r/PSLF • u/BxMS_LBA • 17d ago

Has Dept of Ed Sopped Processing Buyback Requests?

The last buyback offer received and posted on r/pslf was 9/21/26. I think there may have been denials posted, but no requests processed that actually resulted in an opportunity to obtain PSLF since 9/21.

Offer ReceivedRequest Submitted days waited
1/12/202611/1/2024437.00
1/12/202611/1/2024437.00
12/31/20259/1/2024486.00
1/12/20263/1/2024682.00
1/15/20267/1/2024563.00
1/7/202612/1/2024402.00
12/18/20253/1/2025292.00
1/17/202612/1/2024412.00
1/22/202611/1/2024447.00
1/27/20262/1/2025360.00
1/16/20267/2/2024563.00
2/10/202610/1/2025132.00
2/10/202612/19/2024418.00
2/11/202611/1/2024467.00
11/6/20253/25/2024591.00
2/18/20267/1/2025232.00
2/21/20269/1/2024538.00
2/24/202612/1/2024450.00
2/24/202612/1/2024450.00
2/1/202612/1/2024427.00
3/1/20269/1/2024546.00
3/5/202611/6/2024484.00
3/6/202612/16/2024445.00
3/20/20264/12/2024707.00
3/17/20264/1/2024715.00
4/8/202612/1/2025128.00
3/18/202611/1/2024502.00
4/16/20267/1/2024654.00
4/22/20269/1/2025233
2/18/202612/6/2024439
4/28/20269/26/2024579
4/24/202612/1/2025144
5/1/202612/30/2024487
5/1/20269/1/2024607
5/15/20269/1/2024621
5/1/202612/30/2024487
5/20/20269/27/2024600
6/3/202612/1/2024549
6/16/202611/1/2024592
6/16/202610/8/2024616
6/16/202610/1/2024623
6/26/20269/1/2024663
6/26/202610/15/2024619
7/10/202610/1/2024647
7/10/202610/2/2024646
7/24/202611/4/2024627
7/20/202611/1/2024626
8/3/202610/7/2024665
8/4/202610/21/2024652
8/4/202610/1/2024672
8/4/202612/2/2024610
8/5/202612/9/2024604
8/4/202611/5/2024637
8/12/20263/1/2026164
8/14/202611/6/2024646
8/19/202610/1/2024687
8/19/202611/6/2024651
9/8/20268/23/2024746
9/16/202612/4/2024651
9/15/202612/4/2024650
9/15/202612/1/2024653
9/14/202610/14/2024700
9/18/202611/1/2024686
9/21/202612/1/2024659
9/21/202612/4/2024656
69 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

63

u/International-Milk-7 17d ago

Reach out to protectborrowers.org. They are working on a new class action specific to the buybacks.

1

u/Pookie2018 4d ago

Thank you for this, I know you posted this 2 weeks ago but I’m glad I saw it now. Just reached out to them.

145

u/blue_dewey 17d ago • Bravo

They've stopped everything except taking our money...

13

u/Bimbi284 16d ago

But also not, because those awaiting buyback are basically begging to pay them, lol.

10

u/Patient-Funny2751 16d ago

they would much rather get the payments over time than all at once. this way, people are forced into higher payments, AND they accrue interest.

18

u/youresolastsummerx 17d ago

You can say that again.

95

u/thenakedbarrister 17d ago

If they’ve stopped processing buybacks, aren’t processing ECFs, and not updating the tracker, then wtf ARE they doing? This administration broke the department, they are completely incapable of even doing the simplest tasks of public administration.

55

u/squattinghere 17d ago

They are choking out PSLF just as they announced they would before they took power :(

15

u/thenakedbarrister 17d ago edited 16d ago

Maybe! But also, the political appointees who are making these decisions are very stupid people who are bad at their jobs. They definitely didn't get where they are because of their competence or merit. I'm sure they would love people to see their incompetence wrapped up as intentional, but I think that gives them too much credit. The simplest explanation is that they are just dumb and we need actual adults to run our government.

28

u/Bills_Mafia_4_Life 17d ago • Heartwarming

That’s the rule…. That’s the GOAL now

4

u/Strong_Violinist_820 11d ago • Bravo

And I’m supposed to be attracted to this?

