You've probably spent hours staring at the MOHELA portal. It’s frustrating. You’re a teacher, you’re exhausted, and you just want to know if that balance is ever going to hit zero. Most people think mohela teacher loan forgiveness is just one single program, but that's the first mistake. It is actually a tangled web of two very different paths: the Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) program and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
Getting them confused is expensive. Like, "thousands of dollars" expensive.
Honestly, MOHELA's role has changed a lot lately. As of 2026, the Department of Education has pulled much of the processing back to StudentAid.gov, but MOHELA still handles the day-to-day servicing for millions. If you are teaching in a Title I school or a high-need area, you need to know exactly which form to sign before the next school year kicks off.
The $17,500 Question: How TLF Actually Works
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is the "fast" one. You teach for five consecutive years, and they wipe away a chunk of your debt. But here is the kicker: the amount varies wildly based on what you teach.
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If you are a highly qualified secondary math or science teacher, or a special education teacher at any level, you can get up to $17,500. Everyone else? You’re looking at a cap of $5,000. It doesn't seem fair, does it? But that is the law.
The Low-Income School Catch
You can't just teach anywhere. Your school must be listed in the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory.
- Five consecutive years: If you take a break to go to grad school or stay home with a kid, the clock usually resets.
- Full-time status: You have to meet your state's definition of full-time.
- Highly Qualified: This is a specific legal term. It basically means you have a bachelor’s degree, full state certification, and you haven't had any requirements waived on an emergency or temporary basis.
Why You Might Want to Avoid TLF Entirely
This is where it gets spicy. You cannot "double dip" the same years of service for both TLF and PSLF.
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If you take the $17,500 after five years, those five years of payments do not count toward the 120 payments needed for PSLF. This is a massive trap for teachers with high debt loads. Let's say you owe $60,000. If you take the $17,500 TLF, you still have $42,500 left, and you’ve just reset your PSLF clock to zero.
If you had just stuck with PSLF, you’d be halfway to total forgiveness of the entire $60,000 balance.
Kinda makes you want to do the math twice, right?
Navigating the MOHELA and StudentAid.gov Split
Things got weird in late 2024 and 2025. The government moved the PSLF "source of truth" away from MOHELA. Now, if you’re looking for your payment counts or want to submit an Employment Certification Form (ECF), you go to StudentAid.gov.
However, MOHELA still collects your money.
Common Application Blunders
People get denied for the silliest things. I've seen applications rejected because the dates were in the wrong format (it must be MM-DD-YYYY) or because the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) signed the form before the teacher finished their fifth year.
Don't be that person.
- Wait for the year to end: Do not have your principal sign that form on the last day of school. Wait one extra day. If they sign on May 22nd but your contract officially ends May 23rd, the Department of Education will reject it.
- The "Gap Year" Exception: There are very few ways to have a gap in those five consecutive years. Usually, it's only for things like military service or family medical leave (FMLA).
- Check the Directory Every Year: Schools drop off and join the Title I list all the time. As long as your school was on the list for at least one of your five years, you’re usually safe, but you should verify this on the TCLI website.
The Reality of 2026 Regulations
New rules that went into effect in July 2026 have tightened the definition of "qualifying employer." While public schools are always safe, some charter schools or private non-profits have to jump through more hoops now. The Trump administration’s 2025 executive orders pushed for more "taxpayer accountability," which basically means the paperwork is more scrutinized than it was during the "waiver" years of 2021-2022.
If you’re pursuing mohela teacher loan forgiveness, you have to be your own advocate. Don't trust the first person you talk to on the phone. MOHELA’s customer service has been famously overwhelmed.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
Stop guessing and start documenting. Here is exactly what you should do this week:
- Download your TCLI history: Go to the StudentAid.gov TCLI directory and find your school for every year you've worked there. Save it as a PDF.
- Run the Loan Simulator: Use the tool on StudentAid.gov to compare the total cost of taking TLF now versus waiting for PSLF. If your balance is under $20,000, TLF is usually the winner. If it's over $40,000, PSLF is almost always better.
- Verify your "Highly Qualified" status: Double-check with your HR department that your certification was never "provisional" or "emergency" during those five years.
- Update your contact info: Make sure your email on MOHELA matches your email on StudentAid.gov. If they don't sync, your forms might get lost in the digital void.
Wait until your five-year anniversary is fully past before submitting the TLF application. If you choose PSLF instead, submit a new ECF every single year. It’s the only way to catch mistakes before they become decade-long disasters.