US Student Loan Repayment Calculator (Standard, IBR, RAP)
Standard, IBR and RAP payments side by side, with forgiveness and the cheapest plan.
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- Free preview: your payment under each plan in full, with the first rows of each table (up to 3) and a watermarked chart; every other figure is hidden.
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The plans side by side
What you owe over time
Year by year
How the first payments were calculated
Rules used and official sources
- Public Law 119-21, §82001 — loan repayment (RAP, the tiered standard plan, IBR changes)
- 20 U.S.C. 1087e(q) — the Repayment Assistance Plan
- 20 U.S.C. 1098e — income-based repayment
- 34 CFR 685.208 — the standard and tiered standard plans
- 34 CFR 685.209 — income-driven plans (IBR and RAP)
- HHS ASPE — poverty guidelines
- 26 U.S.C. 108(f)(5) — student loans discharged on account of death or disability
- Federal Student Aid — Loan Simulator
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Results are estimates for general information and planning, not financial advice. Banks and institutions may calculate differently (rounding, fees, rate changes). Confirm figures with your lender or a qualified adviser before deciding.
How this tool is checked
- Based on
- the rules of the United States, as set out under ‘How the RAP payment is worked out’.
- Sources
-
This guide cites 5 sources, among them:
- Tests
- 14 automated tests check its results.
- Found an error?
- Report a problem or write to support@mysmartcopilot.com, with what you entered and the result you expected.
About the US Student Loan Repayment Calculator (Standard, IBR, RAP)
US federal student loans can be repaid with fixed payments over a set number of years or with payments based on your income. This calculator puts the plans you can use side by side: the standard plan (10 years, or the tiered standard plan of 10 to 25 years if you have a loan made on or after 1 July 2026), Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
Enter your loans, your adjusted gross income and your family, and it works out each plan month by month from today — the payment, how it changes as your income rises, the interest RAP does not charge and the principal it matches, the total you pay, what is forgiven and when, and the plan that costs least over the life of the loans. Without a Pro pass the result is a free preview: the first payment under each plan in full, the first rows of the tables and the first step of the working; the other figures, the CSV, copying and printing unlock with the pass. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
How to use it
- Enter each federal loan’s balance and interest rate, and tick the ones that are Direct Subsidized loans. Leave Parent PLUS loans out.
- Say when you borrowed: it decides whether IBR is open to you and at what share of income.
- Enter your adjusted gross income (and your spouse’s if you file jointly), your family size, the dependents on your tax return and where you live.
- Adjust the assumed yearly rise of your income and of the poverty guideline, and a tax rate for any amount forgiven if you want it counted.
- Compare the plans in the table and the chart. The free preview shows each plan’s first payment; the full comparison, the schedules, the CSV, copy and print come with a pass or by unlocking this result.
Examples
$20,000 at 5.5% (subsidized) + $20,000 at 6.5% · single · family of 1
Standard $444.15 · IBR $258.83 · RAP $229.17 a month at first
RAP: 5% of $55,000 = $2,750 a year ÷ 12. IBR: 10% × ($55,000 − 1.5 × $15,960) ÷ 12. Standard: each loan repaid over 120 months.
Family of 3 · the same loans
IBR $0 a month, forgiven after 20 years · RAP $10 a month (the minimum)
RAP: 2% of $30,000 = $600 a year, $50 a month, less $50 for each dependent, so the $10 minimum applies.
Tiered standard plan over 15 years: $337.64 a month; IBR is not available
Common uses
- Choose between RAP, IBR and the standard plan before you apply or recertify.
- See how a raise, a marriage or a new child would change your payment under each plan.
- Check whether you are likely to repay in full or have a balance forgiven, and when.
- Estimate what a forgiven balance could add to your tax bill.
Which plans you can use
The law that created RAP (Public Law 119-21, §82001) splits borrowers in two:
- Every loan made before 1 July 2026: the 10-year standard plan, IBR and RAP. Borrowers still in an income-contingent plan (ICR, PAYE or SAVE) choose RAP, IBR or another remaining plan before 1 July 2028; those who do not choose are placed in RAP, or in IBR for loans RAP does not cover.
- Any loan made on or after 1 July 2026: only the tiered standard plan or RAP, for all of your loans.
Parent PLUS loans, and consolidation loans that repaid them, cannot be repaid under RAP and are not covered here.
