How to Get an Electronic Signature for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is available to federal student loan borrowers who are employed in a public service capacity, such as by a 501(c)(3) or a government entity. 

Using this Employment Certification Form, you must verify your employment with the Department of Education to pursue PSLF. Thanks to its new digital signature process, this form has recently gotten easier to submit.

Keep reading to learn how to qualify for the PSLF program and use the StudentAid.gov PSLF Help Tool.

5 PSLF eligibility requirements to know

First, you’ll need to do some due diligence with your loan situation to ensure that you’re eligible for PSLF. There are five requirements you must meet to be successful with PSLF.

1. Work full-time for a public service entity

A public service entity can include a government organization, a tax-exempt nonprofit under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, a private, not-for-profit organization that provides certain public services, or serving in an AmeriCorps or Peace Corps position. 

You must also work full-time. Full-time employment means working for one or more qualifying employers for at least an annual average of 30 hours per week.

2. Have Direct Loans

Only student debt under the federal Direct Loan program can receive forgiveness via PSLF. 

Suppose you have Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), Perkins Loans, HEAL, HPSL, LDS, or any other loan type eligible for a Direct Consolidation Loan. In that case, you can convert them into qualifying loans through a loan consolidation with MOHELA, who’s the loan servicer in charge of PSLF, after reviewing federal consolidation considerations. 

To take advantage of the IDR Account Adjustment provisions, you must consolidate by the end of 2023.

3. Repay your loans on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan

Qualifying repayment plans include Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE — formerly Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) — Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR). These student loan repayment plans calculate your monthly payment based on 10% to 20% of your discretionary income. 

Check out our PSLF calculator to see which repayment plan might be best for you.

4. Make 120 qualifying payments

A qualifying payment is a monthly payment made on time, in full, while all three of the above-listed requirements are also met. Neither the 120 qualifying payments nor the employment status has to be consecutive.

5. Submit an Employment Certification Form (ECF)

The first requirement is confirmed via the Employment Certification Form (ECF). This form is retroactive. It only certifies past PSLF qualifying payments up to the date on the form. 

Submitting the form annually isn’t a requirement to qualify for PSLF, but it’s highly recommended. An annual submission can help ensure you’re on the right track and give you an updated qualifying payment count.

PSLF Help Tool

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Education introduced the PSLF Help Tool to assist those interested in pursuing this program. A series of questions help applicants determine if their employer may qualify and assists with finding out if they have the correct loan type.

The ECF needs both the borrower's and their employer's signatures. The tool now allows the borrower and the employer to sign and submit the ECF to MOHELA for approval electronically.

Step-by-Step through the new digital ECF process

1. Before officially starting the PSLF Help Tool, confirm your employment start date(s) (and end dates, if applicable). The online form will want MM/DD/YYYY for ALL eligible employers. Note: PSLF credits will only be counted as far back as your graduation, as early as October 1, 2007.
2. Grab your employer(s) EIN(s) (employer identification number), which you can find on last year's W-2 in box b, or you can confirm with HR.
3. To get a digital signature from your employer, you will need the correct email address for an authorizing official, so grab that too. Note: An authorized official is usually someone in your human resources department, though sometimes, your direct supervisor or another person may be permitted to certify your employment. Check with your organization to see who is allowed to certify your PSLF form.
4. Now that you’ve gotten the information needed for the application, you can log into Federal Student Aid and start the PSLF Help Tool.
5. Add the EIN and your employment dates for each employment period, and click “Search” to find your employer. Once found, click “Continue.” Finish working through the question and verification prompts.
6. Once you’ve gotten through all the clarifying questions, you must check the box where it says “Sign your PSLF form” and click “Continue.”
7. To complete this digitally, choose “Electronic Signature” and add the email address for the authorizing official(s) at your Employer(s). 
8. Tell the authorizing official to expect an email from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid via DocuSign (dse_NA4@docusign.net) on your behalf. 

See the Student Aid website for more tips and troubleshooting help.

As long as your employer is eligible, you will receive an email shortly after submitting your ECF like the below:

The authorized official at your employer will receive an email that looks like this: 

For a prompt submission, check in with your employer’s authorized official to ensure they received the email (confirm it’s not sitting in their spam folder). Ensure that they saw the access code embedded into the initial email they received.

You can then track the status of your ECF via StudentAid.gov under “My Activity.” Once your authorizing official certifies your employment by signing digitally, your form is electronically submitted to MOHELA for processing.

What’s next?

If your ECF is accepted, MOHELA has verified that your loans and employment qualify. You’ll get correspondence about your qualifying PSLF payment count and be able to see your progress on their PSLF Payment Tracker.

Payment counts will take time to reflect, unfortunately. We’ve seen anywhere between 2 to 6 months or more. Patience is key, along with annual submissions, to keep a good pulse on your timeline! 

PSLF payment tracking

The PSLF Payment Tracker on MOHELA’s website lists each of your loans individually and reflects your PSLF-eligible payments, separating payments that have already qualified via an ECF and those that need employment certification.

If you have any “ineligible payments,” the tracker will also help identify those and list why they’re not eligible. It might look something like this:

If you believe MOHELA made a mistake in determining payment counts or your employer’s eligibility for PSLF, you may submit a Reconsideration Request Form here. Here are additional escalation steps to correct your payment counts if there is no resolution from your reconsideration request.

Be confident about your PSLF payment timeline

This online feature from MOHELA significantly improves the overall process of verifying employment and payment counts, which can help borrowers feel more confident about their timeline toward earning PSLF. Moreover, it helps borrowers catch inaccuracies sooner rather than later.

Schedule a consultation with us if you need additional repayment guidance with your specific student loan situation. Our team has helped thousands of people handle their PSLF situations, and we’d love to help you feel more confident in your path to forgiveness!