Federal Loan Repayment Plan Comparison

Enter your loan balance and income to compare Standard, Graduated, RAP, SAVE, PAYE, IBR, and ICR plans — monthly payments, total cost, and forgiveness timelines.

⚠️ Major Repayment Plan Changes Are Already in Effect (as of July 1, 2026)

Eligibility depends on exactly when your loans were disbursed. Check your specific options and enroll at studentaid.gov.

IDR plan rules change by regulation. Current estimates based on 2026 rules — verify at studentaid.gov. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education.

Your Loan & Income Info

All inputs are used only in your browser.

⚠️ Plan eligibility depends on when your loans were first disbursed (before vs. on/after July 1, 2026). This tool shows the traditional IDR plans plus RAP for comparison — verify your exact eligibility at studentaid.gov.

Loan Details
Total outstanding federal direct loan balance
2026 undergrad federal rate: 6.53% | Grad: 8.08%
Income & Family
Your annual income as reported on federal taxes
Estimated yearly income increase for IDR projections
IDR History
All Repayment Plans
Rules reviewed: August 2026

Methodology & Sources

How each plan's payment is estimated, and what this tool does not yet calculate

Discretionary income basis

PAYE, IBR, and ICR use discretionary income above 150% of the federal poverty line for your family size. SAVE uses 225% of the poverty line. RAP uses a different income-band structure and is not yet calculated here (see below). Poverty line figures used are the 2026 federal guidelines for the 48 contiguous states + DC.

Income growth projection

Multi-year IDR simulations apply your specified annual income growth rate every 12 months to project future payments. This is a simplifying assumption — real income rarely grows on a smooth annual schedule, and job changes, raises, or income loss will change your actual trajectory.

What RAP does not include yet

The new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) is shown with its eligibility and structural rules, but this tool does not calculate an exact RAP monthly payment — a fully verified public RAP payment formula was not available at the time this page was last reviewed. Use studentaid.gov's official Loan Simulator for an exact RAP figure.

Forgiveness & taxation

Forgiveness years shown reflect published program rules (20-25 years depending on plan and borrower cohort). Whether a forgiven IDR balance is federally taxable depends on the law in effect at the time of forgiveness — this changes based on legislative action, so we don't assume a specific tax outcome for years far in the future.

Sources: Repayment plan structure, eligibility, and the July 1, 2026 changes (SAVE wind-down, PAYE/ICR closure to new loans, RAP introduction) per Federal Student Aid's income-driven repayment plan guidance and official studentaid.gov policy announcements. Federal poverty guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. This page and its underlying assumptions were last reviewed for accuracy in August 2026 — IDR rules are set by regulation and can change; always confirm your exact plan eligibility and payment at studentaid.gov before enrolling or switching plans. This tool is not financial, legal, or tax advice.