What is the PSLF program?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal program that forgives the remaining balance on Direct loans for public service employees after they have made 120 qualifying monthly payments (approximately 10 years) under a qualifying repayment plan while working full time for an eligible public service employer. 

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Statewide Initiative Plan provides an overview of the statewide initiative plan for Washington to support student loan borrowers pursuing the PSLF program by increasing awareness, improving access and removing barriers to the program.

This website provides PSLF information for state agency employers, including state agency PSLF employment certification program requirements, guidance materials and employee notification template letters. State employee resources are available at Washington Student Achievement Council PSLF program.

What is the state agency PSLF employment certification program?

The state agency PLSF employment certification program requires Washington state agency employers to help employees access the PSLF program by providing information about PSLF eligibility and by certifying employment in accordance with RCW 28B.77.009, RCW 43.41.425, RCW 41.04.045, and RCW 41.04.055. 

What notifications are required?

Effective June 6, 2024, state agency employers are required to provide the following notifications to support employees on their path toward loan forgiveness:

• Annual PSLF Notice [docx]. State agencies are required to provide information about the PSLF program to all agency employees on an annual basis and any time PSLF regulations change to continue raising awareness of the program and the resources available. (printed version)
• New Employee PSLF Notice [docx]. State agencies are required to send a new hire notice to employees during the onboarding process to introduce the PSLF program and employment certification process. (printed version)
• PSLF Recertification Reminder. State agencies are required to send a recertification notice reminding employees to recertify their employment for the PSLF program one year after the last certification date. (template coming soon)
• Employee Separation PSLF Notice [docx]. State agencies are required to send a separation notice to employees upon separation or during the separation process, so they know which steps to take to receive and potentially continue receiving PSLF credit. (printed version) 

How does the PSLF employment certification process work? 

State agency employers are required to complete the PSLF certification form upon request from an employee. Employees initiate the employment certification process by submitting either an electronic or hard copy of the PSLF employment certification form to the employer. Encourage employees to certify their employment annually.

Employees are encouraged to submit the PSLF form electronically via the PSLF Help Tool. This is the fastest and most secure method. Employees may also use the hard copy PSLF form. In either case, employees are required to include the agency's employer identification number (EIN) on the PSLF form. To use the PSLF Help Tool, employees also need the agency's PSLF contact email address. State agency EINs and PSLF contact emails can be found on OFM's PSLF State Agency Directory.  

The PSLF Help Tool uses DocuSign to enable digital signature by the employer and it submits the completed form to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) for processing.

Manual PSLF forms must be securely returned to the employee, and the employee must submit the completed form to FSA for processing. FSA recommends employees mail or fax manual forms, and upload file copies to their StudentAid.gov account as back up. Refer employees to the Washington Student Achievement Council's Steps to apply for PSLF for more information.

In some instances, state agencies are not registered within the PSLF Help Tool, When this occurs, employees need to submit the hard copy PSLF form and wait for FSA to verity the agency as a PSLF-qualifying employer. Once the state agency has been verified, the employee will be able to use the PSLF Help Tool to process future employment certifications with that agency. The verification process may take up to one year.

Completed employment certification forms must be retained up to six (6) years in accordance with the State General Retention Schedule, DAN GS 03048 Benefits Enrollment and Participation.

PSLF employment certification program best practices:

• Designate a PSLF point-of-contact to complete employment certification forms and assist employees.
• Establish process guidelines for completion and retention of PSLF employment certification forms.
• Post agency PSLF contact information on internal and external websites:
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN) - required for submittal of PSLF employment certification form.
  • PSLF contact email - required for electronic submittal of PSLF employment certification form.
  • PSLF contact phone - number employees may use to request information or assistance from agency staff.
• Note that your agency is a PSLF-qualifying employer on recruitment announcements.
• Provide agency PSLF contact information to PSLF@ofm.wa.gov for inclusion in the PSLF state agency directory.
• Join the OFM PSLF distribution list to receive PSLF program communications as well as state and federal program updates.

Who must follow the state agency PSLF program requirements?

For the purposes of the state agency PSLF program requirements, Washington state agencies include the following: 

• Departments, offices, agencies, or institutions of state government,
• the legislature,
• institutions of higher education,
• school districts, and
• educational service districts.

PSLF guidance for state agencies

The documents linked below provide guidance and detailed information about how you can help your employees access the PSLF program. This information includes how to implement the requirements of Washington state law, the federal PSLF program rules, and recommended best practices from the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), the Office of the Student Loan Advocate, and OFM State HR.

• OFM State HR - Guidance about PSLF eligibility letter templates and the employment certification process
• OFM State HR - PSLF Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for state agencies
• Student Loan Advocate - Using the PSLF Help Tool for Employment Certification
• Office of Federal Student Aid article - Tackling the PSLF Form: Employer Tips

We’re here to assist employers! If you have any questions about the PSLF process as an employer, please send your question(s) to PSLF@ofm.wa.gov.

Request to be added to the PSLF distribution list to receive updates from OFM State HR about the PSLF program. 

Do contractors qualify for PSLF?

Contracted employees generally do not qualify for PSLF. The exception is when state law prevents a PSLF-qualifying employer from directly hiring employees to fill specific positions or provide certain services. For example, in Washington state, contracted public defense attorneys for the Office of Public Defense qualify for PSLF. Contact PSLF@ofm.wa.gov if you believe your contract employment may qualify for PSLF under this exception.