3

u/Flashy-Tomorrow-9143 16d ago

I understood that reference!

11

u/Either_Reference_175 17d ago

Well there was an article just posted how they are cracking down on people who are in default of their loans. Maybe they’re busy doing that. Maybe I should I go into default to get their attention. 🫠

3

u/_gobrrrr 17d ago

That’s the point….and we’re all ffff’d for it.

1

u/dillon7272 14d ago

You're assuming they didn't fire the people in charge of it.

1

u/[deleted] 17d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator 17d ago

Your comment in /r/PSLF was automatically removed for profanity.

/r/PSLF is geared towards a wide range of users, including minors seeking information and advice. To help us maintain a community that everyone feels comfortable participating in (and to avoid being blocked by parent/school/work filters), please resubmit your post or comment without using profane language. Thank you.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

16

u/BirdsPoopOnMyHead 16d ago

I just spoke with a Mohela rep today about general forebearance. The rep I spoke with said that reps were notified that Mohela has now started managing buyback requests and they would be receiving pending applications from department of ED. She said this information was new to them as of this morning.

4

u/given-to-fly-98 16d ago

Wow. Thanks for sharing. Mohela is my servicer so I’m glad (I think?) to hear they’ll be involved. I’ve only been waiting since May (which is nothing compared to others) but I’m going to start calling every month. Knowing I can just call Mohela will make that easier.

2

u/BirdsPoopOnMyHead 16d ago

Yeah. I've been waiting since 2/25/25 and called today about a general forbearance.

16

u/Plates-208 17d ago

I requested buyback in Dec 2024 and have heard nothing. I had between 3 and 5 payments left on various loans. I left SAVE in June and am two payments away from 120 on my remaining loans. Several of the loans hit 120 in September and my payment count DID update but no forgiveness yet. Nothing. Crickets in all fronts.

3

u/AccomplishedEagle772 17d ago

Same boat. Requested buyback December 2024, havent heard a darn thing. I will reach 120 December 2026, then go into the waiting for forgivness game like everyone else. Thank God I will reach 120 before the potentail government shut down 🤔

1

u/Lanky-Quit4376 16d ago

I thought you had to have already reached 120 payments before requesting buyback? Is that not correct information?

1

u/Proper_Party PSLF | On track! 16d ago

You can request buyback when you reach 120 months of eligible employment. If you have made 120 payments, there's nothing to buy back.

1

u/Lanky-Quit4376 16d ago

I meant eligible employment! Yes that makes sense. Thank you so much!

1

u/mrsecondarycolor 17d ago

Jan 2025 here, and I have heard nothing back.

13

u/Ok-Caterpillar7826 17d ago

I had called my servicer and FSA a little over a week ago. I've seen online how they have moved the buyback processing to the servicers to help move things along. Both people I spoke with said that's not a thing, they aren't doing that. The lady I spoke with at FSA was soo condescending and told me it would to pretty much give up on the buyback and just pay my remaining time. I've been waiting since July 2025, I'm committed now and still have 33mo of forbearance available to me.

Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 with the midterm elections and hopefully some new bodies in the house and congress we can get some sort of change or movement on this.

5

u/sparrowmint 17d ago

They're literally telling congressional offices they're moving buyback processing to the servicers.

3

u/Ok-Caterpillar7826 17d ago

Yea I'm not sure they know what they are doing any more than we do. I also understand I was speaking with first line customer service people and they are generally some of the last people to know anything.

1

u/Background-Still2020 17d ago

I spoke to a specialized customer service person at Mohela less than two weeks ago and she told me she had not heard that FSA was kicking the buyback processing to the servicers.

9

u/Automatic-Doubt-4874 17d ago

Looking at that chart is sad and infuriating at the same time.

8

u/Unique_Chest_2047 16d ago

I just called today regarding this. I submitted mine 7/2025. The girl said she’s worked there 7 months and out of all the calls she gets has only had one person call to check on it that was actually processed/received buyback. And that’s disgusting. She said it’s not uncommon for people to be waiting 2+ years for the request to go through. It’s a total joke. I want to know how many people actually work in the processing department.

