PSLF Buyback Calculator 2026

A PSLF buyback calculator estimates the cost of buying back months of public-service employment when you made no qualifying payment (forbearance, deferment, or natural-disaster months). The buyback cost is roughly your current IDR payment multiplied by the number of missing months — and it counts toward the 120 qualifying payments needed for full Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Employment & Payment History
Months at a 501(c)(3) or government employer.
Forbearance, deferment, or wrong plan during employment.
Current Loan Snapshot
SAVE / PAYE / IBR / ICR amount on file.
Direct Loans only — total remaining at PSLF threshold.
ED uses the higher of your current IDR or standard 10-year payment as buyback floor.
Buyback Cost
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Months Bought
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Net Relief vs Cost
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Qualifying months already credited—
Missing months you can buy back—
Per-month buyback rate—
Total buyback cost—
Projected total qualifying months after buyback—
Reaches 120-month forgiveness threshold?—
Forgiven loan balance if approved—
Net relief (forgiven − cost)—
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A PSLF buyback calculator estimates the cost of buying back months of public-service employment when you did not make a qualifying payment (forbearance, deferment, or certain natural-disaster months). The buyback cost is approximately your current Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) payment times the number of missing months. Each bought-back month counts toward the 120-payment threshold for full forgiveness under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

How PSLF Buyback Works

The Department of Education launched the PSLF Buyback program in 2024 under HEROES Act authority and made it permanent in the October 2024 final rules. To qualify, you must already have 120 months of certified public-service employment but be missing some payment credits because you were in forbearance, deferment, or on the wrong repayment plan. You then submit Form PSLF Buyback through StudentAid.gov, and ED calculates the lump sum needed using the higher of (a) your most recent IDR payment or (b) your Standard 10-Year payment for the loans owed during that period.

Calculating Your Buyback Cost

The basic formula is buyback cost ≈ monthly payment × missing months. For example, 12 missing months at a $350 IDR payment equals roughly $4,200. If your loan balance at forgiveness is $85,000, that buyback purchases $80,800 of net relief — a 19× return. The math almost always favors buying back, but only if you actually reach the 120-month threshold. ED can take 6–12 months to process buyback requests; the application is free.

Who Should Apply For Buyback

You should apply if you (1) have at least 120 months of certified qualifying employment via Form PSLF Employment Certification, (2) have months you were employed but did not get payment credit (forbearance, deferment, wrong plan), and (3) cannot reach 120 payments otherwise within a reasonable horizon. If you can simply keep making payments at your current public-service job, that is free — buyback is for people who have already left, are about to leave, or never want to make another payment.

Common PSLF Buyback Mistakes

(1) Applying before certifying all employment — ED rejects buyback applications without complete employer certification. Submit Form PSLF first. (2) Confusing buyback with IDR forgiveness — IDR forgiveness happens at 20–25 years; PSLF is 10 years. Different forms, different math. (3) Forgetting the standard-payment floor — if your Standard 10-Year payment exceeds your IDR payment, ED charges the higher amount. (4) Ignoring the tax treatment — PSLF-forgiven balances are federally tax-free, but some states (NC, MS, IN) treat forgiveness as taxable income. Plan for that.

Last updated May 2026. Sources: U.S. Department of Education PSLF Buyback program, 34 CFR §685.219.