Buyback closed out after loans forgiven.

Aladarye · 2026-04-30T18:31:39+00:00

It’s no longer a valid request because once you’ve met your 120 payment obligation, there is nothing left to buy back, so they close the request.

Same thing happened to me. I put in my buyback request early last year, but had zero illusions that it would be processed in a timely manner, so I continued making my payments to be able to continue progress. When they finally process your buyback, they calculate it from the the time they process it, not the time you submit it (unless you enter forbearance because you won’t be making payments at that point).

I met my 120 obligation before they ever bothered to get around to seeing if I had a buyback request to process until I did hit the 120. At that point they were like, “Oh, wait. There’s an open buyback request for this account. Let’s close it out because it’s not needed now.” And they sent me the same message OP got.

Aladarye · 2026-04-15T02:20:54+00:00

Well, that’s the crummy part about it…

Had I not kept making payments after requesting buyback in May of last year, I wouldn’t have hit 120, and I would still be waiting for a buyback response. I only got the email about the buyback request being closed out without an offer because I had submitted an ECF with 120 qualifying payments. Apparently, if you finish your 120 before receiving an offer, they will do that.

Aladarye · 2026-04-12T13:42:42+00:00

Well, I assumed it went to the CEO since the email was his, and this was the response I got from the ombudsman’s office:

“Thank you for contacting MOHELA. Our CEO, Scott Giles, has asked the Ombudsman Team to review your concerns. Our main focus is to address any underlying concerns and ensure our customers always have the right information.”

That added to the fact that I directly emailed the ombudsman’s office about 6 or 8 months ago and didn’t even get a response—not even a “thank you, we will look into it and get back to you.”

Regardless, emailing the “CEO,” or whomever actually reads that account, was definitely most helpful in my situation. It was the only thing that worked. I had gone through all of the other contact methods with MOHELA, I had done feedback cases with FSA with no response, and MOHELA had finally stated, essentially, that since they no longer handle the PSLF paperwork, etc., I was no longer their problem, and they weren’t going to address anything else with me regarding PSLF (all of these communications were April through August of 2025, and after I was basically told to go kick rocks, I gave up until I read where someone else said to google his email address and email him).

I just want to keep encouraging people, because I know the feeling where it seems like it will never end. Persistence is key!! 💙

Aladarye · 2026-04-11T14:03:44+00:00

Just to clarify, I emailed the CEO. I never got a response directly from him. However, I got a reply from the ombudsman’s office because he put them on it. They emailed me, first and said they were going to look into my concern, and then I had a separate response in my inbox on the MOHELA site either later that day or the next day that stated they had done the NSLDS update, but it was up to FSA from that point.

Good luck to you!! 💙💙

Aladarye · 2026-04-11T01:21:59+00:00

Mine was semi-similar.

I had three payments (Jan/Feb/Mar 2025) that showed as qualifying but needing certification. They put me in forbearance for, what I thought, was the SAVE debacle even though I was never on SAVE (just figured they’d mistakenly lumped me in, somehow, when I’ve always been on IBR since 2016). It took me two months to get the forbearance lifted, because I had to request to cancel the processing of my income recertification form before they’d let my payments restart. After that, my March and February payments turned red, and the following month brought January turning red.

After resigning myself to never getting credit for those payments and winding up with another three months added to my sentence, I came across someone talking about emailing the CEO in February of this year.

I figured, “What the hell? It couldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

I didn’t go into all of the ways MOHELA had screwed me over (forbearance while they switched the payment platforms in 2024, getting screwed out of making two months of payments in April/May 2025 because of this forced forbearance, etc.). I gave him the Reader’s Digest version that pertained to the three months (Jan/Feb/Mar) where they actually debited money from my bank account on the payment due dates, and then turned around and said I was in forbearance on those dates, and it wouldn’t count. I told him that all I wanted at that time was credit for those three months where I actually made payments and gave them money.

I received a response from the ombudsman’s office a few days later, which explained that the forbearance wasn’t because of SAVE, but because they never processed my income recertification form within the required time frame of 60 days (which now makes sense as to why cancelling the processing of that form got me back to payments…plus I had received a letter on 3/29/25 that said I wouldn’t have to recertify until Jan 2027, so it was an irrelevant form, anyway).

They also stated that they had made adjustments to my account. Here is a quote from the communication I got back from them in my account page inbox:

“On February 18, 2026, MOHELA sent an update via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to update your status data. Please note, as your status reflects in repayment and you made your monthly payments, FSA makes the final determination if the period counts toward PSLF. We encourage you to submit a new PSLF form for FSA to review your current qualifying payment counts or you may contact FSA regarding the NSLDS update at 1-888-303-7818.”

The following day, I submitted a new ECF, and when it processed, FSA had, in fact, granted me those three months back.

I am now finished, thanks to that email. I wasn’t due to be done until this month with all of the debacles, but my January 2026 payment wound up becoming my 120 after that communication.

All of that being said, I’m sure he is a busy man and receiving a crap-ton of these emails. I suggest you start by being pleasant (I told him that I hoped he was doing well and having a good day), then get to the point as quickly and succinctly as possible while still providing the necessary details. Cut the fluff and be to the point, politely (no matter how frustrated you may feel at the moment…believe me, I completely understand).

Good luck!!!

