How PSLF Buyback Amounts Are Calculated

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback program allows federal student loan borrowers to "buy back" months toward PSLF that were previously ineligible because of deferment or forbearance. It's meant for borrowers who lost time for legitimate reasons, and for most people requesting it today, that reason is the SAVE forbearance that began in July 2024.

The buyback price is the amount you would have paid if you'd been on a qualifying income-driven repayment plan during those months. Under the PSLF regulation, you also had to be working full time for a qualifying employer during the months you buy back, and you can only request buyback once the purchased months would get you to 120.

The rules change depending on whether the pause was shorter or longer than a year. Borrowers in the SAVE forbearance were in it for more than a year, so most of them fall under the longer-period rules.

PSLF Buyback Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate your buyback lump sum. Choose "Under 12 Months" if your pause was shorter than a year, or add one row per calendar year if it was longer. It prices each year under IBR and PAYE, uses the lower one you qualify for, and adds up the total. For your monthly payment going forward, use our Student Loan Calculator.

This is an estimate. Your servicer's figure depends on the income and family size it has on file or receives from you, so it can come in higher or lower. The calculator uses the HHS poverty guideline for each calendar year you enter. If your number looks high, our breakdown of PSLF buyback vs. IBR shows when paying monthly comes out cheaper.

How The PSLF Buyback Amount Is Calculated

The Department of Education (ED) prices buyback at what your IDR payment would have been, using the rules for how long your deferment or forbearance lasted and whether you were on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan before or after that period. Every month is capped at your 10-year Standard payment.

Which Repayment Plan Formula Prices Your Buyback

ED uses IBR or PAYE, whichever gives you the lower payment. In March 2026, the Department said it would no longer use SAVE payment amounts for buyback, and the SAVE settlement also ended REPAYE, so neither plan is used. For many SAVE borrowers that raised the price, because SAVE only counted income above 225% of the poverty line.

When you first borrowed decides which formula you get. If you first borrowed on or after July 1, 2014, new IBR and PAYE are both 10% of income above 150% of the poverty guideline, so the price is the same either way. If you borrowed between October 2007 and June 2014 and meet the PAYE rules, PAYE's 10% beats old IBR's 15%. If your loans go back before October 2007, old IBR at 15% is the only formula, and the buyback costs 50% more for the same income.

1. If the pause was less than 12 months

For short periods (under a year), ED doesn't ask for new tax returns. It looks at your IBR or PAYE payment under the lowest available repayment plan right before and right after the deferment or forbearance, using the income and family size already on file, and uses the lower of those two amounts. SAVE is no longer a legal repayment plan, so a SAVE payment won't be used even if it was your payment at the time, and neither will a REPAYE amount.

Example: You were on SAVE paying $110 a month before a four-month forbearance in 2024. Your income on file was $52,000 AGI with a family size of one. ED reprices those four months under IBR or PAYE using that income. For a borrower who first borrowed after July 2014, that's 10% of $29,410 ($52,000 minus 150% of the 2024 poverty guideline of $15,060), or $245 a month, for a total buyback of $980. Under old IBR at 15%, the same four months cost $1,471.

That's why SAVE borrowers are surprised by the bill. The $110 SAVE payment never comes into it, and the IBR payment is what counts.

2. If the pause was 12 months or longer

For deferments or forbearances of 12 months or longer, the process is individualized. You must provide tax returns and your family size for each calendar year the deferment or forbearance covered.

Here's what that request will look like and how you know what calendar years they will ask for:

ED uses this information to determine what your payment would have been under the lowest available IDR plan for each year. The income from your tax return, along with your family size, sets your discretionary income, which is the basis for IBR and PAYE payments.

If your forbearance crossed multiple years, ED requires tax documentation for each of them. It uses calendar years, not tax years, which can change the math. For a SAVE forbearance that started in July 2024, the periods look like this:

• July 2024 – December 2024: IBR or PAYE using your 2024 income tax return
• January 2025 – December 2025: IBR or PAYE using your 2025 income tax return
• January 2026 – present: whatever you're supposed to be paying under IBR or PAYE today, or your 2026 tax return (if you apply after December 2026)

Example: You had a 20-month deferment from May 2024 through December 2025. Your 2024 adjusted gross income (AGI) was $60,000, your 2025 AGI dropped to $55,000, and your family size was three both years. ED prices each year separately:

• 2024 (8 months): $60,000 minus 150% of the 2024 guideline for three ($38,730) leaves $21,270. At 10%, that's $177.25 a month, or $1,418.
• 2025 (12 months): $55,000 minus 150% of the 2025 guideline for three ($39,975) leaves $15,025. At 10%, that's $125.21 a month, or $1,502.50.

The total buyback is about $2,921 at 10%. A borrower stuck with old IBR at 15% would owe about $4,381 for the same 20 months.

If the 10-year Standard Plan payment for your loan is lower than the calculated IDR amount, ED uses that Standard payment instead.

3. If you weren’t on an IDR plan before or after the pause

Borrowers who weren’t enrolled in an IDR plan before or after their deferment must still provide income data so ED can estimate what their payment would have been on an IDR plan. Without tax or family size information, the Department defaults to the 10-year Standard Plan payment, which is often higher than IDR-based amounts.

4. If you didn’t file taxes during the period

If you weren’t required to file a tax return during the months you’re buying back, you’ll need to submit a signed statement confirming that fact. You’ll also need to include your family size for that time period.

Without these documents, the Department automatically assigns the 10-year Standard Plan payment, which can significantly increase your buyback cost.

