By April 10, 2025, the Department of Education published a detailed notice in the Federal Register, announcing additional public meetings for the negotiated rulemaking process set to finalize language around PSLF employer standards. These sessions were planned to run through early summer, building on the February workshops.
MarketWatch (April 12, 2025) covered reactions from education unions and state agencies, many of which planned to submit formal statements urging the DOE to adopt safe-harbor clauses that protect borrowers who acted in good faith. They emphasized that employees shouldn’t suffer for compliance failures entirely outside their control.
Meanwhile, the DOE released an updated FAQ on studentaid.gov (April 15, 2025) clarifying that as long as borrowers maintained approved ECFs and continued qualifying employment, current PSLF progress remained unaffected. They confirmed that future rule changes would not retroactively revoke existing certifications.
Employers in the healthcare and education sectors began proactively issuing letters confirming workers’ qualifying hours and organizational tax statuses. This added an extra layer of documentation to individual PSLF folders, seen as wise preparation should the regulatory environment become stricter.
Throughout April, financial workshops urged borrowers to revisit the PSLF Help Tool and download the latest summaries from their dashboards. With millions under SAVE, ensuring these new payment plans aligned properly with PSLF remained essential for long-term security.