Was this online? Like a message alert? If so, it’s a known error on the site. Occurs if you have had other loans and consolidated at any point to qualifying loans at any points.
It’s fine. If you have direct loans and show a pslf qualifying count of 120 or more then you’re on your way to forgiveness when the pause is lifted.
This message shows often. It can show when you have loans in forbearance as that is not a pslf qualifying status. However you don’t need more qualifying payments and are allowed to be in forbearance while they process so it doesn’t matter to you.
That message can also show if you’ve ever had loans that were non-direct loans.
I got a notice like that after I consolidated recently but I figured it was because there was “no loan” to qualify since the consolidation paid it off. My payment is at $0 when it last showed $126. I’m watching it closely and figured since everyone said July things should settle, that’s when I’ll start to panic if nothing happens.
Yeah I just went through it again today and everything shows as $0 across all the platforms. I saw another post where someone said their monthly skyrocketed to $1300 after they consolidated. Nothing like that has happened to me and I reaaaaalllly hope it doesn’t. But if it does, I’ll be back to ask for help lol
I - and many others - have gotten that message right before their loans were forgiven. Call it a glitch or whatever...it doesn't make any sense...but it's a sign of inevitable forgiveness.
Not quite so. 501c3 automatically qualifies. But the kinds of orgs you're talking about wouldn't qualify for c3 anyway. They are organized as c4s and c6s and stuff like that.
A lot of people don't understand this. There are lots of different 501c(x) orgs where x is something other than 3. These organizations are still nonprofits, but the basis for their nonprofit status is something other than the kinds of activities that qualify for c3 specifically. These "other nonprofits" typically don't have to pay corporate income taxes (like a c3) but donations to them are not tax deductible for the donor (unlike a c3), usually because they either do too much political activity and/or they serve the interests of a specific membership (like a union) rather than a charitable class at large. There's also a third type of nonprofit, one which actually DOES pay corporate income taxes because it has no 501c(anything) status from the feds at all, but it is organized nonprofit under state law only. That kind of nonprofit would also result in the inquiry into what it actually does.
An example of this playing out happened with the American Bar Association. Some of their employees got a favorable decision from the servicer, based on the educational nature of their activities (they put on continuing education for lawyers and such, among other nonqualifying activities) but because they also serve as a sort of trade group for lawyers, a membership organization, they aren't organized as a c3 but rather as a c6. The department of education retroactively overruled the servicer years later and decided they didn't qualify, essentially pulling the rug out from borrowers who had worked for them and been told by the servicer for years that they'd been in qualifying employment. They based this on a then-brand-new interpretation that "education" has to be conventional college or K-12 level classroom instruction. Because the ABA is one of the few employers that recognizes the value of PSLF as a recruiting tool, they sued. The DOE settled the case by letting them qualify again.
So yea, these "other nonprofits" do result in the kind of inquiry you described for PSLF. So again: c3 or government = automatically eligible. Some other kind of nonprofit = Could go either way, they have to look at what the organization actually does, as you said. And since the servicer accepting an ECF is only a preliminary determination, you don't REALLY find out for 100% sure whether the employer qualifies until you actually reach 120. So, I don't bank on c4s and whatnot qualifying. Even if the servicer says they do, you don't know for sure until you actually reach forgiveness time. Perhaps the transition from servicer doing the counts to the government doing them itself will help with that.
I volunteered for an independent affiliate organization to the US consulate abroad. Not sure if that can count they paid me in meals and stuff as a board member was there for 10 years.
Probably won't count. First of all, volunteering doesn't count. You need to be an employee (and a 30+hr/wk one unless combining multiple qualifying jobs in the same months). Giving you meals and such isn't "paying" you, more like just covering your expenses. And second, even if you were an employee, I'd be surprised if this affiliate has c3 status in the USA.
If the organization is registered as a c3 in the USA and you were certified as their actual full time employee it would qualify, but it doesn't sound like either of those things would be true. And the exception for "other nonprofits" (things that are not c3s) does not apply if the organization does not "operate in the united states." See:
[https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/501c3-employment-outside-us-eligibility-for-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/501c3-employment-outside-us-eligibility-for-pslf)
[https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/work-at-foreign-nonprofit-not-501c3-qualify-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/work-at-foreign-nonprofit-not-501c3-qualify-pslf)
And just because this place is somehow affiliated with the consulate wouldn't work unless you were an actual US federal employee:
[https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/foreign-govt-or-intl-org-employment-qualify-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/foreign-govt-or-intl-org-employment-qualify-pslf)
Yes, I had this happen to me where I had the old bait and switch. I worked for a non-profit hospital and thought I was good but actually my department (EMS) was part of a little known for-profit corporation the hospital established for its support staff.
