{"id":22565,"date":"2022-02-14T12:44:56","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T20:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/?p=22565"},"modified":"2022-02-14T12:44:57","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T20:44:57","slug":"student-loan-forgiveness-program-expanded-to-include-religious-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/student-loan-forgiveness-program-expanded-to-include-religious-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Loan Forgiveness Program Expanded to include religious work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap dropcapp3\">Effective\u00a0July 1, 2021, eligibility rules for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program have been changed. This change creates a new opportunity for clergy members and other employees of not-for-profit organizations engaged in faith-based work to potentially have certain student loans forgiven under the PSLF Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PSLF Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and designed to support careers in public service. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance of an eligible individual\u2019s student loans that were provided under the federal government\u2019s Direct Loan Program (or consolidated into a Direct Loan) after the individual has made 120 qualifying monthly payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be eligible for loan forgiveness, an individual must be working full-time for a qualifying employer and meet other eligibility requirements. Not-for-profit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code\u2014such as local churches, annual conferences, church-controlled agencies and church-associated organizations\u2014can be qualifying employers. In the past, applicable rules excluded applicants from counting hours spent on \u201creligious instruction, worship, and any form of proselytizing\u201d toward the full-time work requirement.\u00a0<em>The Department of Education has removed this exclusion effective July 1<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting approved for the PSLF program has not been easy for many in the past. Some temporary pandemic-era changes are in place that temporarily expands eligibility for the program. For example, changes to qualifying payments and an opportunity to consolidate into the Direct Loan Program are in place until October 31, 2022. Details are available on the <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/announcements-events\/pslf-limited-waiver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Federal Student Aid website<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PSLF Program\u2019s eligibility requirements and application process are complex. Clergy members and lay employees who are interested in learning more about the PSLF Program and the recent change are encouraged to visit the Department of Education\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/manage-loans\/forgiveness-cancellation\/public-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><u>PSLF Program website<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Changes made last year to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness make it possible for clergy members and other employees of faith-based non-profits to potentially have certain student loans forgiven. Some of the changes are set to expire at the end of October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36028,96,100],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-clergy","8":"category-finances","9":"category-laity"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Student Loan Forgiveness Program Expanded to include religious work - Greater Northwest Area | News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/student-loan-forgiveness-program-expanded-to-include-religious-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student Loan Forgiveness Program Expanded to include religious work - Greater Northwest Area | News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Changes made last year to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness make it possible for clergy members and other employees of faith-based non-profits to potentially have certain student loans forgiven. 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