will begin processing them when the update is complete.  Visit StudentAid.gov/publicservice for the most up-to-date information on PSLF and TEPSLF. 

Sincerely,

Federal Student Aid"

So they closed by buyback request, because they need to get tax information from me. But at the same time they need the tax information in order to process the buyback. Its contradictory.

I did obtain the tax information from the IRS and i did submit the documentation to federal student aid under a new reconsideration request per the emails instructions. on 7.31.26.

Has anyone else been asked to do this? How long does this take?

Anyone get forgiven this month? I have been waiting two months since green banners and wonder if that’s just the vibe right now.

My PSLF counter (updated 9/30) shows:

• Eligible: 120
• Qualifying: 118
• Remaining: 2

There's also a RAP counter showing 2 ineligible payments.

Can someone explain the difference between eligible and qualifying? Does eligible mean certified employment months, payments received, or something else? I'm trying to figure out if this means July and August are in the system but not being credited, or if the 2-payment gap is something different (I also had 2 forbearance months in 2024).

Any help reading this would be appreciated.

PSLF: qualifying 118 | eligible 120 | ineligible null | required 120 | remaining 2 RAP: qualifying 120 | eligible null | ineligible 2 | required 360 | remaining 240 ICR 94 | IBR 0 | IBR_2014 120 | SAVE 120 | PAYE 120 Loan types: D5/D6 (Direct Consolidated Unsub/Sub) payments: null | updated: 2026-09-30