My PSLF Testimonial

Tiffanie, Psychologist in Renton, WA

I feel very fortunate that I was able to benefit from the PSLF Limited Waiver. My student loan repayment began in March 2010, and I considered consolidating my loans under Direct Loans for PSLF; however, my payments would have been higher and I wasn’t sure I’d remain in public service for 10 years to benefit from the program. So I stuck with my original repayment plan through Nelnet. I worked extra jobs to significantly pay down my debt but other life events occurred that slowed down that progress, such as buying a house, having a wedding, and having a baby. I just figured I’d be paying minimums until my kids were out of daycare and I could afford to send in additional payments to pay off my loans sooner. But then the PSLF Limited Waiver was announced in October 2021. I immediately applied to consolidate my loans under Direct Loans.

The process was faster than I anticipated. Then I requested employer verification of my employment with the VA for over 10 years. In late February 2022, I saw that my loans were given. It has been a major relief, especially given that I’m about to have my second baby in early June. While student loans didn’t hold me back from buying a house, saving for retirement, getting married, and having kids, it’s just been something that’s always bogged me down. The downside is that my husband continues to have a student loan balance of about $222,000, and I don’t see student loan forgiveness working out in his favor. It’s been hard for me to be happy about my circumstances when he’s still experiencing a lot of stress over his student loan debt.

Tiffanie had roughly $25,000 forgiven through PSLF.