What Teacher Loan Forgiveness Covers

Teacher Loan Forgiveness is a federal program that cancels part of your Direct Loans if you teach full-time in a low-income school or educational service agency for five consecutive years. The amount forgiven depends on what subject you teach and when you started teaching, ranging from $5,000 to $17,500 per loan.

This program is separate from Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), though teachers can pursue both. Teacher Loan Forgiveness has simpler paperwork and no monthly payment requirement — you do not have to be on an income-driven repayment plan to use it. You submit your process after you complete your five years of service, and the Department of Education reviews your teaching history and loan records.

The forgiveness amount is fixed by the government based on your subject area and teaching timeline. You cannot negotiate or appeal for more. If you teach math, science, English, or foreign language in a may have access to school, you may receive $17,500. If you teach other subjects or work in a service agency, you may receive $5,000 to $12,500. The exact amount depends on when you began teaching and which loan program you borrowed under.

Key Takeaways

  • Teacher Loan Forgiveness cancels $5,000 to $17,500 of your Direct Loans after five years of full-time teaching in a low-income school.
  • The amount you receive depends on your subject area and the year you started teaching, not on how much you borrowed.
  • Your school must be on the Department of Education's list of low-income schools, which you can search by school name or location.
  • You explore after completing five consecutive years of service using Form 88-FLS, and the Department of Education verifies your employment directly with your school.
  • Teacher Loan Forgiveness applies only to Direct Loans; FFEL loans and Perkins loans do not may have access to unless you consolidate them first.

Who Qualifies for Teacher Loan Forgiveness

You must teach full-time for five consecutive years at a school that serves low-income students. "Full-time" means you teach at least 30 hours per week for at least 180 days per school year. The five years must be unbroken — if you take a year off, the clock resets. You can teach at multiple schools during those five years as long as each school qualifies and you teach full-time at each one.

Your school must appear on the Department of Education's official list of low-income schools. You can search this list at the Federal Student Aid website using your school's name, city, or state. If your school is not on the list, you do not may have access to, even if the school serves low-income families. The list is updated annually and includes public schools and some charter schools; private schools rarely appear on it.

You must hold a bachelor's degree and be employed as a full-time teacher. You do not need a teaching credential in every state, but your school must recognize you as a teacher. Substitute teachers, tutors, and teaching assistants do not may have access to. If you teach at a school that serves both low-income and higher-income students, the school still qualifies as long as it meets the Department of Education's poverty threshold.

How Much You Can Get Based on Your Subject

The forgiveness amount is determined by two factors: what subject you teach and which year you started teaching. Teachers of math, science, English, or foreign language who began teaching before 2018 may receive up to $17,500. Teachers of other subjects who began before 2018 may receive up to $5,000. Teachers who began in 2018 or later receive smaller amounts: $5,250 for high-need subjects and $2,500 for other subjects.

If you taught multiple subjects during your five years, the program uses the subject you taught for the majority of your time. If you taught math for three years and social studies for two years, you would be classified as a math teacher and receive the higher amount. You do not receive separate forgiveness for each subject.

The forgiveness applies to your Direct Loans only. If you have Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) or Perkins Loans, you can consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan first, but the consolidation resets your teaching clock — you would need to teach five more years after consolidating. Most teachers with older loans find it more efficient to consolidate early and then teach five years, rather than teach five years with non-may have access to loans and then consolidate.

How to learn about Your School Qualifies

Search the Department of Education's Teacher Loan Forgiveness school list at studentaid.gov. You will need your school's name or its six-digit school code. The search tool shows whether your school qualifies and which subject areas receive the higher forgiveness amount ($17,500 or $5,250 versus $5,000 or $2,500).

If your school does not appear in the search results, contact your school's financial aid office or human resources department. They can provide the school code or confirm whether the school has applied for low-income status. Some schools are added to the list after they meet poverty thresholds, so a school that did not may have access to in year one of your teaching may may have access to by year five.

