You qualify for cancellation (discharge) of up to 100 percent of a Federal Perkins Loan if you have served full time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as a
teacher in a school serving students from low-income families; or
special-education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities; or
teacher in the fields of mathematics, science, foreign languages, or bilingual education, or in any other field of expertise determined by a state education agency to have a shortage of qualified teachers in that state.
Eligibility for teacher cancellation is based on the duties presented in an official position description, not on the position title. To receive a cancellation, you must be directly employed by the school system. There is no provision for canceling Perkins Loans for teaching in postsecondary schools.
Note that you also qualify for deferment while you’re performing teaching service that qualifies for cancellation. Contact the school that holds your loan for information on applying for deferment.
Definition of Teacher
A teacher is a person who provides students direct classroom teaching, or classroom-type teaching in a non-classroom setting, or educational services directly related to classroom teaching (for example, school librarian or guidance counselor).
It’s not necessary for you to be certified or licensed to receive cancellation benefits. However, your employing school must consider you to be a full-time professional for the purposes of salary, tenure, retirement benefits, etc. If you are a supervisor, administrator, researcher, or curriculum specialist, you are not considered a teacher unless you primarily provide direct and personal educational services to students.
Definition of Full Time for a Full Academic Year
You must teach full time for a full academic year or its equivalent. There is no requirement that you must teach a given number of hours a day to qualify as a full-time teacher; the employing school is responsible for making that decision.
An “academic year or its equivalent” for teacher cancellation purposes is defined as one complete school year or two half years that are (1) from different school years, excluding summer sessions; (2) complete, and (3) consecutive. The two half years also must generally fall within a 12-month period.
Teaching Part Time at Multiple Schools
You can receive cancellation if you are simultaneously teaching part time in two or more schools if an official at one of the schools where you taught certifies that you taught full time for a full academic year.
Teaching in a Private School
You may receive teacher cancellation for services performed in a private academy if the private academy has established its nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and if the academy is providing elementary and/or secondary education according to state law.
Teaching in a Preschool or Prekindergarten Program
You may receive teacher cancellation only if the state considers such a program to be a part of its elementary education program. A low-income-school-directory designation that includes prekindergarten or kindergarten does not suffice for a state determination of program eligibility.
Teaching in Low-Income Schools
A cancellation based on teaching in a school serving students from low-income families may be granted only if you taught in an eligible school as determined by the state education agency. To be considered a “low-income school,” the school must be in a school district that qualified for federal funds in the year for which the cancellation is sought. Also, more than 30 percent of the school’s enrollment must be made up of children from low-income families.
To find out if the school that employs you is classified as a low-income school, you can check our online database for the year(s) that you have been employed as a teacher. Questions about the inclusion or omission of a particular school should be directed to the state education agency contact
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Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation
You qualify for cancellation (discharge) of up to 100 percent of a Federal Perkins Loan if you have served full time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as a
Eligibility for teacher cancellation is based on the duties presented in an official position description, not on the position title. To receive a cancellation, you must be directly employed by the school system. There is no provision for canceling Perkins Loans for teaching in postsecondary schools.
Note that you also qualify for deferment while you’re performing teaching service that qualifies for cancellation. Contact the school that holds your loan for information on applying for deferment.
Definition of Teacher
A teacher is a person who provides students direct classroom teaching, or classroom-type teaching in a non-classroom setting, or educational services directly related to classroom teaching (for example, school librarian or guidance counselor).
It’s not necessary for you to be certified or licensed to receive cancellation benefits. However, your employing school must consider you to be a full-time professional for the purposes of salary, tenure, retirement benefits, etc. If you are a supervisor, administrator, researcher, or curriculum specialist, you are not considered a teacher unless you primarily provide direct and personal educational services to students.
Definition of Full Time for a Full Academic Year
You must teach full time for a full academic year or its equivalent. There is no requirement that you must teach a given number of hours a day to qualify as a full-time teacher; the employing school is responsible for making that decision.
An “academic year or its equivalent” for teacher cancellation purposes is defined as one complete school year or two half years that are (1) from different school years, excluding summer sessions; (2) complete, and (3) consecutive. The two half years also must generally fall within a 12-month period.
Teaching Part Time at Multiple Schools
You can receive cancellation if you are simultaneously teaching part time in two or more schools if an official at one of the schools where you taught certifies that you taught full time for a full academic year.
Teaching in a Private School
You may receive teacher cancellation for services performed in a private academy if the private academy has established its nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and if the academy is providing elementary and/or secondary education according to state law.
Teaching in a Preschool or Prekindergarten Program
You may receive teacher cancellation only if the state considers such a program to be a part of its elementary education program. A low-income-school-directory designation that includes prekindergarten or kindergarten does not suffice for a state determination of program eligibility.
Teaching in Low-Income Schools
A cancellation based on teaching in a school serving students from low-income families may be granted only if you taught in an eligible school as determined by the state education agency. To be considered a “low-income school,” the school must be in a school district that qualified for federal funds in the year for which the cancellation is sought. Also, more than 30 percent of the school’s enrollment must be made up of children from low-income families.
To find out if the school that employs you is classified as a low-income school, you can check our online database for the year(s) that you have been employed as a teacher. Questions about the inclusion or omission of a particular school should be directed to the state education agency contact
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