Other Rules That Change Your Buyback Number

Four rules can move your number up or down, and the calculator applies the first three:

• $0 months are free. The PSLF regulation lets months count if you would have qualified for a $0 IDR payment. Low-income years can cost nothing to buy back.
• The 10-year Standard payment is the ceiling. IBR and PAYE payments never go above what you'd pay on the 10-year Standard plan, so high earners in high-income years hit that cap.
• Married filing jointly counts your spouse. Your joint AGI is used, and your spouse counts in family size. If your spouse also has federal loans, the payment is split between you based on each balance. Our married filing separately math shows how filing status changes an IDR payment.
• You get 90 days to pay. Once you get your buyback agreement, the full amount is due within 90 days. Miss it and you start the request over, which can mean another long wait in the buyback backlog.

Is PSLF Buyback Worth It?

PSLF buyback is worth it when it gets you to forgiveness sooner than regular payments would, or when it prices your missing months at an older, lower income. It isn't worth it if you'll hit 120 qualifying payments on your own before ED processes your request. With about 88,000 buyback requests pending as of April 30, 2026 and readers reporting waits of 20 to 24 months, that happens more often than you'd think.

Compare two numbers before you request it: your estimated buyback (from the calculator above) and what you'd pay making regular payments until you reach 120. If you first borrowed after July 2014 and your income hasn't changed, the two are often close. A borrower paying $478 a month on IBR who needs 12 more months pays $5,736 either way, as our buyback vs. IBR comparison shows. The difference is timing: buyback is one lump sum and gets you to PSLF as soon as it's processed.

Buyback comes out ahead in three situations:

• Your income went up. Buyback prices past months at past income. If you got a big raise, buying back 2024 and 2025 months at your old AGI costs less than paying today's higher monthly payment for the same number of months.
• Your income was very low. Months that would have had a $0 IBR or PAYE payment cost nothing to buy back.
• You're close to 120 and the queue is faster than your remaining months. If you need 30 months and the backlog is 20 months, buyback can get you there first.

Regular payments come out ahead when you'll reach 120 before your request is processed, when you don't have the cash for a lump sum within 90 days, or when your income has dropped since the pause. Every month you pay normally also reduces the months you need to buy back. Check where you stand with the PSLF count and green banner on your StudentAid.gov account, and see our forgiveness timeline explainer for how months are counted.

Should You Keep Waiting In the SAVE Forbearance?

No. The SAVE forbearance is ending because of the court settlement and the OBBBA rules. Servicers began sending SAVE borrowers 90-day notices in waves on July 1, 2026, and the forbearance's end date was expected to be September 30, 2026. Staying longer doesn't make your PSLF Buyback cheaper, and it doesn't add PSLF credit.

For buyback, what matters is the length of the pause. Under 12 months, ED uses the lower of your IBR or PAYE payments from just before or after it, at the income on file. Since the SAVE forbearance ran well past 12 months for most borrowers, ED will ask for tax returns and family size for each affected year and price them at IBR or PAYE. If you don't supply the documents within 30 days, the 10-year Standard payment is used.

Waiting in SAVE forbearance delays your progress toward PSLF without lowering the cost. If you aren't saving each month for the bigger lump sum, it can also leave you unable to pay within the 90-day window once your request is approved.

Once you move to IBR, PAYE or another qualifying plan and start paying, there's a good chance you'll finish PSLF the normal way before your buyback is processed. There's no special "PSLF Buyback forbearance," and each month you pay normally is one less month to buy back. Our RAP vs. IBR comparison can help you pick the plan to land on.

What Happens Next

For anyone considering PSLF Buyback, the key steps are:

• Confirm eligibility. You must have been working (and certified) in qualifying public service employment during the buyback months and have eligible Direct Loans.
• Review your loan history. Identify which months were in deferment or forbearance that could count under buyback. For many borrowers, this is the SAVE forbearance.
• Run the numbers. Use the buyback calculator above, then compare it with your remaining months of regular payments.
• Gather documentation. Have your tax returns for each year covered and note your family size for each period.
• Submit information promptly. Respond to ED or your servicer within 30 days to avoid being assessed at the Standard rate.

The PSLF Buyback timeline is running two years or more, so it may be a "hurry up and wait" situation. Keep making qualifying payments while you wait, since they count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness either way.

Whether your pause was a few months or several years, knowing how ED prices it lets you set the money aside now. If you're also on the path to IDR forgiveness outside PSLF, our tax bomb calculator estimates what that forgiveness could cost at tax time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does PSLF Buyback use my SAVE or REPAYE payment?

No. ED said in March 2026 that it won't use SAVE payment amounts, and the SAVE settlement ended REPAYE. Buyback is priced at IBR or PAYE, whichever is lower for you. Our REPAYE settlement explainer covers why.

I was in SAVE forbearance for 11 months. Will they use my old payment or my new IBR payment?

For a pause under 12 months, ED uses the income and family size already on file and takes the lower of the IBR or PAYE payment from just before or just after the pause. A borrower who paid $300 on SAVE and $1,500 on IBR afterward won't pay $300 a month, because SAVE isn't used, but the price should reflect the older income on file rather than a new tax return. Run both scenarios in the calculator above and compare with our buyback vs. IBR breakdown.

How long do I have to pay the buyback amount?

The full amount is due within 90 days of your buyback agreement. If it isn't paid in time, the agreement lapses and you have to request buyback again. Our buyback backlog tracker shows how long that second wait could be.

Can my buyback cost $0?

Yes. If your income in a year was low enough that your IBR or PAYE payment would have been $0, those months count without a payment. Low-income and no-income years are where buyback helps most. Our PSLF explainer covers how $0 payments count toward the 120.

Is PSLF Buyback worth it if I'm close to 120 payments?

Often not. If you'll reach 120 qualifying payments before ED processes your request, the buyback becomes unnecessary and is closed or denied. It's worth it when your remaining months outlast the backlog or when your income rose since the pause. See the forgiveness timeline for how your count is calculated.

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