Military Student Loan Forgiveness

Military Student Loan Forgiveness is sponsored by U.S. Department of Education. Provides loan forgiveness and repayment assistance for military service members.

HomeManage LoansStudent Loan Discharge and Forgiveness # Student Loan Discharge and Forgiveness Fast FactsWays To QualifyFrequently Asked Questions Fast FactsWays To QualifyFrequently Asked Questions The _One Big Beautiful Bill Act_ (_OBBBA_) made significant changes to the federal student aid programs. This page has been updated with the latest information.

* In certain situations, you can have your federal student loans discharged through a cancellation, discharge, or forgiveness program. * If you receive a discharge, you won’t have to pay back some or all of your loans. * Select your situation and review the available options.

## If You Have a Disability #### Total and Permanent Disability Discharge You may qualify for a total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge of your federal student loans and/or your Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant* service obligation if * you’re totally and permanently disabled, and * you have a Direct Loan), Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program)loan), or Perkins Loan.

*TEACH Grant service obligations are discharged if the grant recipient dies, or if the recipient is subject to extended periods of qualifying military service. ## If You Repay Your Loans Under an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plan You may be eligible for income-driven repayment (IDR) loan discharge if you’ve have been in repayment for 20-30 years, depending on your repayment plan.

An IDR plan bases your monthly payment on your income and family size. If you repay your loans under an IDR plan, any remaining balance on your student loans will be discharged after you make a certain number of payments over 20 or 30 years.

## If You Work for a Nonprofit #### Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) You may be able to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if * you’re employed by a qualifying not-for-profit organization, and * you have a Direct Loan. * The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loan after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a qualifying employer.

*Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans may become eligible for PSLF if you consolidate your loans into the Direct Loan Program. ## If You’re a Government Employee #### Military Service Benefits You may be able to receive benefits if you’re a military service member with federal student loans.

Benefits include interest rate caps under the _Servicemembers Civil Relief Act_ and U.S. Department of Defense student loan repayment programs. Listen to a recording of experts discussing federal student loan benefits for military service members and follow the threaded comments for resources mentioned in the recording. Find more information about these benefits at VA.

gov/education. Military service is also eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). #### Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) You may be able to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if * you work in federal, state, local, or tribal government (including the military and AmeriCorps), and * you have a Direct Loan.

* The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loan after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a qualifying employer. *Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans may become eligible for PSLF if you consolidate your loans into the Direct Loan Program.

## If You’re a Nurse, Doctor, or Other Medical Professional #### Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) You may be able to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if * you’re employed by a qualifying not-for-profit organization, and * you have a Direct Loan.

* The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loan after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a qualifying employer. *Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans may become eligible for PSLF if you consolidate your loans into the Direct Loan Program.

#### Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation You may be eligible to have all or a portion of your Federal Perkins Loan) canceled if you have served full time in a public or nonprofit elementary school, or as a Head Start or early childhood education provider. Learn about Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation. **To Apply:** Contact the school that made the loan or the school’s Perkins Loan servicer.

See “If You’re a Federal Perkins Loan Borrower” below for more information about other ways you can be eligible for Perkins Loan cancellation and discharge. #### Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) You may be able to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if * you work in childcare or in early childhood, public, or not-for-profit education, and * you have a Direct Loan.

* The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you’ve made the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a qualifying employer. *Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans may become eligible for PSLF if you consolidate your loans into the Direct Loan Program.

**Note:** You can’t receive credit toward Teacher Loan Forgiveness and PSLF for the same period of teaching.

#### Teacher Loan Forgiveness You may be eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness of up to $17,500 if * you teach full time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency and * you have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan.

**Note:** You can’t receive credit toward Teacher Loan Forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for the same period of teaching. Apply for Teacher Loan Forgiveness ### Loan Discharge Options Related to Your School In some cases, your school’s actions may be the basis for discharge of your loans.

## If Your School Has Closed #### Closed School Loan Discharge You may be eligible for a closed school discharge of your federal student loan if * your school closes while you’re enrolled or soon after you withdraw and * you have a Direct Loan, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan, or Federal Perkins Loan.

Apply for Closed School Discharge ## If Your School Misled You #### Borrower Defense Loan Discharge You may be eligible for borrower defense discharge of your federal student loan if * you took out the loan to attend a school that misled you or engaged in other misconduct in violation of certain laws and * you have a Direct Loan.

* *Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans may become eligible for borrower defense discharge) if you consolidate your loans into the Direct Loan Program.

Apply for Borrower Defense Discharge #### False Certification Discharge You may be eligible for a false certification discharge of your federal student loan if * your school falsely certified your eligibility to receive a loan and * you have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan.

Apply for False Certification Discharge #### Unpaid Refund Discharge You might be eligible for an unpaid refund discharge of a portion of your federal student loan(s) if * you withdrew from school, * the school didn’t make a required return of loan funds to the loan servicer), and * you have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan.

