The Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) program forgives up to $17,500 of Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Stafford Loans for teachers who complete five consecutive years of full-time teaching at a qualifying low-income school or educational service agency. The forgiveness amount depends on the subject area taught: up to $17,500 for highly qualified math, science, or special education teachers, and up to $5,000 for teachers of other subjects.
10 steps across 1 sections
1. Steps Process
- Verify your eligibility. To qualify, you must:
- Be a "new borrower" (no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL loan as of October 1, 1998, or no outstanding balance when you received a new loan after that date)
- Have taught full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years
- At least one of those years must have been after the 1997-1998 academic year
- Hold a bachelor's degree
- Have full state certification as a teacher (not emergency, temporary, or provisional)
- Certification must never have been revoked, waived, or suspended
- Have direct classroom teaching responsibilities
- Confirm your school qualifies. Your school must be listed as a low-income school in the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory:
- Check the directory at studentaid.gov for each year you have taught
Common Mistakes
- Assuming all school employees qualify
- Not verifying the school's low-income status for each year
- Breaking the five-year consecutive requirement
- Applying with ineligible loan types
- Trying to count the same years for both TLF and PSLF
Pro Tips
- Check if your subject qualifies for the higher amount
- Combine TLF with PSLF strategically
- Document your teaching history
- Consider state-specific teacher forgiveness programs
- Apply promptly after completing five years