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Which student loan repayment plan should I choose?

The lowest payment and the lowest cost are almost never the same plan. Compare the plans you are actually eligible for — which now depends on when your loans were disbursed — including what gets forgiven and what that costs in interest.

When were your loans disbursed?

DECIDES YOUR OPTIONS

You keep the older plan set — standard, graduated, extended and IBR — and may switch to RAP. The income-contingent plans are being wound up by 1 July 2028. SAVE no longer exists.

Your loans

BALANCE
$
%

If you have several loans, use the balance-weighted average.

$

Applied on top of the standard payment.

Your income

FOR RAP AND IBR
$

Both plans read your income off your tax return, so how you file decides whose income counts.

%

Left unbounded — a pay cut is a real thing to model.

RAP only. Takes $50/mo off the payment each. Counts dependents on your return — not you.

IBR only. Sets the poverty line your discretionary income is measured from — it includes you.

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Enter your loan balance and interest rate to compare plans.

Save or send these numbersEmail

All four happen in your browser. Your figures are not sent anywhere — the email opens in your own mail app, already filled in.

What RAP changed, and which plans you can still pickA written guide to the rules behind this calculator →
For educational purposes only. Federal repayment plans, their formulas, and forgiveness timelines change with legislation and regulation — verify current terms at studentaid.gov. Income-driven plans require annual recertification. Private loans do not qualify for federal plans or forgiveness. This is not advice about your specific loans.