Which Months Count Toward Forgiveness and Which Ones Don’t

If you’re working toward student loan forgiveness, one of the most common, and most confusing, questions is: Which months actually count toward forgiveness?

Whether you’re pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or working toward Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) forgiveness, not every month automatically qualifies. Understanding which months count, and which ones don’t, can help you avoid costly delays and stay on track for relief.

At Student Loan Tutor, we help borrowers navigate these rules every day. Here’s what you need to know.

How Student Loan Forgiveness “Counting” Works

For most federal forgiveness programs, progress is measured in qualifying monthly payments.

• PSLF requires 120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years).
• Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) forgiveness requires 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments, depending on the plan and loan type.

A “qualifying month” generally means:

• You had eligible federal Direct Loans
• You were in a qualifying repayment status
• You met employment requirements (for PSLF)
• You were not in default

However, federal policy updates in recent years, especially related to COVID relief and IDR account adjustments, have changed how some months are counted.

Let’s break it down clearly.

Months That Count Toward Forgiveness

1. Months in Active Repayment

If you are:

• Enrolled in a qualifying repayment plan (such as SAVE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR), and
• Making your required monthly payment on time

Those months generally count toward both PSLF and IDR forgiveness.

For PSLF, you must also:

• Work 30+ hours per week average for a qualifying employer (government or 501(c)(3) nonprofit)
• Submit PSLF employment certification

2. $0 Payments Under Income-Driven Repayment

One of the most misunderstood rules:

If your income is low enough that your calculated IDR payment is $0, that month still counts toward forgiveness, as long as you are properly enrolled in an IDR plan.

This applies to:

• PSLF (if employment qualifies)
• IDR forgiveness timelines

A $0 payment is still considered a qualifying payment.

3. COVID-19 Payment Pause (March 2020 – September 2023)

The federal student loan payment pause counts toward:

• PSLF (if employment requirements were met)
• IDR forgiveness

Even though payments were not required and interest was set to 0%, those months count as if payments were made.

This significantly accelerated forgiveness timelines for many borrowers.

4. Certain Deferment and Forbearance Periods (IDR Adjustment)

Recent federal adjustments expanded which past months may count toward IDR forgiveness. In many cases:

• Long-term forbearance periods (12+ consecutive or 36+ cumulative)
• Certain economic hardship deferments
• Months in repayment prior to consolidation (in some cases)

May now count toward IDR forgiveness due to one-time account adjustments.

However, these periods typically do not count toward PSLF unless specific waiver conditions were met and employment qualified.

5. Military Deferment (For PSLF)

Certain military service deferment periods can count toward PSLF if:

• You were working full-time for a qualifying employer, and
• You would have otherwise made qualifying payments

Months That Do NOT Count Toward Forgiveness

Understanding what doesn’t count is just as important.

1. Time in Default

If your loans are in default:

• Months do not count toward PSLF
• Months do not count toward IDR forgiveness

You must rehabilitate or consolidate out of default before progress resumes.

2. In-School Status

While you are:

• Enrolled at least half-time, and
• Your loans are in in-school deferment

Those months generally do not count toward forgiveness.

If you want to continue making qualifying payments while in school, you may need to waive in-school deferment.

3. Grace Period After Graduation

The standard six-month grace period after leaving school does not count toward PSLF or IDR forgiveness unless you consolidate and enter repayment early.

4. Non-Qualifying Repayment Plans (For PSLF)

For PSLF specifically:

Payments made under non-qualifying repayment plans historically did not count. While temporary waivers allowed some past payments to count, going forward you generally must be in:

• An Income-Driven Repayment plan, or
• The 10-year Standard Repayment Plan

To ensure PSLF eligibility.

5. Periods of Short-Term Administrative Forbearance

Short administrative forbearances may not count unless covered under special adjustments. It’s important to review your loan history carefully.

6. Active Bankruptcy

Having an active bankruptcy showing on loan history does not count toward forgiveness.

Special Rules for Consolidation

Consolidation can impact your forgiveness timeline:

• Under current federal rules, consolidated loans may receive credit for past qualifying payments through IDR account adjustments which ended June 2024.
• For PSLF, past progress will transfer based on a weighted average of qualifying PSLF months that are being consolidated.
• Any consolidation after July 1, 2024 would reset the forgiveness clock to zero.

Always evaluate the impact before consolidating.

How to Check Which Months Count

Currently, there is no tracker on studentaid.gov – this was taken down in 2025. There is an API tool that can give a rough estimate of what the Department of Education has on record for payment counts.

1. Log into studentaid.gov using the Chrome browser.
2. In the same browser, open a new tab and input the following link:
   https://studentaid.gov/app/api/nslds/payment-counter/summary
3. On the resulting page of data, click the "Pretty Print" box (hopefully located in the top left corner) to organize the information into a readable format.
4. Print and save this organized page as a PDF.

PSLF eligible borrowers can log in and view qualifying payments for PSLF specifically.

• Submit PSLF employment certification regularly (if applicable).
• Confirm you are enrolled in a qualifying repayment plan.
• Keep records of your employment and payment history.
• Monitor updates to IDR forgiveness rules.

Mistakes in payment tracking can happen, and catching them early matters.

Common Mistakes That Delay Forgiveness

• Not recertifying income on time for IDR
• Assuming deferment always counts
• Working for a non-qualifying employer under PSLF
• Consolidating without understanding consequences
• Letting loans fall into default

Each of these can cost months, or even years of progress.

The Bottom Line

Not every month automatically counts toward student loan forgiveness.

Months that typically count include:

• Active repayment under qualifying plans
• $0 IDR payments
• COVID Forbearance months
• Certain long-term deferments or forbearances (under federal adjustments with Direct or Department of Education owned FFEL Loans)
• Commercially held loans did not receive this adjustment

Months that generally do not count include:

• Default
• In-school status
• Grace periods
• Non-qualifying repayment plans (for PSLF)

Because the rules have evolved significantly in recent years, it’s more important than ever to verify your individual loan history and repayment strategy.

If you’re unsure whether your months are counting correctly, or if you want to maximize your forgiveness timeline, Student Loan Tutor can help you build a strategy tailored to your situation.

Forgiveness isn’t just about time. It’s about making sure every eligible month works in your favor.

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