Does Your Employer Qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)?
Updated on August 4, 2026
To qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, your employer must be a government agency or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Some other nonprofits that provide public services also qualify. For-profit companies, labor unions, and partisan political organizations do not.
Which Employers Qualify for PSLF?
PSLF only counts payments made while working for specific public service employers. Here’s how it breaks down:
Government agencies — All jobs with federal, state, local, or tribal governments qualify, including civilian roles and active-duty military service.
501(c)(3) nonprofits — Most nonprofit schools, hospitals, and charities qualify.
Other nonprofits providing public services — Nonprofits that aren’t 501(c)(3) may still qualify if they deliver direct public services (e.g., emergency management, public health clinics, early childhood education).
Employers that don’t qualify — For-profit companies, labor unions, and partisan political organizations are excluded, regardless of your role.
Related: PSLF Processing Time
Employer Eligibility Table for PSLF
Do Teachers, Charter Schools, and Universities Qualify for PSLF?
Education is one of the largest fields where PSLF applies, but eligibility depends on the school’s structure.
Teachers — Full-time teachers at public schools and nonprofit charter schools qualify. Teachers at for-profit charters do not.
Charter schools — Nonprofit charters (often organized under 501(c)(3)) qualify. For-profit charters are excluded, even if they serve the same community.
Universities — Public universities always qualify. Private nonprofit universities qualify if organized as 501(c)(3). For-profit universities never qualify.
Librarians — Librarians at public schools, public universities, or nonprofit universities qualify. Jobs at for-profit schools or non-501(c)(3) private employers do not.
Do Hospitals and Healthcare Jobs Qualify for PSLF?
Healthcare jobs can qualify for PSLF, but eligibility depends on your employer’s nonprofit status, not your job title or role.
Hospitals — Jobs with nonprofit (501(c)(3)) hospitals count for PSLF. Direct employment by a for-profit hospital does not qualify.
HCA Healthcare — HCA is a for-profit chain, so positions there do not qualify — even if HCA facilities appear in the PSLF Help Tool. Always verify eligibility directly with your employer’s HR and the Department of Education before applying.
Kaiser Permanente — Kaiser operates both nonprofit and for-profit entities. Your eligibility is determined by which entity employs you. Use your paystub or HR resources to find your employer’s legal name and EIN (tax ID number). Enter that EIN into the PSLF Help Tool to check eligibility.
California and Texas exception — In states where hospitals cannot directly employ doctors or clinicians, such as California and Texas, recent Department of Education changes allow contracted workers at nonprofit hospitals to count this employment toward PSLF. Physicians paid as 1099 independent contractors can qualify by listing the nonprofit’s EIN—see PSLF for 1099 physicians in California and Texas. This change resolves long-standing gaps for physicians and clinicians working under these state restrictions.
Always confirm your employer’s EIN with HR before submitting the PSLF form. Using the wrong EIN is one of the most common reasons for delays and denials.
Related:
Do Nonprofit and Religious Jobs Qualify for PSLF?
Many nonprofit jobs qualify for PSLF, but the details depend on the organization’s tax status and the type of work performed.
Nonprofit employees — If you work for a nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status, your employment generally qualifies. This covers roles in education, healthcare, and community services.
Religious organizations — Jobs at religious nonprofits may qualify if the organization is tax-exempt and your role is not limited to religious instruction or worship. For example, working at a church-run food pantry or community center may qualify, while teaching religion classes may not.
Other community service nonprofits — Nonprofits that provide services such as early childhood education, public health programs, or legal aid may qualify even if they aren’t 501(c)(3), as long as they’re structured as nonprofit organizations.
How to Confirm if Your Employer Qualifies for PSLF
The fastest way to check eligibility is by using the PSLF Employer Search Tool on the Federal Student Aid website.
Gather your employer’s details — You’ll need the official name and Employer Identification Number (EIN), usually found on your W-2.
Enter the information into the tool — Search by EIN first, since names often vary.
Review the results — The tool will show whether your employer qualifies for PSLF.
Common problems to watch for:
EIN mismatches — Organizations with multiple branches may require the parent company’s EIN.
Subsidiary issues — Sometimes the parent qualifies, but the subsidiary isn’t clearly listed.
If your employer isn’t listed:
You can still submit an Employment Certification Form. The Department of Education will manually review your employer and issue a determination.
Related: PSLF Employer Won’t Sign Your Form?
The 2025 PSLF Employer Rule Was Vacated
The Department of Education published a final rule on October 30, 2025 that would have narrowed which employers qualify for PSLF, letting it disqualify an otherwise-qualifying nonprofit or government employer it determined had engaged in activities with a “substantial illegal purpose.” The rule was scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026.
A federal court vacated the rule on June 30, 2026 — one day before its effective date. It never took effect. The Department has since removed the employer attestation from the PSLF form to comply with the court’s order.
What governs now: the qualifying-employer definition that applied before the rule. Nothing in the lists of qualifying and non-qualifying employers above changed because of it.
What this means for you: if you delayed certifying your employment, or held off on taking a public-service job, because of this rule, there is no longer a reason to wait.
One point of confusion: the “substantial illegal purpose” definition is still printed in the regulations at 34 CFR § 685.219(b)(30). A court vacating a rule and the government striking the rule’s text from the Code of Federal Regulations are separate steps, and the second has not happened. Finding that language in the regulations does not mean it is in force.
FAQs
Yes — part-time work counts if you average at least 30 hours per week across qualifying employers. You can combine multiple part-time jobs, but each employer must be eligible.
No. Your qualifying payments carry over when you move to another eligible employer. You don’t lose credit — as long as each employer meets PSLF rules.
If a qualifying nonprofit merges with or is acquired by a for-profit, only the payments made during its eligible period count. After the change, new payments will not qualify.
No. If you’re paid by a private contractor — even while working inside a government office — your job does not qualify. You must be a direct employee of the government agency or nonprofit.
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