Pennsylvania Pays Up to $80,000. The Window Is Currently Closed.
Program and regulatory figures verified October 6, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
This is real money and it is worth planning around. It is also closed right now, and the Department's own page makes that genuinely hard to work out.
How much does Pennsylvania pay?
The Department of Health runs the Primary Care Loan Repayment Program as grant funding to repay qualifying educational debt in exchange for a two-year service commitment at an approved site in an underserved area.
| Discipline | Full-time (2 years) | Half-time (2 years) |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, dentists, psychologists | up to $80,000 | up to $40,000 |
| All other eligible disciplines | up to $48,000 | up to $24,000 |
Two things worth noting. The gap between a physician and another discipline is $32,000 full-time. And Pennsylvania pays dentists exactly what it pays physicians, which is not how every state does it: Florida's equivalent program pays dentists considerably more than physicians.
What does "up to" mean here?
It means a maximum, and we are going to be careful about it. Pennsylvania does not publish an annual report showing what the average award actually was against that maximum, so we have no basis to tell you what a typical award looks like.
That is a real limitation and we would rather say so. Treat $80,000 as a ceiling, not an expectation.
★★ Can I apply right now?
No. And this is the part worth reading twice.
Practitioner applications are accepted only in response to a competitive Request for Applications. The governing document is RFA 67-206, dated 2 April 2026, and it sets out the schedule without ambiguity:
- Questions due 12:00 p.m. EST, 10 April 2026.
- Applications "must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4, 2026."
- "LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED REGARDLESS OF THE REASON."
- Selection of grantees "completed within 18 weeks of the submission due date", which is roughly early September 2026.
- Anticipated agreement term 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028, subject to funding.
So as of our verification date, the practitioner window for this cycle has closed and awards should already have been made.
★★ Why does the Department's page look like it is open?
Because of one sentence in the wrong place. The program page carries the award amounts, the eligible disciplines, and then this: "Practice Site Applications are accepted continuously. Practice Site Administrators or Directors may submit an on-line LRP Practice Site Application."
A physician reading that page sees "up to $80,000" and "accepted continuously" within a few lines of each other and draws the obvious conclusion. But those two statements are about different people. The continuous window is for practice sites getting themselves approved, which is an administrator's job. The practitioner side is the competitive RFA.
That distinction is the single most useful thing on this page, and it is why we wrote it.
How do I find out about the next cycle?
The Fact Sheet gives the route: "If you have questions or to be notified when an RFA is announced, email RA-DHLoanRepayment@pa.gov."
Use it. We are not publishing a predicted date for the next RFA because the Department has not published one, and a guessed date in your planning is worse than no date.
Is there anything useful to do while it is closed?
Two things, and both matter more than waiting.
First, do not break your eligibility. The way most physicians lose access to this program is not by missing a deadline. It is by refinancing or consolidating their student loans in a way that permanently disqualifies them, which is irreversible and happens most often at exactly the point someone is buying a house. Read this before you refinance anything.
Second, check what else you have signed. A recruitment bonus that ties you to a site makes you ineligible. Public Service Loan Forgiveness does not. The difference, with the RFA's own wording.
Where do I have to be working?
At an LRP-approved outpatient primary care practice site, and that site has to be either in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area or serving a minimum of 30% low-income patients.
The word doing the most work there is outpatient. A physician joining a Pennsylvania health system into a hospital-based role is outside this program whatever their specialty. Full eligibility.
Is the money taxable?
Two answers, and we will give you both as the Commonwealth gives them rather than drawing a conclusion.
Federally, the RFA quotes the exclusion: gross income "shall not include any amount received under section 338(g) of the Public Health Service Act, under a state program described in section 338I of such Act, or under any other state loan repayment or loan forgiveness program that is intended to provide for the increased availability of healthcare services in underserved or health professional shortage areas."
For Pennsylvania income tax, the RFA points to Personal Income Tax Bulletin 2009-02: such repayments are treated as taxable compensation, but generally are not subject to PA personal income tax unless the student provides services directly to the payor or lender. The RFA's own instruction is that participants "should seek the advice of a qualified tax counselor regarding this matter."
We are lenders. Take that to a tax professional, which is what the Commonwealth tells you to do.
One line from the RFA worth keeping in mind
"The primary purpose of the LRP is to increase access to primary care services in underserved areas, not the repayment of educational loans."
That is the Department telling applicants how it reads files. Scoring factors include community need, Pennsylvania residency, graduation from Pennsylvania educational institutions, holding your licence within the past ten years, experience at your current site, and a connection to the community where you practise.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program worth?
Up to $80,000 for a two-year full-time service commitment, or up to $40,000 half-time, for physicians, dentists and psychologists. Other eligible disciplines receive up to $48,000 full-time or $24,000 half-time. These are maximums; Pennsylvania publishes no average award figure. Verified against RFA 67-206 and the LRP Fact Sheet 2026-10-06.When is the deadline for the Pennsylvania loan repayment program?
RFA 67-206 set the practitioner deadline at 11:59 p.m. EST on 4 May 2026 and states that late applications will not be accepted regardless of the reason, with selection within 18 weeks and an agreement term of 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028. That window has closed. No date for a further RFA has been published; email RA-DHLoanRepayment@pa.gov to be notified. Verified 2026-10-06.The Pennsylvania Department of Health says applications are accepted continuously. Is that right?
That sentence refers to Practice Site Applications, submitted by practice site administrators or directors to get a site approved. Practitioner applications are a separate process accepted only in response to a competitive Request for Applications. The two sit close together on the Department's page, which is why physicians often conclude they can apply at any time. Verified 2026-10-06.Is Pennsylvania loan repayment money taxable?
The RFA quotes a federal exclusion from gross income for amounts received under state loan repayment programs intended to increase healthcare availability in underserved or shortage areas. For Pennsylvania income tax it points to Personal Income Tax Bulletin 2009-02, under which such repayments are taxable compensation but generally not subject to PA personal income tax unless services are provided directly to the payor or lender. The RFA directs participants to a qualified tax counselor. We are lenders and do not give tax advice.Does Pennsylvania pay dentists more than physicians for loan repayment?
No. Pennsylvania pays physicians, dentists and psychologists the same maximum: up to $80,000 full-time or $40,000 half-time. All other eligible disciplines receive up to $48,000 or $24,000. This differs from some other states, where dental awards are set higher than physician awards. Verified against RFA 67-206 2026-10-06.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or licensure advice. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees, and overlays are set by the lender and change. Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program award amounts, eligibility and application cycles are set by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against the Department's published RFA and Fact Sheet. Realty transfer tax rates are set by the Commonwealth and by local jurisdictions and change. All loans are subject to borrower and property qualification, including credit and income review.