A PSLF buyback calculator estimates what it costs to buy back months of qualifying employment toward the 120 payments Public Service Loan Forgiveness needs.
What would buying back months cost me?
How many qualifying PSLF payments your loan history already counts, as a whole number like 108. We accept 0 to 119.
How many months you want to buy back, as a whole number like 14. We accept 1 to 120. We price only the months you need to reach 120.
This is the payment from just before or after the gap. Your loan history shows it. A payment of $0 is allowed and prices each month at $0.
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The income-driven payment from just before or after the gap, which your loan history shows. A payment of $0 is allowed. Type a plain number like 160, with no dollar sign or commas. We accept $0 to $10,000.
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What you owe on your federal student loans today, as a plain number like 48000, with no dollar sign or commas. We accept $0 to $500,000.
More options
The Department of Education (ED) uses the 10-year Standard amount when it is lower than the income-driven amount. It is also the price when no information reaches ED within 30 days. Leave the box blank and we apply no cap.
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The 10-year Standard payment for those months. It caps the price when it is lower than your income-driven payment. Leave it blank for no cap. We accept $0 to $10,000.
Don't know your payment? Estimate it from incomeThe estimate uses the IBR formula: 10% or 15% of adjusted gross income above 150% of the 2026 poverty guideline, divided by 12. It is an approximation, because the Department of Education (ED) uses the tax information and family size of the year of the gap.
Leave your income-driven payment blank and enter the adjusted gross income and household size for the year of the gap. We work out an approximate payment with the IBR formula and the 2026 poverty guidelines. The Department of Education (ED) uses that year's tax information and the lowest income-driven amount you were eligible for, so the real number can differ.
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Your adjusted gross income for the year of the gap, as a plain number like 40000, with no dollar sign or commas. We accept $0 to $1,000,000.
The number of people in your household that year, counting you, as a whole number. We accept 1 to 12. We use the poverty guideline for the 48 contiguous states and DC.
When you first borrowed
It sets the share of discretionary income. A borrower who first took out a federal student loan on or after July 1 2014 pays 10% of it, and an earlier borrower pays 15%.
Your result
Estimated buyback costThis is an estimate, not an official result.Months spent on the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or Tiered Standard can't be bought back. This estimate assumes none of the months above were on either plan.The Department of Education (ED) sets the real price from the income and family size for the months you buy back. This estimate comes only from what you typed.
$1,920
Buying back 12 months brings you to 120 payments and could leave about $46,080 to forgive.
0120
Counted108
Bought back12
Still missing0
Each slot is one of the 120 months PSLF needs.
Your 120 payment slots by group. This is an estimate, not an official result.
Group
Months
Counted
108
Bought back
12
Still missing
0
Total
120
Months credited12
Estimated forgiven$46,080
Price per month$160
How Does a PSLF Buyback Calculator Work?
A PSLF buyback calculator prices the months a borrower wants to buy back and checks whether they bring the count to 120. Each month costs the lower of the income-driven payment and the 10-year Standard payment, the months credited are the ones needed to reach 120, and the cost is the two multiplied. The Department of Education (ED) sets the real price from that period's income and family size, so this is an estimate.
cost = months credited × price per month
price per month = the lower of your income-driven payment and your 10-year Standard payment
income-driven payment (estimate) = 10% or 15% × (AGI - 1.5 × poverty guideline) ÷ 12, never above the 10-year Standard payment
Enter the payments already counted, the months you want to buy back, your income-driven payment from around the gap and your balance today. More options hold the 10-year Standard payment and an income estimate.
We trim the months to the ones needed to reach 120. For the default that is 12, so 14 months wanted becomes 12 credited.
The price per month is the lower of your payment and the Standard payment. With no Standard payment entered, nothing caps it, and the default price is $160.
The cost is the months credited times the price: 12 × $160 = $1,920.
If you leave the payment blank and enter an income, we estimate the payment with the IBR formula and the 2026 poverty guidelines. That is an approximation, and a payment you type always wins.
Last, we subtract the cost from your balance to estimate what could be left to forgive: $48,000 - $1,920 = $46,080. If the months do not reach 120, we show no forgiven amount.
Buying back months at $160 a month with 108 payments counted. This is an estimate, not an official result.
Months bought back
Cost
Payments after buyback
Reaches 120?
1
$160
109
No
3
$480
111
No
6
$960
114
No
12
$1,920
120
Yes
How PSLF Buyback Works
What Is PSLF Buyback?
