The Question
I made my 120th PSLF payment in September. None of my payments from July through November are showing on my account. I certified my employment, and those payments still didn’t update. My servicer told me it takes 60 to 90 days for payments to post, and it’s been well past that. In the meantime I’m still paying $500 a month even though I’ve reached 120. Do I have to keep paying while I wait?
— A composite of two reader comments
Welcome to the Friday mailbag, where we take one reader question and answer it. Have one? Send it to us — details at the bottom.
The Short Answer
Our rule of thumb is to keep making your payments until your PSLF forgiveness is approved. Every payment after your 120th is refunded once the Education Department discharges your federal student loans, and those extra payments cover you if the glitch is hiding an error in your count.
If you can’t afford to keep paying, ask your servicer for a forbearance now that you’ve made your 120th payment, knowing that a forbearance month won’t count if your true count comes up short.
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Why Isn’t My PSLF Count Updating?
PSLF counts have been stalled since July 2026 because of a technical glitch in the Education Department’s student loan systems. It’s an internal database and technical problem, not a backlog of work waiting in a queue. The glitch began with the July 1, 2026 changes the Department made to put the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new student loan limits and repayment plans in place.
In August, we reported that July and August payments weren’t showing up in PSLF counts for a large number of borrowers. Readers in our comments continue to say their trackers still haven’t moved, and servicers keep calling it a known issue without giving a fix date. Payments made during the glitch still count once the system records them.
The glitch is separate from the Department’s August count correction, which took back months spent in non-qualifying forbearance or on the Extended and Graduated plans. If your count dropped instead of stalling, that correction is the more likely cause.
The glitch is drawing outside pressure. State student loan ombudspersons have flagged the issue as well, and 33 members of Congress asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon to respond by November 18, 2026.
What Does Paying While You Wait Actually Cost?
Paying while you wait costs you the extra payments plus the months it takes to get them back. Our reader pays $500 a month. Say her 120th payment was in September 2026 and her forgiveness is approved in February 2027. That’s four extra payments from October through January, or $2,000. The refund then takes another 3 to 6 months to arrive, so that money could be tied up until late summer 2027.
That cost “buys” protection against an error. If somehow the Department’s final count is 118 because two older months didn’t qualify. The payments she kept making would fill months 119 and 120 without anyone at her servicer having to catch the mistake, and her forgiveness date wouldn’t move.
When Does Forbearance Make More Sense?
Forbearance makes sense when another $500 a month for half a year, plus the wait for the refund, is money your household doesn’t have. Once you’ve made your 120th payment, you can ask your servicer to put your federal student loans in forbearance while the glitch gets fixed and your forgiveness is processed.
The risk is coming up short. General and hardship forbearance months don’t count toward PSLF, so if your real count is 118, you’d owe two more qualifying payments after the forbearance ends, plus another round of review.
Check your own records before you ask (step 2 below). The more certain you are of 120, the smaller that risk gets.
| Scenario | Keep Paying $500 A Month | General Forbearance |
|---|---|---|
| Count Really Is 120 | Refunded $2,000 for October through January comes back 3 to 6 months after the discharge | Same Result No extra cash out, forgiveness on the same timeline |
| Count Turns Out To Be 118 | Covered October and November payments fill months 119 and 120 | Delayed Forbearance months don’t count, so 2 more payments and another review |
| Cash Out Until Approval | $2,000 Paid now, tied up until the refund arrives | $0 Only after the servicer approves the forbearance |
What Should You Do This Week?
- Download your records. Save your MyAid data file from StudentAid.gov and take a dated screenshot of your PSLF tracker. Do the same thing each month until your student loans are discharged.
- Build your own count. List each month since your first qualifying payment with the repayment plan, the amount paid, and your employer. Our PSLF checklist covers which months qualify.
- Certify through month 120. Submit a PSLF form that covers your employment through the month of your 120th payment if you haven’t already. That form also starts the forgiveness review.
- Pick your path. If you can afford it, stay on autopay and keep each billing statement as proof of the payments the tracker is missing. If you can’t, request forbearance from your servicer in writing and confirm it’s approved before you skip a bill.
- Escalate after 90 days. If your count still hasn’t updated 90 days after your certification, file a complaint with the Federal Student Aid Feedback Center, then the CFPB or your state student loan ombudsperson. Name the months that are missing.
It’s important for borrowers to realize at the end of the day nobody cares more about your money and your payment counts than you. I know it’s hard to reconstruct 10 years of history, but for others reading this, it’s essential that you keep track of your eligible payments, your employment certifications, and always save a record of everything.
Where Do Borrowers Get This Wrong?
The most common mistake is skipping payments after the 120th without an approved forbearance. Until your loan servicing portal says, “no payment required,” you need to keep making payments or request that forbearance. A skipped payment without forbearance makes the account delinquent, and borrowers in our comments report credit score drops of 90 points or more from missing payments.
A second mistake is waiting on the any type of lawsuit to help you today. The American Federation of Teachers’ suit, Weingarten v. McMahon, proposes a “Withheld Payments Class” for borrowers whose unposted payment would be their 120th. A court hasn’t certified that class, so your own records remain the strongest protection you have. This lawsuit may give you relief in the future or help future borrowers, but if you are waiting today, it’s not likely to solve anything in the short term.
The Bottom Line
Keep paying if you can, keep your proof, and certify your employment through month 120. The extra payments come back 3 to 6 months after the discharge and protect you if your count is wrong. If you can’t carry them, forbearance after your 120th payment is a reasonable choice, as long as you’ve checked your own count first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are PSLF Payments Made After 120 Refunded?
Yes. Once the Education Department approves your Public Service Loan Forgiveness, payments made after your 120th qualifying payment are refunded. The refund first pays down any other federal student loans you owe, and it takes 3 to 6 months after the discharge to arrive.
Can I Stop Paying My Student Loans Once I Reach 120 PSLF Payments?
Yes, if your servicer approves a forbearance after your 120th payment. Ask in writing and wait for the approval before you skip a bill. Forbearance months don’t count toward PSLF, so if your count turns out to be short, you’ll owe more qualifying payments later.
When Will The PSLF Count Glitch Be Fixed?
The Education Department hasn’t given a date. Servicers have told borrowers 60 to 90 days, but payments made since July 2026 have stayed off many trackers far longer, because the glitch is a system problem and not a queue that clears with time.
Do PSLF Payments Still Count If They Haven’t Posted Yet?
Yes. A qualifying payment made while you work full time for a qualifying employer counts once the system records it, even if the tracker lags. Keep your billing statements in case the final count doesn’t match your records.
Send Us Your Question
Got a student loan, financial aid, or money question you can’t get a straight answer on? Send it to us and we may answer it in a future Friday mailbag.
Reader Mailbag
Editor: Colin Graves
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
Robert has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Forbes, where he has been a regular personal finance contributor for over a decade. His work combines both professional expertise and personal experience – he successfully navigated his own student loan repayment journey and has helped thousands of readers do the same.
He is committed to making the intersection of personal finance and education transparent and accessible. You can learn more about Robert on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.