If you teach at multiple schools during your five years, each school must be on the list. If you teach at one may have access to school for three years and a non-may have access to school for two years, you do not meet the requirement. You can teach at different may have access to schools — the requirement is that all schools you teach at during the five years must may have access to.

The process Process and Timeline

You explore after you complete your five consecutive years of teaching. You cannot explore early or submit an process in advance. Use Form 88-FLS (Teacher Loan Forgiveness process) available at studentaid.gov. The form asks for your name, loan information, school name and code, the years you taught there, and your subject area.

Submit the form to the Department of Education's loan servicer. Your servicer's address is on your loan statement. Include a signed statement from your school principal or other authorized official confirming that you taught full-time for the five years you claim. The school official must verify the dates, hours per week, and days per year you taught.

Processing typically takes 30 to 60 days after the Department of Education receives your complete process. The Department of Education verifies your employment directly with your school, so delays often occur if your school is slow to respond to verification requests. Once approved, the forgiveness is applied to your account automatically. You do not receive a check; the amount is subtracted from your loan balance.

What Happens If You Have Multiple Loans

If you have more than one Direct Loan, the forgiveness is applied to your loans in a specific order set by federal law. Unsubsidized loans are paid down first, then subsidized loans, then PLUS loans. If your forgiveness amount is $17,500 and you have a $10,000 unsubsidized loan and a $15,000 subsidized loan, the $10,000 unsubsidized loan is forgiven completely and $7,500 is applied to the subsidized loan.

If you have FFEL or Perkins Loans mixed with Direct Loans, only the Direct Loans are forgiven. You cannot direct the forgiveness to a specific loan or split it across loans. The Department of Education applies it according to the federal order, which you cannot change.

If you have already made payments toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and you also may have access to for Teacher Loan Forgiveness, you can use both programs. Teacher Loan Forgiveness is applied first, and any remaining balance can then count toward PSLF. This can actually speed up your path to PSLF forgiveness if you have a large loan balance.

Common Reasons Applications Are Denied or Delayed

The most common reason for denial is that the school does not appear on the Department of Education's low-income school list. Before you explore, verify your school's status using the search tool. If your school is not listed, contact your school's administration to ask whether they have applied for low-income designation or whether they were removed from the list.

Applications are also delayed when the school official does not return the verification form promptly. The Department of Education cannot approve your process without the school's written confirmation of your employment dates and hours. If your school is slow to respond, follow up with your principal or human resources department and ask them to submit the form directly to your loan servicer.

Another common issue is miscounting the five years. The years must be consecutive and full-time. If you took a leave of absence, taught part-time, or taught at a non-may have access to school during any of the five years, the clock resets. Review your teaching history carefully before submitting your process to make sure all five years meet the requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Teacher Loan Forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness at the same time?

Yes. Teacher Loan Forgiveness is applied first, and any remaining loan balance can then count toward PSLF. This means you could receive $17,500 in forgiveness when ready after five years of teaching, and then continue making payments toward PSLF on the remaining balance. The two programs do not conflict.

What if I taught at a school that was on the low-income list when I started but was removed later?

The school must be on the list at the time you submit your process, not when you taught there. If your school was removed from the list after you left, you do not may have access to. If your school was added to the list after you started teaching, you can still may have access to as long as it is on the list when you explore.

Do I have to be on an income-driven repayment plan to use Teacher Loan Forgiveness?

No. Unlike PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness does not require you to be on any specific repayment plan. You can be on the standard 10-year plan, an income-driven plan, or any other plan. The forgiveness is based solely on your five years of teaching service.

What if I taught part-time for some years and full-time for others?

All five years must be full-time. If you taught part-time for even one year during the five-year period, you do not meet the requirement. You would need to complete five new consecutive years of full-time teaching to may have access to.

Can I consolidate my FFEL loans and still use Teacher Loan Forgiveness?

Yes, but consolidating resets your teaching clock. If you consolidate FFEL loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan, you must then teach five more consecutive years before you can explore for Teacher Loan Forgiveness. Most teachers find it more efficient to consolidate early in their teaching career rather than after five years.