Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Qualifying payments remaining
60
Approx. years remaining (if continuous)
5.0
Percent of 120 payments complete
50%
Estimated total still to be paid
$15,000
Estimated balance forgiven at completion
$45,000
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How to use this
- 1Enter qualifying payments made so far.
- 2Enter current monthly idr payment ($).
- 3Enter current federal direct loan balance ($).
- 4Read your qualifying payments remaining on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Public Service Loan Forgiveness discharges remaining federal Direct Loan balances after 120 qualifying monthly payments made while working full-time for a qualifying government or nonprofit employer, typically under an income-driven repayment plan. Payments don't need to be consecutive, but they must be full, on-time, and made while employed by a qualifying organization — payments made under the wrong loan type (like older FFEL loans, unless consolidated) or during non-qualifying employment don't count. This calculator takes your qualifying payment count so far and your current employer/repayment status to project your remaining payments and estimated forgiveness date, and flags the payment count milestone so you can track progress against your loan servicer's official PSLF payment count via the PSLF Help Tool, which remains the authoritative record.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Qualifying payments made so far: 60
- Current monthly IDR payment: 250 $
- Current federal Direct Loan balance: 60000 $
Results
- Qualifying payments remaining: 60
- Approx. years remaining (if continuous): 5
- Percent of 120 payments complete: 50%
- Estimated total still to be paid: $15,000
- Estimated balance forgiven at completion: $45,000
What each field means
Inputs
- Qualifying payments made so far
- The qualifying payments made so far used in the calculation. Starts at 60 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–120.
- Current monthly IDR payment ($)
- The current monthly idr payment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 250 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Current federal Direct Loan balance ($)
- The current federal direct loan balance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 60000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Qualifying payments remaining
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Approx. years remaining (if continuous)
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Percent of 120 payments complete
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated total still to be paid
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated balance forgiven at completion
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Do my payments need to be consecutive?
No, qualifying payments do not need to be made in a row. You can change employers (as long as each is a qualifying public service or nonprofit employer), take an approved deferment for certain reasons, or have gaps, and still accumulate toward the 120 total, though gaps in qualifying employment itself don't count toward the total.
Do only IDR plan payments count toward PSLF?
Payments count if made under an income-driven repayment plan or the standard 10-year plan, but not under extended or graduated plans in most cases, and not while in deferment or forbearance except for specific qualifying periods like AmeriCorps/Peace Corps or certain administrative forbearances. Because the standard 10-year plan would fully pay off the loan right at 120 payments anyway, virtually everyone pursuing PSLF uses an IDR plan to leave a balance to forgive.
What loan types qualify for PSLF?
Only Direct Loans qualify directly. FFEL Program loans and Perkins Loans must be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan to become eligible, and that consolidation resets your qualifying payment count to zero for the new consolidated loan, so timing the consolidation early in your public service career matters.
Is loan forgiveness under PSLF taxable?
No, unlike IDR forgiveness after 20-25 years, PSLF forgiveness has always been excluded from federal taxable income under the statute that created it, so you won't owe federal income tax on the forgiven balance. Some states may treat it differently, so check your state's tax treatment of student loan forgiveness.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). PSLF Remaining Payments Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pslf-remaining-payments
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pslf-remaining-payments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PSLF Remaining Payments Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [PSLF Remaining Payments Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pslf-remaining-payments) (2026).