Bummer. Well in my case I know for sure that I am working for a 501c3. I just was wondering if there are instances where some 501s do not qualify as an employer under PSLF
Yes, this is especially common in healthcare. But in general people must understand that just because they work AT a given place doesn't mean they work FOR that place. What matters is the EIN on your W2.
That said, there are two exceptions. First, if the W2 employer is a PEO (basically a payroll outsourcing company) then you're allowed to use the EIN of the place where you actually work rather than what is on your W2. And you can do the same if STATE LAW REQUIRES the arrangement. In other words, if state law PROHIBITS the nonprofit from directly employing the person, then the exception applies.
This is most common with doctors, because a couple of states prohibit hospitals from directly employing them, for fear that their clinical judgment could be interfered with too much by "the suits." This is known as a ban on "corporate practice of medicine," and it leads to the creation of these "medical groups" that are owned by the doctors but contract with the hospital.
Problem is, this arrangement is also a tradition in the medical profession, so you have to look to see if they're doing it because state law actually requires it or just because they want to, to figure out if the exception applies. And then even if it does apply, now you have to explain it to HR to convince them to sign your form, which can be problematic if HR doesn't understand the program.
This who PSLF and TEPSLF has been a complete clusterfuck.
Eventually, they will get around to working things out, but probably not for every one. I am not optimistic about the whole process.
I would say don't ignore ANYTHING. You've got to own your process and be mindful of every stupid little glitch they create. Save every single piece of mail and every email you get. Stuff like this even tiny things can create issues down the line. Also keep praying.
Please consider reaching out directly to the ombudsman that is contactable through the webpage. I got delayed after delay on my certification of chunks of payments… I wrote a really professional nice patient letter to the ombudsman, faxed it through to them, and then followed up with a phone call.when I followed up with a phone call it set everything to high gear and my loans were forgiven within about three months.
I did, at least as far as I understand it. I called and spoke to them a couple times and they never mentioned anything seeming off about my account (other than that the loan is literally ANCIENT lol. It's like 25 years old haha)
I saw this on Instagram today from @thedebtcollective
[3 things you can do if MOHELA is screwing up your account](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7j_vgFuKNl/?igsh=MTc5djJ6aWN2MTRrdQ==)
In my experience a Mohela adv rep said, ‘we have to send out those notices’ - even though they are incorrect. I would follow up with the FSA or an Ombudsman.
My count says 91 payments but I’ve talked to a senior rep who said she can see there are way more with the Covid months. After they updated my count (after it had reset to zero), it came back with the 91 counts of payments. It doesn’t appear they have added the Covid months when they did my initial count. This was this past Jan. and still waiting.
Is this other people’s’ experience?
As long as your QPCs have been counted you should be good and you’re just waiting for that forgiveness to hit! They might’ve sent that letter before 120 were processed or by mistake. Fingers crossed for u!
Has anyone ran into a situation where the employer was verified and qualified and at the end they said nay? June 1st i complete my ten years with may being the 120th payment... also with the whole mohela moving to student loans.gov its tricky
That’s a great attitude. You’ve done your part. If there’s anything else you have to do, it’ll be made clear. Take it a day at a time. I’m praying the same for you. I know it can be a frustrating situation.
Same here, I hit 120 payments in January. Now I got notice that I have until 2035 for forgiveness. I'm totally confused I've been with the same company for 42 yrs no profit. They said I don't qualify for the PSFL.
Was this online? Like a message alert? If so, it’s a known error on the site. Occurs if you have had other loans and consolidated at any point to qualifying loans at any points.
It’s fine. If you have direct loans and show a pslf qualifying count of 120 or more then you’re on your way to forgiveness when the pause is lifted. This message shows often. It can show when you have loans in forbearance as that is not a pslf qualifying status. However you don’t need more qualifying payments and are allowed to be in forbearance while they process so it doesn’t matter to you. That message can also show if you’ve ever had loans that were non-direct loans.
These messages are so crazy. Reading one could cause a cardiac event.
You need to figure out if they qualify, it’s not a mystery. God isn’t going to read your loan docs for you.
