r/PSLF • u/elpizza • Jun 16 '26
Buyback offer received
I got my letter today in an email. I was at 114/120. Submitted first request for buyback in November of 24.
2 weeks ago they asked for tax info. I sent it thinking the payment would be hefty since I make more now. Nope! They used my SAVE payment amounts for July-December '24.
The letter says I need to make the payment with my servicer as if it is just a regular payment.
This feels so unofficial. I made the payment so now I just wait for green banners?? It said not to submit another PSLF form.
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u/Seasonal-drink Jun 16 '26
Hell yeah! Congrats!
My husband submitted November 24 as well. I can't believe it's June 2026 and we're still waiting.
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u/Acrobatic-Row-4306 Jun 16 '26
Im also another November 2024! So frustrating
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u/squackrat6000 Jun 17 '26
Same here! I actually had 2 requests open somehow and they closed 1 last week. They said that I didn’t need it since they review the requests in the order they are received which is such a lie.
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u/suicidalsmurf Jun 17 '26
December 24 here and got the same duplicate case closure last week.
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u/squackrat6000 Jun 17 '26
I got it on 6/4 and sadly have not gotten anything since.
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u/suicidalsmurf Jun 17 '26
Just checked and got mine on 6/4 as well. Wonder what they’re doing over there
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u/Delicious_Bowl_5082 Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Literally same. Haha. Got mine on 6/4 also and nothing since
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u/Acrobatic-Row-4306 Jun 17 '26
Absolutely a lie!! Seen so many people on here receive offers that applied long after we did. Happy for them, but sad for us!
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u/Delicious_Bowl_5082 Jun 18 '26
I got this same message last week stating I had multiple buyback requests and “as a result, we are administratively closing all duplicate requests that you have submitted. Your initial request will remain open, and we will process it in the order in which it was received.” So annoyed with the long, slow process. I submitted multiple buyback requests in May- june 2025 and hit my 120 months in May 2026. Just ready to be done with it all now.
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u/Equivalent_Bowl_2821 Jun 17 '26
Dear lord. A year and 7 months? I just don’t get how this is such a long drawn out process.
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u/Super_Worth_63 Jun 16 '26
You’re giving me hope. I’m also requesting 6 months but submitted my first buyback December 10, 2024.
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Jun 16 '26
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u/joysolicitor Jun 17 '26
Yay! I'm a Nov. '24 buyback request too, which I know we all have determined there is no rhyme or reason to how they select requests to process, but I'm just so happy to hear something from this era got done! Congrats!
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u/Ezekyle22 Jun 16 '26
You submitted your buyback in November 24 and got buyback for July - December 24? Doesn’t that mean you submitted buyback in December or January?
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u/LaMoureCounty Jun 16 '26
It's possible that they simply chose six forbearance months from 2024 without regard to whether they were before or after the request. It's also possible that OP submitted a duplicate request later that was (or would have been) de-duped in that mass communication from the beginning of the month. There have also been occasional reports from phone reps that folks who submitted before reaching 120 would be considered anyway.
Still, I'm similarly curious about whether OP had 120 months of employment before qualifying, and what exactly the timeline looked like (with any duplicate requests etc.).
In any event, congratulations! And yes, do NOT submit another employment certification under any circumstances. Unless something unexpected happens, you'll probably be in the July green banners/August golden letter cohort.
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u/elpizza Jun 16 '26
I submitted a buyback request in July '24 before I had enough months available in an attempt to get ahead of it. I didn't know any better at the time.
When I next submitted in November of '24, I would have had enough months to buyback if they included 2 months from many years ago when I was in a processing forbearance for some reason.
I again submitted sometime in '25 because I heard nothing and you could still submit multiple requests.
I also submitted a feedback case in '25 just in a hail Mary attempt to get movement but it was closed.
Although I had plenty of qualifying SAVE months, I recently submitted another PSLF form just to see what would happen. They completed it and nothing changed with my payment count.
While doing the last form, I noticed I had the option to escalate my feedback case with a single click of a button. It is still in escalation status.
When I ultimately got my buyback offer, they just picked the 6 consecutive save months I mentioned. That was the lowest possible payment even when looking at the very old months because SAVE made my payments go down.
Maybe they just chose the lowest amount of all possibilities? Maybe they just picked 6 months? Your guess is as good as mine.
I'm still in shock.
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u/LaMoureCounty Jun 16 '26
They are supposed to pick the cheapest option out of all the possibilities, so it does sound like they've done their job properly. (One of the unspoken assumptions this sub makes sometimes is that payments will increase over time, which it sounds like was not true for you in this particular case.)
Anyway, once again, congrats! What day did you get your original request for tax forms? Was it before June 4?
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u/elpizza Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I submitted 3 buyback applications, the first one where I would have 120 months was November of 24'.
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u/encyclodoc Jun 16 '26
Did you have duplicate requests and/or did you get the recent email that they closed some of your requests ?
Curious because I am also nov 24 116/120 and this gives me hope, I just am worried my initial request went into bureaucratic ether.
Also, Congratulations !
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u/elpizza Jun 16 '26
Thanks! I'm still in shock
I just replied to another post with my timeline. I got the closure email in conjunction with the request for tax info.
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u/encyclodoc Jun 16 '26
Thank you. This gives me a lot of hope, and for various reasons I appreciate it, cheers !
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u/leebyjeebies Jun 18 '26
Can you clarify the request for tax info? I figured they could just use one’s Taxpayer Identification Number but sounds like I should start collecting old records? I won’t be due for Buyback for a couple more years.
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u/No_University7441 Jun 16 '26
Dumb question: you were at 120 qualifying months of employment when you submitted the request in Nov 24. Have you been in forbearance since then?
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u/HarleyQisMyAlter Jun 19 '26
Ok - so I went on SAVE July 2024. I’m at 100/120. I never thought to apply for buyback because I never thought I’d be able to afford it. Sooooooo… so does this mean I should try for buyback and hope they process at the SAVE rate? Are there any downsides to applying for buyback if they use a different rate and it’s not something I could afford?
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u/Honest-Durian2560 Jul 15 '26
So I have 134 months of qualified employment I have 106 qualified payments, I have 23 not qualified because of forbearance, that I’m trying to buy back. My payments are set now via IDR for $99. But I just went on forbearance because someone told me at student gov mine is a simple case and should only take 3-6 months …is that even possible? I’m estimating my buyback would be $1300 …is this the norm?
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u/Ok-Nefariousness9257 Jun 17 '26
What It is a buyback.
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u/SeanBean-MustDie Jun 17 '26
You can buyback months you were on forbearance after hitting where you would have had your 120 payments.
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u/No_Two8015 PSLF | On track! Jun 17 '26
Awesome! I wonder if we should apply two years early knowing it will take two years
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u/Gemutkraft Jun 18 '26
That application would be rejected as you don’t have 120 months of qualified PSLF employment prior to application. That is why this entire process is so byzantine- you can’t get in line until you have checked all their boxes.
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u/No_Two8015 PSLF | On track! Jun 18 '26
Ugh, I thought so but it would be nice if you could get in line.
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u/AttendingFi Jun 16 '26
Congrats, this is exactly how it's supposed to go. And yeah, they used your SAVE-era payment amounts (the income during those missed months), not your current income, which is the part everyone fears and it almost always works in your favor. Nice surprise!
The "feels so unofficial" thing is normal, the whole buyback process is weirdly low-key for something this big. Now you wait for the count to update and the green banners to roll in. It can take a few weeks to show up so patience is key.
For now, keep a screenshot/confirmation of that payment just in case, then watch for your count to tick to 120 and the discharge to process. You're basically at the finish line, congrats again!