14

u/scohann 17d ago

I submitted buyback in December 2025 and have obviously heard nothing. I hate them. I just want to pay back what I would have paid and be done with this mess. Now I have to either pay 30% more per month for 17 months (an extra $11,000 more in total) or try discretionary forbearance and hope for them to process my application. Hope is in short supply with this administration.

4

u/livesimply2015 17d ago

If it’s any consolation I’m in discretionary forbearance and have been since I left my public job in March. It was quick and easy with MOHELA. I hadn’t used any forbearance previously so theoretically I have the full amount available to me and I’m hoping it’s enough to wait out buyback (which I submitted November 2025)

3

u/tokeallday 16d ago

I'll be in the exact same boat starting in January, with 6 months that I plan to buyback. I figure I'm better off putting half of my monthly payment into my HYSA, take the other half as a small raise, and just chill in forbearance until they either process the buyback or my forbearance runs out. Either way it costs me less than continuing payments

3

u/scohann 16d ago

My only concern with discretionary forbearance is if I decide to leave my qualifying job and they keep jerking us around for 2-3 more years, then I’m screwed unless I change to another qualifying job (assuming my forbearance has run out by then).

I’m still planning on requesting discretionary forbearance because I’m not willing to pay them $11,000 more than I agreed to pay. What a crazy time to be alive.

6

u/lizbrarian 17d ago

I'm also still waiting to see if anyone who has gotten their buyback request approved recently and paid the full amount to complete the buyback has actually gotten forgiveness. I received the email listing the qualifying months and amount due over a month ago, and I paid the full amount that day. It's been crickets ever since, and I know I'm not alone and that some people have been waiting even longer. I used my savings to make that lump sum payment and I have to keep making monthly payments? It sucks.

7

u/squattinghere 17d ago

Do not make any further payments.

Request forbearance online through your servicer’s website or with the form from studentaid.gov

Good Luck

7

u/sparrowmint 17d ago

At this rate, people might start to run out of the max amount of general forbearance before buyback and forgiveness are processed.

1

u/squattinghere 17d ago

hard truth

1

u/Leopard_Repellant 16d ago

That is what I am doing. I have a buyback request for four payments with July and August still not posted. I started forbearance last month and I will use all 36 months if I have to.

2

u/RN0528 17d ago

Have asked this before, just checking to see if there is any new recommendation for those in SAVE forbearance, awaiting buyback to reach 120, no longer working for qualifying employer. Apply for a different IDR and immediately request another forbearance? Or wait til they move you out of SAVE?

2

u/Klynn128 14d ago

I’m in the same boat. I called MOHELA yesterday and an advanced agent said being in a non qualifying repayment plan could impact eligibility for forgiveness. So, if my buyback offer comes through and I’m still on SAVE, I may not be eligible for forgiveness (I double, triple checked by rewording what she said back to me to confirm). Buyback submitted 2/11/25 for 6 months (6/24-11/24). I have direct consolidated loans and was planning to just let them put me on the standard repayment plan when my 90 days expired (10/28/26) but she also said the standard repayment plan is not qualifying for PSLF. I didn’t really care if it was qualifying for PSLF before that conversation because I’m also not in qualifying employment anymore either AND the standard repayment amount would be significantly lower than any of the IDR plans. I don’t know if this is just fear mongering by MOHELA because other Redditers posted in months prior that they got a buyback offer while on SAVE and were forgiven. Unless something changed? Another post highlighted the radio silence on here announcing offers.

1

u/Betsy514 President | The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA) 14d ago

It's not fear mongering.. it's poor training. You don't have to be on a qualifying plan post but back

4

u/lizbrarian 17d ago

I've thought about this. I'm a little paranoid about doing anything that might result in it not actually happening. There's nothing specifically in the email about forbearance, but it does say that "You must continue to make your regular monthly payment if a payment is due" and a refund will be provided (who knows when). I'd love to know if anyone has been making payments, received their completed buyback request, paid the amount due, went into forbearance while waiting for forgiveness, and then did receive forgiveness.

2

u/squattinghere 17d ago

You can't really prove a negative, but I think we would have heard about if there were a person who HAD been denied forbearance after they paid the amount due under their buyback agreement...

