SAVE Plan Deadline Independent guide · Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education Español

SAVE and PSLF: what counts now

If you work for a government or nonprofit employer, picking the wrong plan as you leave SAVE can cost you months of PSLF credit.

By the SAVE Plan Deadline editorial team · Updated

The rule: if you’re pursuing PSLF, pick whichever of RAP and IBR gives you the lower payment. Both count, and the less you pay over your 120 payments, the more is forgiven, tax-free.5

What counts and what doesn’t

Plan or statusCounts for PSLF?Detail
RAPYesCounts toward PSLF.1
IBRYesCounts toward PSLF. Open to new enrollees only until July 1, 2028.
Standard, 10 yearsYesCounts, but you usually finish paying in 10 years, leaving nothing to forgive.
Tiered StandardGenerally noOnly payments at least equal to the 10-year Standard amount count.2
PAYE and ICRYes, until 2028They end July 1, 2028: you’d have to move again.
SAVE forbearanceGenerally noThose months may be bought back through PSLF Buyback.3,4

The SAVE forbearance months

Since 2024, most SAVE borrowers sat in an administrative forbearance while the courts decided the plan’s fate. Those months generally don’t count as PSLF payments.3 If you work in public service, PSLF Buyback may let you buy them back: you pay what you would have owed for those months and they start to count.4

Taxes: PSLF versus income-driven forgiveness

Debt forgiven through PSLF is free of federal income tax. Debt forgiven at the end of RAP or IBR counts as taxable income from 2026 on.6 One more reason not to abandon PSLF halfway if you’ve put in years.

Three mistakes that cost months

  • Staying on Tiered Standard after your deadline: those payments generally don’t count.2
  • Picking RAP without comparing: if IBR gives you a lower payment, you’ll overpay for years.
  • Not certifying your employment: certify your job with the official PSLF tool so every payment is recorded.5

Compare your payments in the calculator with PSLF set to Yes.

Frequently asked questions

Does RAP count toward PSLF?

Yes. Both RAP and IBR count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Does Tiered Standard count toward PSLF?

Generally no. Only payments at least equal to the 10-year Standard amount count.

Do SAVE forbearance months count toward PSLF?

Generally no, but PSLF Buyback may let you recover them.
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Sources

  1. Federal student loan repayment plans in 2026 Tate Law
  2. Does the Tiered Standard plan qualify for PSLF? Tate Law
  3. What's going on with your student loan repayment? Student Loan Planner
  4. PSLF Buyback Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov) · Official source
  5. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov) · Official source
  6. Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) explained Student Loan Planner