Through The University of Alabama’s partnership with TIAA, employees and their family members now have access to Savi, a student debt solution that can help strengthen financial footing in the short term and position for student loan forgiveness in the future. Additional information is available in HR News.
With federal student loan payments resuming in October 2023, take action now with Savi to be fully prepared before payments restart! Visit https://www.tiaa.org/uasystem/student to calculate savings and get started! TIAA will redirect to Savi’s microsite to register and use the online tool.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program allows eligible individuals to qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans after making 120 qualifying payments on those loans while employed full-time by certain public service employers — The University of Alabama is an eligible employer as a tax-exempt entity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
Any non-defaulted Direct Loan is eligible for loan forgiveness under this program including the following:
- Direct Subsidized Loans
- Direct Unsubsidized Loans
- Direct PLUS Loans
- Direct Consolidation Loans
Other federal student loan programs may become eligible for PSLF if they are consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan, however, only payments made on the Direct Consolidation Loan will count toward the required 120 qualifying payments.
To be eligible as a borrower you:
- Must be employed by a qualifying public service organization (i.e., The University of Alabama);
- Must work full-time for that organization;
- Must have Federal Direct Loans listed above (or consolidate);
- Must repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan; and
- Must make 120 qualifying loan payments (10 years)
Annual Employer Certification
1. DocuSign Process (Recommended): The University of Alabama has adopted the DocuSign method for signing employee certification forms. If you are working toward forgiveness, it’s recommended to use the PSLF Help Tool to complete your PSLF form, send your form to UA for signature (certifying your employment), and electronically submit your form to the PSLF servicer for processing. UA employees should send the DocuSign form to the HR Service Center at hr@ua.edu. To access the PSLF Help Tool, you will need to log in with your account username and password (FSA ID).
2. Manual Process: You may also submit a PSLF form by downloading the PDF after going through the PSLF Help Tool. From the My Activity page, download your form, print it, sign it, and have your employer(s) sign your form. Or, you can download and print a blank PDF of the form, complete all sections, sign it, and have your employer(s) sign it. UA employees may email the form to the HR Service Center at hr@ua.edu including CWID. Please do not include an employee’s SSN on any form emailed to the HR Service Center. Once UA completes the employer section, the PSLF form will be returned to the employee’s official UA email address and the SSN can be added by the employee at that time. Employees may also bring the PSLF form to the Employee Resource Center located at 1515 Flint River Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, for completion.
exclamationDigital Signatures Required
If you submit a manual PSLF form, digital signatures from you or your employer must be hand-drawn (from a signature pad, mouse, finger, or by taking a picture of a signature drawn on a piece of paper that you then scan and embed on the signature line of the PSLF form) to be accepted. Typed signatures, even if made to mimic a signature, or security certificate-based signatures are not accepted.
Employer certifications must be sent to the U.S. Department of Education’s federal loan servicer for the PSLF program. Electronic submission occurs automatically when using the PSLF Help Tool.
For more detailed information — including how to monitor your progress toward qualifying for PSLF — visit the Federal Student Aid Office online.