I currently work part-time for a community college and part-time doing
other jobs. Since I don’t work full-time in public service, the past 8
years of volunteering, part-time work, etc. don’t qualify at all.

I am looking for better paying jobs, of course. But it’s not easy. The
thought that someone making 60K in a federal, full-time job with
benefits gets their loans forgiven, but working as a part-time teacher
doesn’t count is pretty frustrating.

I think this is a holdover from a time where so many workers weren’t involuntarily part-time.

I’m not the only one. I know others that walk dogs, tutor, landscape, wait tables, cashier trying to pad their paltry public service incomes working toward one day breaking out of the cycle and getting a full-time job.

Thank you for the response! I currently have a Perkins loan on deferment and in a public service forgiveness program, but instead of it being forgiven in 10 years like my federal loans/Nelnet it will be forgiven in 5 years. Also, for some odd reason I am not required to make monthly payments for this type of loan while I am employed as a public service employee (I’m not complaining), I just wish my Nelnet loans were on the same program.

That is a great question Carina. To get the answer you would have to ask Congress, but I suppose the reason it was done is because they expect larger balances to be forgiven for public service after 10 years. If there is a huge tax bill at this time, it wouldn’t be as big of a perk, and less people would go into public service. They created the plan to incentivize public service.

Many debt advocates and economists advocate making the forgiven student loan balance non-taxible for everyone. The first people won’t be eligible for over 10 years, so there is plenty of time for Congress to wait and act.