How the RAP payment is worked out
RAP (20 U.S.C. 1087e(q), 34 CFR 685.209) starts from a yearly base payment: $120 if your adjusted gross income is $10,000 or less, otherwise 1% of your whole AGI when it is above $10,000 and up to $20,000, 2% above $20,000 and up to $30,000, and so on up to 10% above $100,000. The monthly payment is the base ÷ 12 minus $50 for each dependent, and never less than $10. Married couples filing jointly count both incomes; filing separately counts only yours.
Each payment pays interest first. Interest your on-time payment does not cover is not charged, and when a payment reduces the principal by less than $50 the Department reduces it further, to the lesser of $50 and what you paid. Whatever remains after 360 qualifying payments is cancelled.
How IBR is worked out
IBR (20 U.S.C. 1098e, 34 CFR 685.209) asks 15% — 10% for a new borrower, one who owed no federal loan on 1 July 2014 or when borrowing after it — of the amount by which your AGI exceeds 150% of the HHS poverty guideline for your family size (HHS poverty guidelines), divided by 12. It is never more than what the 10-year standard plan would cost on the loans when you start IBR. A result below $5 is $0 and one from $5 to $10 is $10. On subsidized loans, interest the payment does not cover is not charged for the first three years; unpaid interest is added to the principal when your payment reaches the 10-year amount. What remains is forgiven after 25 years (20 for a new borrower), and months with a $0 payment count.
The standard plans
The standard plan repays each loan with fixed monthly payments over 10 years, at least $50 a month. A borrower with a loan made on or after 1 July 2026 gets the tiered standard plan instead: 10 years for less than $25,000 owed, 15 years for less than $50,000, 20 years for less than $100,000 and 25 years above that (34 CFR 685.208).
Forgiveness and tax
Federal law no longer excludes forgiveness under an income-driven plan from income: the student loan exclusion of 26 U.S.C. 108(f)(5) now covers discharges on account of death or total and permanent disability, and 108(f)(1) covers forgiveness for working a set time in certain professions. So an amount forgiven under IBR or RAP may count as taxable income in the year it is forgiven. Enter a tax rate to add an estimate of that tax to each plan’s cost, and ask a tax professional about your own case. Federal Student Aid’s Loan Simulator and your servicer give your official figures.
Limitations
- Parent PLUS loans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, deferment, forbearance and the plans being phased out (ICR, PAYE, SAVE) are not modelled.
- Every loan is taken as repaid under the same plan, with every payment on time; income and the poverty guideline rise at the yearly rates you enter, and family size stays the same.
- Interest is worked monthly (balance × rate ÷ 12); servicers charge it daily, so their figures differ a little.
- If your spouse also has federal student loans, a servicer may divide an income-based payment between you; this calculator does not.
- The tax on forgiveness is a flat-rate estimate, not a tax calculation.
Privacy
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Frequently asked questions
What do I get without a pass?
Without a pass, US Student Loan Repayment Calculator (Standard, IBR, RAP) shows your payment under each plan in full, with the first rows of each table (up to 3) and a watermarked chart; every other figure is hidden. Until you unlock it, the result can’t be downloaded, copied or printed. A Pro, Premium or Ultimate pass, a one-time payment that never renews, unlocks the full result. The pricing page lists the passes and their prices.
How is the RAP payment calculated?
Take 1% to 10% of your whole adjusted gross income by its band (or $120 a year at $10,000 or less), divide by 12 and subtract $50 for each dependent; the payment is at least $10. With an AGI of $55,000 and no dependents: 5% × $55,000 ÷ 12 = $229.17 a month.
What is the minimum RAP payment?
$10 a month. With an AGI of $35,000 and two dependents the formula gives $87.50 − $100, below zero, so the payment is $10.
How is the IBR payment calculated?
15% (10% for a new borrower) of your AGI above 150% of the poverty guideline for your family, divided by 12, capped at the 10-year standard payment. For $55,000 and a family of one in the 48 contiguous states: 10% × ($55,000 − $23,940) ÷ 12 = $258.83.
When are loans forgiven under RAP and IBR?
RAP cancels what remains after 360 qualifying monthly payments (30 years). IBR forgives it after 25 years, or 20 years for a new borrower.
Can I still choose IBR?
Yes, if every loan you have was made before 1 July 2026. A borrower with a loan made on or after that date can repay only under the tiered standard plan or RAP.
Is student loan forgiveness taxable?
A balance forgiven under IBR or RAP may be taxable income: the federal exclusion now covers discharges on account of death or disability, and forgiveness for working in certain professions, but not income-driven forgiveness. Enter a tax rate to see the effect, and check your case with a tax professional.
Is my information sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is uploaded or stored on a server.