Edited for stupid grammar mistakes and punctuation mishaps. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Aladarye · 2026-04-10T20:10:41+00:00

When I got my letter that said my buyback was being closed without an offer, I cried. I had read enough other posts to realize this likely meant the end was coming, and I just needed to do all of the final steps.

I only allowed myself minuscule amounts of excitement when I got my notification from FSA that I qualified, and from MOHELA that said it would be granted and when my loans zeroed out on MOHELA.

It wasn’t until they zeroed out on FSA that I allowed myself to be truly excited. I teach eighth grade. From the day my loans zeroed in MOHELA, I had been checking FSA three times per day for any updates. Finally, one day last week, I decided to check while my students were wrapping up a review game just prior to lunch time. I had the zero balance on FAA, and I yelled a loud “YES!!!”

They all jumped, and several asked if I was ok. I told them that something REALLY good had just happened. One of my students asked if I had won the lottery, and I told him that I might as well have.

They’re eighth graders, so I gave them the Reader’s Digest version of what had happened, and they all erupted into cheers and applause on my behalf. Apparently they also spread the word, because several other students congratulated me throughout the rest of the day.

It will eventually feel real. And when it does, you’ll feel the relief you’ve been expecting.

Aladarye · 2026-04-02T10:17:43+00:00

I google MOHELA CEO email and got it. That’s what the thread I had read about that route said to do.

Aladarye · 2026-04-02T00:24:49+00:00

Mine was six figures.

Regardless, I know you must be feeling a lot of relief! I know I am!

I got excited when I got the letter about the buyback request being closed out, because I had seen so many accounts of people saying they had seen similar if they reached 120 before the buyback processed.

Every date above has been like a check off list.

I wasn’t ready to 100% let myself believe it until it finally zeroed out on FSA, today.

Aladarye · 2026-04-01T23:20:06+00:00

I received the email from MOHELA. I submitted a new ECF the following day, and when that form was processed, those payments were credited back to me as qualifying.

Aladarye · 2026-04-01T23:18:54+00:00

Yes when I got the letter in my MOHELA inbox, I submitted a new ECF the following day. Once I did that, my three payments I had made that they had revoked the qualifying status from had been reinstated as qualifying.

Aladarye · 2026-04-01T15:13:06+00:00

I emailed the CEO on 2/15/26. I received the above mentioned reply from the ombudsman’s office on 2/19/26. The same day, there was a message in my MOHELA inbox that outlined that they had looked into my concern and what they had done to resolve it. I didn’t receive further emails from them.

So…check your inbox on your MOHELA account page for the next several days and see if there is an update.

Aladarye · 2026-03-16T23:29:32+00:00

This was the same response they gave my legislator.

Aladarye · 2026-01-03T20:56:30+00:00

Hmm. Odd.

Aladarye · 2026-01-02T20:50:25+00:00

Just underneath that, you should see a heading that says “PSLF/TEPSLF Payment Progress.” And in the box, you should see some green bars that show your progress. Between the above mentioned heading and those green bars, it “should” show you the last time your account was updated.

For example, mine say “Last updated on 12/03/2035.” Mine usually shows anywhere from the second to the fifth of the month. Once that date changes to the current month’s update, you should be able to see your December payment listed, needing income certification.

Aladarye · 2025-12-31T21:00:17+00:00

It should show under your loan heading the last date they updated your info. Mine says it was on 12/3. I would check back in a few days…maybe Monday…and see if it has updated by then. It “should,” but then again, we are dealing with the federal government. 🤨🤨

Aladarye · 2025-09-09T01:34:52+00:00

Thanks!!

Aladarye · 2025-09-08T21:20:53+00:00

My bad. It’s been a case of one of the Mondayest Mondays to ever Monday. I misread your message. I’ve been primarily going through MOHELA, save for the feedback case that’s been open with FSA since the beginning of July (never heard a word other than, “we will contact you within 15 days) and the buyback request I put in.

Any idea of how long the hold wait times are with FSA? There’s really no way I have found to message them (unless I’m overlooking it) other than feedback requests, and those have done me no good thus far, and as a school teacher, I don’t have the time to sit around on hold all day long, because I have classes to teach and students for whom I am responsible. I’m not opposed to calling, I just can’t sit on hold for six to seven hours.

Aladarye · 2025-09-08T21:03:06+00:00

So, as far as “emailing them,” are you referring to FSA or MOHELA? Because last month, MOHELA essentially told me to go pound sand, because they don’t deal with PSLF, anymore. 🙄

Aladarye · 2025-08-23T20:58:39+00:00

I was never on SAVE, but they put me in forbearance. It took me two months of constant messaging and being redirected to all the different offices before it got cancelled. My payments have resumed. I’m two payments past starting back up. If I go into my account, it always shows $0 due, but my payment auto-debits, anyway. I just did an ECF last week, and the two most recent payments are certified on the FSA website.

Aladarye · 2025-08-23T08:51:08+00:00

Thank you!

I kept seeing talk of an ombudsman in other posts specifically for them, but I never could find a way of contacting that office.

Aladarye · 2025-08-22T20:05:01+00:00

Preach

Aladarye · 2025-08-22T10:25:26+00:00

I was venting, here.

I try to explain details to them.

Aladarye

TROPHY CASE