Apply for Unpaid Refund Discharge ### More Loan Discharge and Cancellation Options You may be able to get your loans(s) discharged in other situations. ## Discharge Due to Death Federal student loans will be discharged if the borrower or the student on whose behalf a PLUS loan was taken out dies. This is true whether the loan is a Direct Loan, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan, or Federal Perkins Loan.

Learn more about discharge due to death and what documentation the loan servicer needs.

## ### If You’re a Federal Perkins Loan Borrower You may be eligible to have all or a portion of your Perkins Loan canceled or discharged if * you’ve completed eligible employment or volunteer service (including in education, firefighting, the military, or the Peace Corps, among others) and * you’ve experienced certain circumstances (including school closure, disability, or being misled by your school).

This includes Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation. View Forgiveness & Discharge Forms ## If You’re a Parent Borrower As with loans made to students, a parent PLUS loan can be discharged if you die, if you (not the student on whose behalf you obtained the loan) become totally and permanently disabled, or if your loan is discharged in bankruptcy. Your parent PLUS loan may also be discharged if the child for whom you borrowed dies.

In addition, all or a portion of a parent PLUS loan may be discharged if * the student for whom you borrowed couldn’t complete their program because the school closed; * your eligibility to receive the loan was falsely certified by the school; * the student withdrew from school, but the school didn’t refund your loan money that it was required to pay under applicable laws and regulations; * you reach 10 years in repayment, and you work in public service and apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF); or * you reach 25 years in repayment on a Direct Consolidation Loan on Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan.

* **Note:** Parent borrowers with unconsolidated Direct Loans or ED-held FFEL PLUS loans are eligible for the payment count adjustment, which provides additional credit for both IDR and PSLF. *The ICR Plan will become unavailable no later than July 1, 2028.

If you have a Direct Consolidation Loan that includes a PLUS loan for parents and want to access the IBR Plan, you must first make a single payment while enrolled in the ICR Plan _before_ the ICR Plan is eliminated.

View Forgiveness & Discharge Forms ## If You’re a Victim of Fraud #### False Certification Discharge You may be eligible for a false certification discharge of your federal student loan if * your school falsely certified your eligibility to receive a loan and * you have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan.

Apply for False Certification Discharge Forgery is the creation of a false written document or alteration of a genuine one, with the intent to defraud. Victims of identity theft are frequently also the victims of forgery.

You might be eligible for a forgery discharge of a federal student loan if * you believe you were the victim of a fraudulent loan and * you have a Direct Loan, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan held by ED, or Federal Perkins Loan held by ED.

Apply for Forgery Discharge ## If You’ve Declared Bankruptcy In some cases, you can have your federal student loan discharged if * you’ve declared bankruptcy and * you have a Direct Loan, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan, or Federal Perkins Loan.

Discharge in bankruptcy may be granted if you file a separate action, known as an "adversary proceeding," asking that the bankruptcy court find that repaying the loan would impose undue hardship on you and your dependents. Learn about what you must do to ask the court to discharge in bankruptcy your federal student loan.

**IMPORTANT:** If you don’t qualify for loan discharge, cancellation, or forgiveness, you must repay your loan, whether or not you * complete your education, * find a job related to your program of study, * are happy with the education you paid for with your loan, or * were a minor (under the age of 18) when you signed your promissory note or received the loan.

View Forgiveness & Discharge Forms ## Frequently Asked Questions ## Do I need to make loan payments while my application is being reviewed? Depending on the type of discharge, cancellation, or forgiveness you’re applying for, you may have to make payments while we review your application. Check with your loan servicer to find out whether you must continue making payments during the application review period.

## What if my application is approved? If you qualify for discharge, cancellation, or forgiveness of **the full amount of your loan**, you won’t have to make any more payments on that loan. If you qualify for discharge, cancellation, or forgiveness of **a part of your loan**, you’ll need to pay back the remaining balance.

For certain types of loan discharge, you may also receive a refund of some or all of the payments you made on the loan, and any adverse information related to your delinquency or default on the loan may be deleted from your credit record. If the loan was in default, the discharge may erase the default status. If you have no other defaulted loans, you’ll again be able to apply for federal student aid.

Note: If you receive an IDR Plan discharge, you may be responsible for paying income tax on the discharged amount. ## What if my application is denied? You’ll need to pay back your loan according to the terms of the promissory note you signed.

If you have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loan, talk to your loan servicer about repayment options. If your loan is in default), find out how to begin repaying your loan and review your options for getting out of default. If you believe we denied your application by mistake, contact your loan servicer for more information.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Your session will time out in: I'm your personal financial aid virtual assistant. Here are some ways that I can help. Answer Your Financial Aid Questions How much money can I borrow in federal student loans?

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