I’ve written a lot about my student loans over time as a blogger here. At this point, the student loans are my last remaining debt (besides a mortgage), and this is the year when they’ll officially be GONE! I cannot wait!
That said, I continue to find the process completely confusing and the online systems counterintuitive. I’m in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which is supposed to discharge remaining loans after 120 on-time eligible payments have been received.
I currently have 3 loans remaining that total just over $26,000 (the balance has grown because the interest costs more than the $180/monthly payments I’ve been applying).
In the Federal Student Aid platform, it says I have 113 qualifying payments (7 remaining). It also says the Estimated End-of-Repayment Term is Sept 2026.
However, I must re-certify my employment annually and the last time I did so was in late August 2025, so my 113 qualifying payments are only through August 2025.
I also have an additional 6 payments that should qualify (Sept 2025 – Feb 2026), meaning after my March payment later this month…I should meet my 120 required payments and qualify for student loan forgiveness for the rest of my balance owed!
This is obviously a bit of a discrepancy from the predicted September 2026 date listed in their system. I’m absolutely planning to re-certify employment at the end of the month and cross my fingers and hope and wish and pray that this is IT! That after nearly eleven years of faithful payments (even during the pandemic times when everyone had payments paused – I continued to pay monthly because I’d been trying to pay off my debt before the forgiveness deadline)…..I will FINALLY be FREE from this burden that’s just been hanging around so long it might as well have its own room!
I cannot tell you what this community has meant to me to help guide, give advice, and cheer me on along the way! It hasn’t always been easy – I graduated with over $100k worth of student loan debt, alone! But continual progress across time has been the key. And honesty, I’ve benefitted so much from the community of readership here offering me your generous advice across time.
The question is…what’s next?
I love talking about money (something that’s so taboo in everyday life, but we talk about freely and openly in this space)! And you all have helped me think through longer term financial planning, thinking about retirement, health care, teaching my kids (now teens!) financial literacy, etc. What do you think? Should I hang around BAD a bit longer or is it time to move on? I haven’t fully decided within my own heart so I’d like to know your thoughts on whether the content I’m providing is interesting or useful or if it’s time to bid farewell once my last remaining debt is gone! Thoughts?
What do your plans in a debt-free life look like? Where do you focus your financial energy?
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