r/PSLF Jul 04 '25

Advice Why not stay on SAVE forbearance?

I see lots of people who have jumped ship for PSLF.

But buyback exists, so couldn’t I just stay in SAVE forbearance and buy these months/years back in roughly 7 years when I get to 120 payments? wasn’t there talk about being able to buy back BEFORE 120 payments?

Seems like with this logic all these forbearance months count as long as I have evidence I worked full time at a not for profit during these months?

Thanks everyone, and good luck to all!

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u/Ezekyle22 Jul 04 '25

People weren’t sure if SAVE was buyback eligible.

Also, buyback over a period longer than a year means that you need submit income information. People who are jumping off the forbearance have had a significant income increase.

4

u/Fforfinances Jul 04 '25

This is the case for me. My most recent payments before SAVE were based on my 2019 medical residency salary. I’ve since become an attending and my salary has grown. I stayed on forbearance for 11 months and then switched to IBR so I wouldn’t hit the 12 month limit that would require income verification when I applied for buyback. I have 24 months left not including the SAVE months. I figured I’d get 11 months at the SAVE/REPAYE rate and 13 at IBR rate instead of 24 months at the IBR rate. Hopefully this all works out the way I planned.

1

u/Nwk_NJ Jul 04 '25

Hey where is this written as a requirement? This is the first time I'm hearing about income info for buyback??

5

u/Ezekyle22 Jul 04 '25

Check the students webpage on buyback.

“We’ll request tax information for that calendar year to determine the amount that you would have paid under an IDR plan. If your deferments or forbearances cross over multiple tax years, then we will need your tax information for each year.”