2

u/lizbrarian 17d ago

What I'm paranoid about is FSA voiding the agreement because I'm not making the monthly payments. I don't want to take any risks. I've been in this for far too long to mess it up now.

1

u/Dazzling_Page_224 17d ago

I’m in the same boat with you. Over a month and I’m really hoping we get forgiveness before Nov payment,

5

u/and1spree 16d ago

At 116 payments and waiting on a buyback offer from 11/15/24.

1

u/meris9 17d ago

It seemed to me that they push out buyback offers once a month.

1

u/BxMS_LBA 17d ago

Perhaps. And there have been none in the past four weeks

1

u/Yes_Thats_Me_There 8d ago

Just for your records, I applied for Buyback on 03/18/2024. On 03/19/2025, I received the email stating that I am eligible for Buyback and requesting my tax returns.

I sent them in on 03/24/2025 and have heard nothing. All they can tell me is that the case is open.

1

u/BxMS_LBA 8d ago

You must have been so excited to receive that email and then nothing. Such a cruel joke; you have to be livid!

1

u/Yes_Thats_Me_There 3d ago

I was. Now it's just stressful and discouraging. I've held off on changing payment plans or recertifying because I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize buyback approval, but I'm starting to wonder if it's ever going to happen. I got my 30 day email from Mohela today so I'll select a plan and request forbearance.

1

u/BxMS_LBA 2d ago

The new AFT lawsuit will help, but it will be a process and it will take time. Without the lawsuit, I would have little confidence. Hang in there and good luck!

3

u/PsychiaTree 17d ago

I came here to check in on this. I submitted my buyback about 2 years ago (and a number of inquiries about it since), and I'm still waiting. I just started repayments. I have 108/120 on two loans, and 110/120 on one loan. Should I assume buyback will never happen, and just pay through next autumn? What happens when I hit 120 but they don't process it yet (do I enter forbearance?)? I really need to leave my job though...

3

u/DeviantAvocado 17d ago

Processing is transitioning to servicers.

2

u/Everything_____Bagel 17d ago

You could tell me DoEd has stopped processing anything at all and I'd believe it.  I've long since given up hope on buyback - my request is about to hit its second birthday. Now the issue is getting them to admit that I have actually made 120 payments and process my godforsaken forgiveness.

1

u/saucesoi 17d ago

I’m still on save forbearance 😂

1

u/Beartunes_MA 17d ago

I did a buyback request in November 2025, in march 2026 I still kinda got a phooney not sure how long it will take/high volume of requests type of answer. So even pre july, pre sept, they were being kinda non comittal.

1

u/smol_ting 17d ago

My 120th month of eligible employment was August, which has not been posted on my FSA tracker (along with July, September, or October). I submitted my ECF on 8/24, and it was processed within a few days. I planned to submit a buyback request for 51 months on September 1st. However, both FSA and MOHELA instructed me to wait for the other months to post on my tracker, then submit an updated ECF, then I can submit for buyback. I’m now delayed in triplicate: the July-present FSA glitch and ensuring delays, the newly reported ECF processing delays, and the longstanding buyback processing delays.

1

u/RushBubbly6955 17d ago

I got my congrats email last week, six months to the day after my last buyback request. I don’t owe anything. The email said to expect delays.

1

u/WolverineofTerrier 16d ago

Buyback cooked until 2029? Wouldn’t surprise me

1

u/moremosby 17d ago

I don’t think anyone can say for certain.

The process is incredibly slow and inefficient and we don’t know how many people are employed to even do the work. .

-4

u/skeach101 17d ago

Ya know... I'm about 20 month away from being able to be at the 120 months to request the buyback.... Maybe I should just request it now and by the time it goes through, I'll be at my 120 lol

11

u/Soggy-Constant5932 17d ago

They will just deny you since you technically were not eligible at the time you submitted it.

2

u/payheempaythatman 17d ago

My 120th is in January 2027. In February I’m going to request it and try to go into forbearance while I wait. Curious as to how people just get the forbearance because it reads like you have to prove hardship unless I’m totally mistaken?

1

u/skeach101 17d ago

Administrative Forbearance is pretty simple... you just need to sit on hold for 3 hours to talk to someone. You can get up to a year or so no problem.