Student Loan Repayment Calculator Compare Standard, Extended, Graduated, IBR and the new RAP plan side by side
Enter your balance, rate and income once. See every federal repayment plan you qualify for, with your monthly payment, years to payoff or forgiveness, total cost and any tax on forgiveness, then pick the plan that fits your life.
Your loans
Your income
Your situation
Your best plans at a glance
Plans available to you.
The repayment race
Bar length is time in repayment. Striped ends are forgiven balances.
Tap any plan to see its full year-by-year schedule below.
Plan comparison
Total cost includes estimated tax on any forgiven balance.
| Plan | Monthly payment | Time | Total paid | Forgiven | Total cost |
|---|
Balance over time, every plan
Highlighted line is the plan you selected.
Plan
Year-by-year schedule
Payments, interest and balance for each year of the selected plan.
| Year | Monthly payment | Paid that year | Interest charged | Balance at year end |
|---|
What-if scenarios
Each one changed on its own.
What your numbers mean
How student loan repayment works
Quick answer
Federal student loans are repaid under a repayment plan that sets your monthly payment either by your balance and a fixed term (Standard, Graduated, Extended, Tiered Standard) or by your income (IBR and the new Repayment Assistance Plan, RAP). Fixed plans pay the loan off in 10 to 25 years. Income-driven plans can lower payments and forgive any balance left after 20 to 30 years, or after 10 years with Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
The plan you choose changes three things at once: what you pay each month, how long you stay in debt, and how much you pay in total. A plan with the lowest monthly payment is rarely the cheapest overall, and the cheapest plan is not always affordable on an entry-level salary. That trade-off is exactly what the calculator above lays out, plan by plan, using your own numbers.
I built this tool after watching friends choose a plan from a single number on a servicer website, only to realize years later that they had paid thousands more than necessary, or missed forgiveness they qualified for. Federal repayment rules also changed significantly with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so most older calculators online now show plans that no longer exist for new borrowers.
What changed for student loans in 2026
The short version, as of October 2026
- New loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026 can only use the Tiered Standard plan or the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
- RAP sets payments at 1% to 10% of AGI, minus $50 per dependent, with a $10 minimum. Unpaid interest is waived, and forgiveness comes after 30 years.
- Current borrowers can keep Standard, Graduated or Extended plans, and can choose IBR or RAP. IBR no longer requires a partial financial hardship.
- SAVE has ended. PAYE and ICR are being phased out by July 1, 2028, and enrolled borrowers will need to move to IBR or RAP.
- Tax: the temporary federal tax exclusion for income-driven forgiveness expired after 2025. PSLF forgiveness remains tax-free.
Implementation details continue to roll out, so treat any calculator, including this one, as a planning estimate and confirm your options with the Department of Education’s Loan Simulator and your servicer before switching plans.
Every federal repayment plan, explained
Standard (10-year)
Current borrowers
Equal payments for 10 years. Highest monthly payment of the fixed plans, but the least interest. Counts toward PSLF.
Tiered Standard
New borrowers from July 2026
Fixed payments over 10 years under $25,000, 15 years up to $50,000, 20 years up to $100,000, and 25 years above that.
Graduated
Current borrowers
Starts low and rises every two years, finishing within 10 years. Useful if your income should grow quickly, but costs more interest than Standard.
Extended
Current borrowers, over $30,000
Fixed payments for up to 25 years. Much lower payments, but you may pay more in interest than you borrowed.
Income-Based Repayment (IBR)
Current borrowers
10% or 15% of discretionary income, never more than the 10-year Standard payment. Forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)
All borrowers from July 2026
1% to 10% of AGI, minus $50 per dependent. Unpaid interest waived and principal guaranteed to fall each month. Forgiveness after 30 years.
How the RAP payment is calculated
RAP monthly payment = (AGI × bracket %) ÷ 12 − ($50 × dependents)Minimum $10 a month. Bracket: 1% for AGI $10,001 to $20,000, rising one point per $10,000, up to 10% above $100,000. AGI of $10,000 or less pays $10.
Interest relief = any interest your payment does not cover is waived that month
Principal match = if your payment reduces principal by less than $50, the Department adds the difference, up to $50
The percentage applies to your whole AGI, not just the part above each threshold. That creates small jumps: at $55,000 the bracket is 5%, or $229.17 a month for a single borrower with no dependents, while at $50,000 it is 4%, or $166.67. Because unpaid interest is waived, RAP balances do not grow the way they could under older income-driven plans.
How the IBR payment is calculated
Discretionary income = AGI − 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size
IBR monthly payment = discretionary income × 10% (or 15%) ÷ 12Capped at your 10-year Standard payment. 2026 guideline: $15,960 for one person plus $5,680 per extra person in the 48 contiguous states.
