October 2024 brought new scrutiny to federal student loan servicers as borrower volumes under PSLF soared. On October 8, 2024, the Department of Education announced an audit initiative focused on servicer compliance, aiming to ensure that the unprecedented SAVE and IDR adjustments translated accurately into borrower accounts. This followed widespread reports that newly credited PSLF payments weren’t always showing up correctly on dashboards.
Financial media outlets like MarketWatch (October 11, 2024) detailed borrower frustrations over mismatches between servicer statements and studentaid.gov’s official records. The DOE responded by publishing a checklist on October 15 for borrowers to independently verify payment counts, urging them to escalate discrepancies quickly.
Local governments and nonprofits ramped up internal HR efforts, hosting clinics to help employees pull payment histories and prepare documents in case audits flagged inconsistencies. Many workers used this opportunity to gather older tax returns and pay stubs, reinforcing their PSLF folders against future questions.
October ended with DOE officials promising more public-facing reports on servicer performance by early 2025. Borrowers were encouraged to continue submitting annual Employment Certification Forms (ECFs) and to keep close tabs on their loan dashboards, ensuring all new IDR credits flowed smoothly into their PSLF tallies.