Duplicative PSLF Buyback Applications Could Reduce Ongoing Processing Backlog
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor
After nearly a year of status reports, the Department of Education’s (ED) latest filing, detailing its backlog of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) buyback applications and income-driven repayment (IDR) applications, indicates that the department still has a significant number of forms to process, but has ramped up its rate of processing.
This ongoing monthly status report is part of the department’s agreement with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), part of which seeks to ensure that eligible loan forgiveness applicants are not subject to a tax bill due to processing delays. At the start of 2026, a lapse in tax policy made certain forms of student loan forgiveness taxable again, potentially exposing borrowers with backlogged IDR applications approved after January 1, 2026, to federal income tax if ED had not entered into an agreement with the AFT.
The latest figures, for the period of April 1-30, put the IDR backlog at 530,295 pending applications. When the reporting started last June, there were roughly 1.6 million applications. During the most recent filing period, ED managed to process 456,594 applications, but it also received 444,692 forms.
While the PSLF buyback backlog currently stands at 88,000 applications, ED’s latest filing, covering April 1-30, indicated that “many” borrowers have submitted duplicative forms, and, according to the department’s estimates, as many as 18,000-19,000. Previously, ED resolved these duplicates when a borrower received a buyback offer, but moving forward, the department plans to preemptively identify and remove duplicate requests.
ED’s first status report for the PSLF buyback recorded 49,318 pending applications.
Stay tuned to Today’s News for more updates on these legal filings.
Publication Date: 5/28/2026
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