For a single borrower earning $55,000, 150% of the poverty guideline is $23,940. Discretionary income is $31,060, so a 10% IBR payment is $258.83 a month. A family of three earning $40,000 has a protected amount of $40,980, which makes the IBR payment $0. Under IBR, interest your payment does not cover keeps accruing, which is why low-income IBR balances can rise over time.
Student loan payments by balance
Monthly payments and total interest at the 2026–27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%. The Tiered Standard term depends on the balance.
| Balance | 10-year Standard | Interest (10 yrs) | Tiered term | Tiered payment | Interest (tiered) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $113.65 | $3,638 | 10 years | $113.65 | $3,638 |
| $20,000 | $227.30 | $7,276 | 10 years | $227.30 | $7,276 |
| $30,000 | $340.95 | $10,914 | 15 years | $261.66 | $17,099 |
| $40,000 | $454.60 | $14,552 | 15 years | $348.88 | $22,799 |
| $60,000 | $681.90 | $21,828 | 20 years | $448.05 | $47,532 |
| $80,000 | $909.20 | $29,104 | 20 years | $597.40 | $63,376 |
| $100,000 | $1,136.50 | $36,380 | 25 years | $676.46 | $102,937 |
Graduate borrowers pay more. An $80,000 graduate balance at the 2026–27 rate of 8.07% costs $973.58 a month over 10 years with $36,830 in interest, or $672.64 a month over a 20-year tiered term with $81,434 in interest. Nothing stops you from paying a tiered loan faster: extra payments go to principal and shorten the term without penalty.
Student loan payments by income: RAP vs. IBR
Estimated first-year monthly payments in the 48 contiguous states. RAP depends on AGI and dependents; IBR (10% version) depends on AGI and family size.
| AGI | RAP bracket | RAP, single | RAP, 2 dependents | IBR, family of 1 | IBR, family of 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | 2% | $41.67 | $10.00 | $8.83 | $0.00 |
| $40,000 | 3% | $100.00 | $10.00 | $133.83 | $0.00 |
| $55,000 | 5% | $229.17 | $129.17 | $258.83 | $116.83 |
| $75,000 | 7% | $437.50 | $337.50 | $425.50 | $283.50 |
| $100,000 | 9% | $750.00 | $650.00 | $633.83 | $491.83 |
At lower incomes IBR is often cheaper per month, and can even be $0. At higher incomes RAP’s flat percentage of total AGI can exceed IBR. IBR is also capped at the 10-year Standard payment, while RAP is not. The calculator applies your expected raises every year, so it shows how these payments change over time, not just in year one.
Which student loan repayment plan should you choose?
You can afford the Standard payment
Standard is usually the cheapest. With $35,000 at 6.52%, it costs $397.77 a month and $47,733 in total, the lowest of any plan in the default example above.
You work in public service
Pick the lowest income-driven payment and aim for PSLF. On the same loan, IBR with PSLF totals about $36,230 over 10 years, with roughly $17,054 forgiven tax-free.
Your income is low compared with your debt
Income-driven plans protect your budget. With $60,000 of debt on $35,000 income, IBR starts at $92.17 and RAP at $87.50 a month, versus $681.90 on Standard. In that example IBR costs less overall even after tax on its forgiveness, while RAP’s interest waiver keeps the balance from growing. Run both before choosing.
You only need breathing room for a few years
Start on an income-driven plan, then pay extra as your income rises. Extra payments on any plan go to principal, with no prepayment penalty on federal loans.
The cheapest plan is the one with the lowest total cost, which the comparison table calculates for you, including tax on forgiveness. The safest plan is the one whose payment you can make every month without missing other bills. When those are different plans, choose safety first and pay extra when you can.
How to pay off student loans faster
Extra payments are the most reliable way to save. On $35,000 at 6.52% under the 10-year Standard plan:
| Extra each month | Paid off in | Interest saved |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | 8.6 years | $2,047 |
| $100 | 7.4 years | $3,517 |
| $200 | 5.9 years | $5,491 |
- Target the highest rate first. Ask your servicer to apply extra payments to your highest-rate loan, often grad or PLUS loans.
- Enroll in autopay. Federal servicers typically take 0.25% off your rate.
- Pay interest during school or grace periods so unsubsidized interest does not build up.
- Think twice before refinancing. A private refinance can lower your rate, but it permanently ends access to IBR, RAP, PSLF, deferment and federal forgiveness.
- Compare with investing. If your rate is low, investing extra money may grow more over time. The Compound Interest Calculator shows what the same monthly amount could grow to.
To see the payment-by-payment effect of extra payments on any loan, the Loan Amortization Calculator builds a full schedule with dates and a downloadable Excel file.
PSLF, forgiveness and the tax bomb
Public Service Loan Forgiveness cancels your remaining Direct Loan balance after 120 qualifying monthly payments while you work full time for a government or nonprofit employer. Payments must be under a qualifying plan, which includes the 10-year Standard plan and income-driven plans such as IBR and RAP. PSLF forgiveness is not taxed. Check eligibility and certify employment through the official PSLF page.
