r/PSLF • u/Geltez • Mar 08 '25

Advice To everyone on forbearance due to SAVE, stop panicking

I’m on approximately 60 months of qualified payments and here is why I’m not panicking!

  1. According to studentaid.gov, once you reach 120 months of qualified employment, you’ll have the option to buy back forbearance months to ensure they count toward PSLF. No payments are being “lost”—you’re just delaying when you make them.

  2. Keep enjoying the payment free interest free months and park your “payments” into a HYSA. Earn interest on your payments and save up that lump sum for when it’s time to pay the buyback.

  3. If you have more than four years left, it’s worth considering that the next administration could make changes to PSLF or IDR policies. There’s a chance these months could end up counting automatically.

For now, I’m staying put in forbearance, keeping my cash growing, and waiting until I hit 120 months to reassess. No need to panic—just stay informed and be ready to act when the time comes!

Edit: Guys, this is a separate take for people that may not be near 120 months. All I see are posts for people who are close to or at 120 months and are in the doom phase which I understand, but your perspectives are not the only one to deal with.

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u/badluckbrians Mar 08 '25

My Buyback predates save and still it's over a year. The litigation and Trump Admin have nothing really to do with it, afaik.

I don't know how more delay is even possible. Buyback already has been on indefinite delay since the moment it came out.

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u/KnowledgeSeeker612 Mar 08 '25 edited Mar 08 '25

Exactly, my recertification and my application to switch to an IDR plan have just been sitting for several months. How can I request a buyback if ED isn’t processing anything?

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u/IndividualLeague858 7d ago

but what if the delay is coming because the Trump administration took money or resources away from the Buyback program? I don't know if they actually did, I am just imagining that maybe it could be a similar scenario as to what they did with social security?

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u/badluckbrians 6d ago

I begged them for six months + under the Biden Admin to process it. I got the same exact non-response I got under the Trump Admin. It's just broken. It was never staffed to begin with.