Public Service Loan Forgiveness survived the 2026 changes, but the plans feeding into it did not. This guide covers how PSLF works now that RAP is the default plan, and the places where a payment count quietly breaks.
Why PSLF got harder to track in 2026
PSLF itself did not change. What changed is the set of plans that feed it. Several income-driven plans closed to new enrollment, RAP became the default, and borrowers moved between plans in large numbers during the transition. A payment count that was accurate in June 2026 may not describe the same borrower today.
That makes the failure mode subtle. Nobody loses PSLF in one dramatic event. They lose months, a few at a time, to a plan that stopped qualifying, a forbearance that did not count, or a recertification that slipped. The pages below cover the specific places those months disappear.
What to check first
Confirm the plan qualifies, confirm the employer qualifies, and confirm the payment count the servicer has on file matches the borrower’s own record. Those three checks catch most problems while they are still fixable.
The core rules
- Does RAP qualify for PSLF? The plan-by-plan answer, with a verified payment comparison.
- Does changing jobs reset PSLF? What happens to banked credit.
- PSLF buyback and the RAP exclusion
Where counts break
- The vacated employer rule and what it changed
- Deferment vs forbearance. Which months count and which do not.
- Missing a recertification deadline