Income-driven forgiveness after 20, 25 or 30 years is a different story. The federal exclusion that made it tax-free ended after 2025, so a forgiven balance is generally treated as taxable income in the year it is forgiven. If $24,000 is forgiven and you are in the 22% bracket, that is roughly $5,280 of federal tax, plus any state tax. The calculator adds this estimate to each plan’s total cost, using the tax rate you enter.
You may also be able to deduct up to $2,500 of student loan interest each year, subject to income limits, according to IRS Topic 456.
How this calculator models each plan
- Standard, Extended and Tiered Standard use standard monthly amortization at your interest rate.
- Graduated is modeled as five two-year steps, each 25% higher than the last, solved so the loan is repaid in exactly 10 years. Servicers set exact steps, so treat it as an estimate.
- IBR uses 150% of the 2026 HHS poverty guideline, grows your income by your expected raise and the guideline by 2.5% a year, caps payments at the 10-year Standard amount, and lets unpaid interest accrue without compounding.
- RAP uses the statutory AGI brackets, the $50 dependent reduction and $10 minimum, waives unpaid interest each month and applies the principal match of up to $50.
- Forgiveness happens after 20 or 25 years for IBR, 30 years for RAP, or 120 payments with PSLF. Non-PSLF forgiveness is taxed at the rate you enter.
Every fixed-plan schedule was checked to end at exactly $0, the payment formulas against Excel’s PMT function, and the RAP and IBR first-year payments against the published formulas by hand. Results assume your income, family size and rate stay as entered except for annual raises, and that you recertify on time each year.
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Student loan repayment FAQs
For fixed plans, use the loan payment formula with your balance, monthly rate and number of months. $35,000 at 6.52% over 10 years is $397.77 a month. For income-driven plans, the payment depends on your AGI and family size, not your balance.
RAP is the new income-driven plan created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and available from July 1, 2026. Payments are 1% to 10% of AGI minus $50 per dependent, with a $10 minimum. Unpaid interest is waived and remaining balances are forgiven after 30 years.
SAVE has ended. Borrowers who were enrolled must move to another plan, such as IBR or RAP. Check studentaid.gov and your servicer for your deadline and options.
10 years on the Standard plan, up to 25 years on Extended or Tiered Standard, and 20 to 30 years on income-driven plans before forgiveness. Extra payments shorten any of these.
At 6.52%, $340.95 a month over 10 years, or $261.66 a month over the 15-year Tiered Standard term. Income-driven payments depend on income instead.
At 6.52%, $1,136.50 a month over 10 years, or $676.46 a month over the 25-year Tiered Standard term, which costs $102,937 in interest.
It depends on income and family size. IBR is often lower at modest incomes and is capped at the Standard payment, with forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. RAP waives unpaid interest and guarantees principal falls, but forgiveness takes 30 years. Enter your numbers above to compare.
Under IBR, yes, if your AGI is below 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size. Under RAP the minimum is $10 a month.
Income-driven forgiveness is generally federally taxable again from 2026 because the temporary exclusion ended after 2025. PSLF forgiveness is not taxable. State rules vary.
Yes. RAP is a qualifying plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, so 120 qualifying payments while working for an eligible employer can lead to tax-free forgiveness.
Paying extra earns a guaranteed return equal to your interest rate. If you are pursuing PSLF or forgiveness, paying extra may reduce what gets forgiven. Compare your rate with expected investment returns and keep an emergency fund first.
Only if you are confident you will not need income-driven repayment, deferment or forgiveness. Refinancing into a private loan can lower your rate but permanently removes federal protections.
No. Parent PLUS loans are excluded from RAP. Repayment options for Parent PLUS borrowers are more limited, so check studentaid.gov for the plans available to you.
It follows the published plan formulas and is checked by hand, but it is an estimate. Servicer rounding, recertification timing, consolidation and future rule changes can change your actual payments. Confirm with the federal Loan Simulator before switching plans.
Manzoor Ahmad
Founder of DexoCalc, 13+ years of web development and SEO experience
Manzoor builds and tests every DexoCalc calculator himself. For this tool he worked from the Department of Education’s published plan rules, the 2026–27 federal interest rates and the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines, and checked each plan’s payments by hand before publishing. Read more about Manzoor.
Sources and references
- Federal Student Aid, Repayment plans and Loan Simulator.
- Federal Student Aid, Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
- FSA Partner Connect, Interest rates for Direct Loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASPE, Poverty guidelines.
- U.S. Congress, H.R.1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic 456, Student loan interest deduction.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Student loans.
This student loan repayment calculator provides estimates for education and planning, based on federal rules as understood in October 2026. It covers federal Direct Loans, assumes annual recertification and the income growth you enter, and does not model consolidation, PAYE, ICR, deferment or private loans. Your servicer and studentaid.gov are the final word. It is not financial, tax or legal advice.