PSLF buyback is a way to pay for months of qualifying employment that did not count as PSLF payments, such as months in a deferment or forbearance, so those months count toward the 120 that Public Service Loan Forgiveness needs. It is open only to a borrower who already has 120 months of qualifying employment. The Department of Education (ED) prices each month, and the borrower pays that price. Rapunzl's calculator estimates it: with 108 payments counted, 12 bought-back months at $160 each come to $1,920, which brings the count to 120 and could leave about $46,080 of a $48,000 balance to forgive.
How Is the Buyback Price Set?
The buyback price is set by the Department of Education (ED), and it depends on whether you were on an income-driven plan around the gap. If you were on an income-driven plan on either side of a gap shorter than a year, each month costs the lower of the two monthly payments. Otherwise ED asks for that year's tax information and family size and uses the lowest income-driven amount you were eligible for. The 10-year Standard amount is used when it is lower, and also when no information reaches ED within 30 days. Anyone enrolled in the SAVE plan on or after July 18 2024 is priced on the income-driven plan they had before SAVE. Rapunzl's calculator takes the lower of your payment and the Standard payment you enter: at $160 a month the default costs $1,920 for 12 months, a $120 Standard payment makes it $1,440, and a $0 payment makes it $0.
Who Can Use PSLF Buyback?
PSLF buyback can be used by a borrower who already has 120 months of qualifying employment and still owes a balance. The months being bought back have to be months of approved qualifying employment, and they cannot have been spent on the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or Tiered Standard. A borrower with only FFEL or Perkins loans is not eligible. Buyback reaches back to October 2007, or to the first disbursement of a consolidation loan if that is later. Rapunzl's calculator shows the 120 month rule: with 100 payments counted, 14 bought-back months reach 114, 6 short of 120, so it shows no forgiven amount.
Questions about the PSLF buyback calculator
PSLF buyback lets a borrower pay for months of qualifying employment that did not count as PSLF payments, such as months in a deferment or forbearance, so they count toward the 120 payments Public Service Loan Forgiveness needs. It is open only to a borrower who already has 120 months of qualifying employment, and the months cannot have been on the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or Tiered Standard. A borrower also needs an outstanding balance and approved qualifying employment in those months. As an estimate, 12 bought-back months on top of 108 counted payments cost $1,920 at $160 a month.
PSLF buyback costs the price the Department of Education (ED) sets for each month you buy back. If you were on an income-driven plan on either side of a gap shorter than a year, each month costs the lower of the two monthly payments. Otherwise ED asks for that year's tax information and family size and uses the lowest income-driven amount you were eligible for. The 10-year Standard amount is used if it is lower, and also if no information arrives within 30 days. As an estimate, 12 months at $160 a month cost $1,920, and ED's price may differ.
PSLF months can be bought back as far as October 2007, or to the first disbursement of the consolidation loan if that is later. The months have to be months of approved qualifying employment, and they cannot have been spent on RAP or Tiered Standard. A borrower with only FFEL or Perkins loans is not eligible, and a borrower needs an outstanding balance. The calculator does not check dates. It prices the number of months you enter and trims it to what is needed to reach 120, which is 12 when 108 payments are counted.
To request a PSLF buyback, a borrower certifies employment and then makes the request through PSLF Reconsideration, choosing "PSLF Buyback". The Department of Education (ED) then sends an agreement that is payable within 90 days. There is no way to check the status of a request, and ED says it will respond by email.
StudentAid.gov says that, according to the IRS, student loan amounts forgiven under PSLF are not considered income for federal tax purposes. So this calculator treats the forgiven amount it shows as not federally taxable. State taxes are outside what it covers, and the IRS and StudentAid.gov have the official word.
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Every month you enter was spent in full-time qualifying employment, and none of those months were on the Repayment Assistance Plan or Tiered Standard. The price is the same for every month you buy back. The Department of Education (ED) prices each period from that period's income and family size, so the real price can differ from month to month. We take the lower of your income-driven payment and the 10-year Standard payment you enter. With no Standard payment, nothing caps the price. A payment you type always wins over the income estimate. The estimate uses the IBR formula and the 2026 poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and DC, and it is an approximation. The guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii are higher. We price only the months needed to reach 120 payments. ED offers buyback only to a borrower who already has 120 months of qualifying employment, so when the count falls short we show no forgiven amount. We assume the buyback cost goes toward the loan, so the estimate of what could be forgiven is the balance minus the cost, never below $0. The balance stays at today's amount. We add no interest, and we leave out the SAVE exception and ED's fallback to the Standard amount when no information arrives.