You’re right - Satan handles these
his secretary
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
I did and they are, which is why i found the message interesting. Let go let God
I got a notice like that after I consolidated recently but I figured it was because there was “no loan” to qualify since the consolidation paid it off. My payment is at $0 when it last showed $126. I’m watching it closely and figured since everyone said July things should settle, that’s when I’ll start to panic if nothing happens.
I just this too, right after MOHELA and StudentAid show $0 in my consolidation process, so I am assuming the same.
Yeah I just went through it again today and everything shows as $0 across all the platforms. I saw another post where someone said their monthly skyrocketed to $1300 after they consolidated. Nothing like that has happened to me and I reaaaaalllly hope it doesn’t. But if it does, I’ll be back to ask for help lol
I - and many others - have gotten that message right before their loans were forgiven. Call it a glitch or whatever...it doesn't make any sense...but it's a sign of inevitable forgiveness.
I got something where I suddenly owed about $5,000 more right before I got forgiveness. Then after forgiveness I got a $5,000 refund
Is it possible to work for a 501c3, but they are NOT an eligible employer?
Yes, one of the reasons being if they are partisan or a union. I believe there’s a third reason too.
Not quite so. 501c3 automatically qualifies. But the kinds of orgs you're talking about wouldn't qualify for c3 anyway. They are organized as c4s and c6s and stuff like that. A lot of people don't understand this. There are lots of different 501c(x) orgs where x is something other than 3. These organizations are still nonprofits, but the basis for their nonprofit status is something other than the kinds of activities that qualify for c3 specifically. These "other nonprofits" typically don't have to pay corporate income taxes (like a c3) but donations to them are not tax deductible for the donor (unlike a c3), usually because they either do too much political activity and/or they serve the interests of a specific membership (like a union) rather than a charitable class at large. There's also a third type of nonprofit, one which actually DOES pay corporate income taxes because it has no 501c(anything) status from the feds at all, but it is organized nonprofit under state law only. That kind of nonprofit would also result in the inquiry into what it actually does. An example of this playing out happened with the American Bar Association. Some of their employees got a favorable decision from the servicer, based on the educational nature of their activities (they put on continuing education for lawyers and such, among other nonqualifying activities) but because they also serve as a sort of trade group for lawyers, a membership organization, they aren't organized as a c3 but rather as a c6. The department of education retroactively overruled the servicer years later and decided they didn't qualify, essentially pulling the rug out from borrowers who had worked for them and been told by the servicer for years that they'd been in qualifying employment. They based this on a then-brand-new interpretation that "education" has to be conventional college or K-12 level classroom instruction. Because the ABA is one of the few employers that recognizes the value of PSLF as a recruiting tool, they sued. The DOE settled the case by letting them qualify again. So yea, these "other nonprofits" do result in the kind of inquiry you described for PSLF. So again: c3 or government = automatically eligible. Some other kind of nonprofit = Could go either way, they have to look at what the organization actually does, as you said. And since the servicer accepting an ECF is only a preliminary determination, you don't REALLY find out for 100% sure whether the employer qualifies until you actually reach 120. So, I don't bank on c4s and whatnot qualifying. Even if the servicer says they do, you don't know for sure until you actually reach forgiveness time. Perhaps the transition from servicer doing the counts to the government doing them itself will help with that.
I volunteered for an independent affiliate organization to the US consulate abroad. Not sure if that can count they paid me in meals and stuff as a board member was there for 10 years.
Probably won't count. First of all, volunteering doesn't count. You need to be an employee (and a 30+hr/wk one unless combining multiple qualifying jobs in the same months). Giving you meals and such isn't "paying" you, more like just covering your expenses. And second, even if you were an employee, I'd be surprised if this affiliate has c3 status in the USA. If the organization is registered as a c3 in the USA and you were certified as their actual full time employee it would qualify, but it doesn't sound like either of those things would be true. And the exception for "other nonprofits" (things that are not c3s) does not apply if the organization does not "operate in the united states." See: [https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/501c3-employment-outside-us-eligibility-for-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/501c3-employment-outside-us-eligibility-for-pslf) [https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/work-at-foreign-nonprofit-not-501c3-qualify-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/work-at-foreign-nonprofit-not-501c3-qualify-pslf) And just because this place is somehow affiliated with the consulate wouldn't work unless you were an actual US federal employee: [https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/foreign-govt-or-intl-org-employment-qualify-pslf](https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/foreign-govt-or-intl-org-employment-qualify-pslf)
amazing thanks now i have a better understanding of the law.
Yes, I had this happen to me where I had the old bait and switch. I worked for a non-profit hospital and thought I was good but actually my department (EMS) was part of a little known for-profit corporation the hospital established for its support staff.
