Ways to Submit the PSLF Form to Verify Employment

If you are asking what are the ways I can submit the PSLF form to verify my employment, the answer is that there are two routes: an electronic submission through the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool, or a manual paper form you download and complete with your employer. This guide explains both, who the PSLF program applies to, and what the official source says.

It is written for public service workers pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness — including the many government employees, teachers, and military members here in the Colorado Springs area — who need to certify employment and keep their qualifying payments on record.

The two ways to submit the PSLF form

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, you can handle PSLF employment certification one of two ways:

• Electronically: The PSLF Help Tool allows you to submit your PSLF form electronically, send it through the website to your employer for employment verification, then digitally sign and submit the application to your servicer.
• Manually: You can download a blank application — a manual PSLF form — directly from the U.S. Department of Education for you and your employer to fill out.

Both paths accomplish the same goal: certifying that your employment qualifies for the PSLF program. Let’s look at the electronic option first.

Submitting the PSLF form electronically through the PSLF Help Tool

The PSLF Help Tool is the Department of Education’s online path for employment certification. It walks you through the form rather than leaving you to complete paperwork from scratch.

Check your employer in the Employer Database

The PSLF Help Tool has a built-in Employer Database. The database lets you determine whether your employer qualifies for PSLF and prepopulates employer information from the database, which cuts down on manual entry and errors.

Send the form to your employer for verification

Once the form is prepared, you can send it through the website to your employer for employment verification. Your employer confirms the employment details as part of the certification process, so it helps to know who at your organization — often someone in the HR department — handles these requests.

Sign and submit to your servicer

After the employment verification step is completed, you can digitally sign the form and submit the application electronically to your servicer. That closes the loop on the electronic submission without printing anything.

If the electronic route does not work for your situation, the paper route is the alternative.

Submitting a manual PSLF form on paper

The second way to submit the PSLF form is to download a blank application — a manual PSLF form — directly from the U.S. Department of Education. You and your employer then fill out the form together.

The Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool page explains the full process for submitting the PSLF form, so review it before sending anything to make sure the completed paperwork goes where it needs to go.

Whichever route you choose, the submission only matters if your employer actually qualifies — so verify that first.

Which employers qualify for the PSLF program?

The PSLF form exists to certify that you work for a qualifying employer. The CFPB lists the categories of eligible employers.

Government and military employment

Qualifying employers include U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies, including the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Military service also qualifies — relevant for many borrowers stationed in the Colorado Springs area, including those navigating PCS moves between duty stations.

Public elementary and secondary schools, public colleges and universities, public child and family service agencies, and special governmental districts are also on the qualifying list.

Nonprofit employment

Working for certain not-for-profit organizations also makes you eligible for PSLF. Additionally, a not-for-profit that is not qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code is considered a qualifying employer if it devotes a majority of its full-time equivalent employees to working in certain areas.

If you are unsure where your job falls, the Employer Database inside the PSLF Help Tool is the place to check. Once you know you qualify, the reason to certify regularly becomes clear.

Why certifying your employment matters

Submitting the PSLF form is how you certify that your employment qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and how you keep track of your eligible employment and qualifying payments over time.

Borrowers who certify employment build a documented record as they go, rather than trying to reconstruct years of employment history later. If you change jobs between eligible employers, certification keeps your progress on the record.

Where to read the official guidance

The summary above comes from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s consumer guidance on certifying employment for PSLF, last reviewed in May 2024. The CFPB points borrowers to the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool page to learn which employers qualify and the process for submitting the PSLF form.

Those two official sources — the CFPB and the Department of Education — should be your reference points, since PSLF rules and tools are maintained by the government, not by lenders.

What to do next

Your next step is simple: go to the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool, check your employer in the Employer Database, and either submit the form electronically or download the manual PSLF form to complete with your employer.

And if homeownership in Colorado Springs is on your horizon, your student loan picture is part of the conversation about what you can afford. A 719 Lending loan officer can walk through how your loans, income, and debt-to-income ratio fit into a mortgage plan — reach out when you are ready to talk.

Frequently asked questions

What are the two ways to submit the PSLF form?

You can submit the PSLF form electronically through the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool, which lets you send the form to your employer for verification and then digitally sign and submit it to your servicer. Alternatively, you can download a blank manual PSLF form directly from the U.S. Department of Education for you and your employer to fill out.

How do I know if my employer qualifies for PSLF?

The PSLF Help Tool includes a built-in Employer Database that lets you determine whether your employer qualifies and prepopulates employer information. Qualifying employers include federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies, military service, public schools and universities, public child and family service agencies, special governmental districts, and certain not-for-profit organizations.

Does military service count as qualifying employment for PSLF?

Yes. The CFPB lists military service among the qualifying employer categories for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, alongside government agencies, the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and public schools.

Who signs the PSLF form besides me?

Your employer completes the employment verification portion. Through the PSLF Help Tool, you can send the form through the website to your employer for employment verification before you digitally sign and submit it to your servicer.

Where does the completed PSLF form go?

When you use the PSLF Help Tool, the completed, digitally signed application is submitted electronically to your servicer. For the manual paper form, the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool page explains the submission process.

719 Lending Inc., NMLS #1601989 · Equal Housing Opportunity

719 Lending Inc. is not affiliated with or endorsed by HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, CHFA, the CFPB, or any government agency.

Last updated: October 2026