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Planning on Taking Public Service Job Within the Year. Do I have to Wait to Consolidate?
Hi!
I recently finished up a Masters with the intention of moving to the public sector within the year, but have a private sector job now.
Do I have to wait until I have a public service job to consolidate into one of the PSLF eligible plans, or could I consolidate now and and apply for the PSLF program when I get the position?
I don’t want to screw up my chances to qualify for PSLF, but my payments are unwieldy at the moment.
In case anyone asks why I didn’t look for a non-profit job in time for repayment, I have been taking care of my mother during a difficult illness with multiple hospitalizations and needed to consider that a new employer would not be as accommodating as my current one.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
More recent borrowers don’t have to consolidate to get started towards PSLF. Folks with older federal loans, from before 2010, might have to consolidate loans from the previous FFEL program into a Direct Consolidation Loan before they can make payments that count towards the 120 required to earn PSLF.