Rules checked against federal law and regulations on Oct 17, 2026

RAP vs IBR vs Standard: what each plan costs you

Enter your numbers. We run the Repayment Assistance Plan, Income-Based Repayment and the standard plan side by side, month by month, using the formulas in the law.

Income and household Adjusted gross income (AGI) Line 11 of your Form 1040. Married and filing jointly? Use your combined AGI. Tax filing status Dependents you claim on your tax return RAP takes $50 a month off for each one. Your spouse is not a dependent. Your spouse's federal student loan balance If both of you have loans, RAP and IBR split the payment by each person's share of the debt. Where you live

Your loans Federal student loan balance Interest rate Several loans? Use the average rate weighted by balance. New 2026–27 undergraduate loans are 6.52%.

When were your loans paid out? First borrowed July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2026, nothing since I already owed a federal student loan on July 1, 2014 At least one loan was paid out on or after July 1, 2026 The date each loan was first disbursed decides which plans you can pick. Check your StudentAid.gov dashboard.

I'm working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Assumptions you can change

Income growth per year Poverty guideline growth per year (IBR) RAP's income bands are fixed dollar amounts in the law and do not grow.

Covers student Direct Loans. Parent PLUS loans can't use RAP; see the parent PLUS guide.

What you still owe, year by year

Year-by-year monthly payments

Estimates, not a bill. Your servicer calculates the real payment from your tax data. How the numbers are made: methodology. Every rule and its source: the rules.

How the three plans work

Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)

RAP takes a percentage of your whole adjusted gross income: 1% if it is over $10,000, rising one point for every $10,000, up to 10% above $100,000. Divide by 12, then subtract $50 for each dependent. The payment is never less than $10. If you pay on time and your payment doesn't cover the month's interest, the unpaid interest is waived, and the government adds enough to cut your principal by up to $50. Whatever is left after 360 qualifying payments (30 years) is forgiven. The formula, step by step · The complete RAP guide.

Income-Based Repayment (IBR)

IBR charges 10% of your income above 150% of the federal poverty line (15% if you already owed a federal student loan on July 1, 2014), never more than the 10-year standard payment. Forgiveness comes after 20 years (25 for older borrowers). If any of your loans was paid out on or after July 1, 2026, IBR is closed to you. RAP and IBR compared.

Standard and Tiered Standard

A fixed monthly payment that pays the loan off. Loans from before July 1, 2026 use the 10-year Standard plan. If you have a newer loan, it is the Tiered Standard plan: 10, 15, 20 or 25 years depending on your balance. Tiered Standard explained.

Rules last verified Oct 17, 2026. Sources: Public Law 119-21 §82001; 34 CFR 685.208, 685.209, 685.219; StudentAid.gov.