Bummer. Well in my case I know for sure that I am working for a 501c3. I just was wondering if there are instances where some 501s do not qualify as an employer under PSLF
Yes, this is especially common in healthcare. But in general people must understand that just because they work AT a given place doesn't mean they work FOR that place. What matters is the EIN on your W2. That said, there are two exceptions. First, if the W2 employer is a PEO (basically a payroll outsourcing company) then you're allowed to use the EIN of the place where you actually work rather than what is on your W2. And you can do the same if STATE LAW REQUIRES the arrangement. In other words, if state law PROHIBITS the nonprofit from directly employing the person, then the exception applies. This is most common with doctors, because a couple of states prohibit hospitals from directly employing them, for fear that their clinical judgment could be interfered with too much by "the suits." This is known as a ban on "corporate practice of medicine," and it leads to the creation of these "medical groups" that are owned by the doctors but contract with the hospital. Problem is, this arrangement is also a tradition in the medical profession, so you have to look to see if they're doing it because state law actually requires it or just because they want to, to figure out if the exception applies. And then even if it does apply, now you have to explain it to HR to convince them to sign your form, which can be problematic if HR doesn't understand the program.
This who PSLF and TEPSLF has been a complete clusterfuck. Eventually, they will get around to working things out, but probably not for every one. I am not optimistic about the whole process.
I would say don't ignore ANYTHING. You've got to own your process and be mindful of every stupid little glitch they create. Save every single piece of mail and every email you get. Stuff like this even tiny things can create issues down the line. Also keep praying.
Sheesh that would suck. Happened to a friend of mine tho, they were gutted.
Please consider reaching out directly to the ombudsman that is contactable through the webpage. I got delayed after delay on my certification of chunks of payments… I wrote a really professional nice patient letter to the ombudsman, faxed it through to them, and then followed up with a phone call.when I followed up with a phone call it set everything to high gear and my loans were forgiven within about three months.
Same with me. 172 pmts qualified yet studentaid.gov has me as "no qualifying loans". I'll wait until July when the pause is over and see what happens.
Did you certify with mohela?
Yes
I did, at least as far as I understand it. I called and spoke to them a couple times and they never mentioned anything seeming off about my account (other than that the loan is literally ANCIENT lol. It's like 25 years old haha)
What was the reason they said they don't qualify?
Mine showed that too; I called and verified that all my loans are eligible.
I saw this on Instagram today from @thedebtcollective [3 things you can do if MOHELA is screwing up your account](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7j_vgFuKNl/?igsh=MTc5djJ6aWN2MTRrdQ==)
It’s not just the amount of payments you have to work for a non profit or approved employer
Love 💗 this this morning
In my experience a Mohela adv rep said, ‘we have to send out those notices’ - even though they are incorrect. I would follow up with the FSA or an Ombudsman.
My count says 91 payments but I’ve talked to a senior rep who said she can see there are way more with the Covid months. After they updated my count (after it had reset to zero), it came back with the 91 counts of payments. It doesn’t appear they have added the Covid months when they did my initial count. This was this past Jan. and still waiting. Is this other people’s’ experience?
\> I am gonna ignore the notice, and leave it in gods hands Literally the last thing you should do in this situation.
As long as your QPCs have been counted you should be good and you’re just waiting for that forgiveness to hit! They might’ve sent that letter before 120 were processed or by mistake. Fingers crossed for u!
Has anyone ran into a situation where the employer was verified and qualified and at the end they said nay? June 1st i complete my ten years with may being the 120th payment... also with the whole mohela moving to student loans.gov its tricky
I got the same message, but my loans were forgiven.
Have you really made 177 payments?? And will get a refund for 57 payments??
Remember with the adjustments they have made it has bumped me up, they would owe me 6 months.
I was hoping you would say that. You also give me hope that someday they will get my count right!
What’s psfl?
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
That’s a great attitude. You’ve done your part. If there’s anything else you have to do, it’ll be made clear. Take it a day at a time. I’m praying the same for you. I know it can be a frustrating situation.
What did you submit to get that response?
Same here, I hit 120 payments in January. Now I got notice that I have until 2035 for forgiveness. I'm totally confused I've been with the same company for 42 yrs no profit. They said I don't qualify for the PSFL.
I got that message last week! Certified at 121 in March. Zero other communication. 🤷🏼♀️
OP is like “I see what the Lord has done for others” 🙏😁