Do to the nature of student loan forgiveness legislation, the rules for getting part or all of your student loan debt forgiven are somewhat liquid. Many programs require that you remain in an area of service for up to a decade before your loans can be forgiven, but if you are not diligent during that time in showing that your employment fits the current criteria for student loan forgiveness, you may find yourself out of luck at the end of your decade of service.

Here are three important things that you can do to improve your chances of coming out ahead on your student loans at the end of your decade of public service and/or educational work.

1. Save your pay stubs.

Saving your pay stubs is the best way to prove that you were making the required level of income to qualify for loan forgiveness in the job that you say that you were doing. Save every pay stub, and keep them filed in an orderly fashion so that you can show what you were paid for and when you were paid to do it. This is important because some loan forgiveness programs will forgive your debt only if you are in a certain pay bracket as well as performing certain duties such as public service or educational roles.

2. Stay in touch with your lenders and the U.S. Department of Education

The rules for loan forgiveness change often. Making sure that you are informed of these changes will help you adapt your record keeping to show your complicance with requirements. Get on any mailing lists that you can, and try to establish a contact point with each lender and within the U.S. Department of Education that you can call if you have questions about your loans.

3. Document your compliance with loan forgiveness specifications annually.

Currently, most loan forgiveness programs do not require you to document your compliance with their requirements on an annual basis, but allow you to wait until the end of your ten year service period. Documenting annually, however, will not only make your job easier at the end of the decade, but it will give you some grounds for argument if at the end of the decade, the rules have changed and part of your previously eligible service work no longer applies under the current rules.

When it comes to loan forgiveness, the burden of responsibility is always on you. Make things easier for yourself by setting up a record keeping system now rather than assuming that someone will be able to help you figure things out ten years from now when you are eligible for the loan forgiveness.