Student loan repayment comparer: Standard, Tiered Standard, RAP and IBR

Enter a balance, a rate and your income to see the monthly payment, total paid, time to finish and forgiven balance under the Standard 10-year plan, the Tiered Standard plan, the Repayment Assistance Plan and Income-Based Repayment.

Compare student loan repayment plans

Enter one balance and your income. The lab shows what four federal plans would charge each month and in total. The values shown are samples.

Your loans

Balance*

Interest rate*

One rate for the whole balance. Federal loans each carry their own.

First payment month

I first borrowed before July 1, 2014

Sets IBR at 15% and 25 years instead of 10% and 20 years.

Your household

Adjusted gross income (a year)*

Line 11 of your federal return. Held flat for the whole loan.

Family size

You, a spouse, and anyone else you support. Sets the poverty line for IBR.

Dependents you claim

RAP takes $50 a month off for each one.

$250

a month is the lowest first payment of the four plans, on Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). It pays $54,701 over 18 years 3 months, in this sample.

This week: log in to studentaid.gov and read which of these plans your loans can use.

The four plans

Monthly payment, total paid, time to finish and forgiven balance for each repayment plan
Plan	First payment	Total paid	Time	Forgiven
Standard 10-yearLoans made before July 1, 2026. A fixed payment for 10 years.	$363	$43,602	10 years	None
Tiered StandardLoans made on or after July 1, 2026. The term is 10, 15, 20 or 25 years, set by the balance.	$279	$50,176	15 years	None
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)Direct loans from July 1, 2026, except Parent PLUS. Payment is a share of income; the balance is forgiven after 360 payments.	$250	$54,701	18 years 3 months	None
Income-Based Repayment (IBR)Loans made before July 1, 2026. Payment is a share of income above 150% of the poverty line; forgiven after 20 or 25 years.	$301	$47,837	13 years 4 months	None

RAP in this sample did not charge $0 of interest and matched $0 of principal.

Educational estimate. RAP rates, the $50 dependent reduction, the $10 minimum, the interest subsidy, the $50 principal match and the Tiered Standard terms come from section 82001 of Public Law 119-21. IBR uses the 2026 HHS poverty line for the 48 contiguous states ($15,960 plus $5,680 for each added person); Alaska and Hawaii differ. Income, family size and the rate are held flat, interest on IBR is not capitalized, all payments are on time, and the tax on a forgiven balance is not modeled. Your servicer sets your actual payment. Public Law 119-21 · Education Department fact sheet · HHS poverty guidelines

How this calculator works

The Standard 10-year plan is a fixed payment that clears the balance in 120 months. The Tiered Standard plan, for loans made on or after July 1, 2026, is also fixed, but its length depends on the balance when repayment starts: 10 years under $25,000, 15 years from $25,000 to under $50,000, 20 years from $50,000 to under $100,000 and 25 years at $100,000 or more.
The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) charges a share of adjusted gross income. The share is 1% from $10,000 up to $20,000, rising a point for each $10,000 band to 10% above $100,000. The whole income is multiplied by that share, divided by 12, and reduced by $50 a month for each dependent, with a $10 minimum. Income of $10,000 or less pays $10 a month.
RAP has two balance protections. If the payment does not cover the month's interest, the unpaid interest is not charged. If the payment reduces principal by less than $50, the government cuts principal by the difference, up to $50. After 360 qualifying payments, any remaining balance is cancelled.
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is for loans made before July 1, 2026. The payment is 10% (15% for people who borrowed before July 2014) of the income above 150% of the poverty line for your family size, divided by 12, and never more than the 10-year Standard payment. The balance is forgiven after 20 years (25 for the 15% group).

$32,000 at 6.5% with $60,000 of income

The Standard 10-year plan is about $363 a month and $43,602 in total. The Tiered Standard plan puts $32,000 in the 15-year tier: about $279 a month and $50,176 in total. RAP at $60,000 of income sits in the 5% band: $60,000 times 5%, divided by 12, is $250 a month. Because some months' payments fall short of the interest, RAP waives part of it and matches principal, and the loan ends after 219 payments (18 years and 3 months) with $54,701 paid. IBR at 10% of the $36,060 above 150% of the 2026 poverty line for one person ($23,940) is about $301 a month, finishing in 160 months with $47,837 paid. The lowest monthly payment is RAP's, and the lowest total is the 10-year Standard plan's, so the two measures point to different plans.

What this assumes

Income, family size and the interest rate stay flat for the whole loan. Real income changes, and each year's payment is reset from the latest tax return.
Every payment is on time and no loan goes through deferment, forbearance or consolidation. Interest on IBR accrues without being added to principal.
One rate applies to the whole balance. Federal loans carry separate rates, and the plans apply to all eligible loans together.
The poverty line is the 2026 HHS figure for the 48 contiguous states, $15,960 plus $5,680 for each added person. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures.
The tax on a forgiven balance is not modeled.
Which plans your loans can use depends on when each loan was made and what type it is. Parent PLUS loans cannot use RAP, and your servicer sets the actual payment.

Finance Quest is educational. It is not financial advice, and no calculator here knows your full situation.

The mistake: picking the plan with the lowest payment without checking the total

A lower monthly payment usually means a longer loan, and a longer loan means more interest unless the plan waives or forgives some of it. In the example above, RAP has the lowest payment and the highest total paid, while the 10-year Standard plan has the highest payment and the lowest total. Which one costs less depends on income, balance and rate, which is why the lab shows the payment, the total paid and the forgiven amount in one table.

Common questions

Who can use the Tiered Standard plan?

The Tiered Standard plan applies to loans made on or after July 1, 2026. People with older loans keep the Standard plan's 10-year schedule and the existing income-driven plans. A borrower with a new loan can pick the Tiered Standard plan or RAP.

How is the RAP payment calculated?

Find your adjusted gross income band, multiply the whole income by the band's percent (1% to 10%), divide by 12, then subtract $50 for each dependent you claim. The payment is never below $10. Income of $10,000 or less is $120 a year, or $10 a month.

What does the RAP interest subsidy do?

If the monthly payment is smaller than the interest that accrued that month, the unpaid interest is not charged to the borrower, so the balance does not grow from interest the payment could not cover.

Is forgiven student loan debt taxed?

The lab does not model it. The tax treatment of forgiven balances depends on the type of forgiveness and the year, so check IRS guidance for the year the balance would be cancelled.

Related labs

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Plan

First payment

Total paid

Time

Forgiven

Standard 10-yearLoans made before July 1, 2026. A fixed payment for 10 years.

$363

$43,602

10 years

None

Tiered StandardLoans made on or after July 1, 2026. The term is 10, 15, 20 or 25 years, set by the balance.

$279

$50,176

15 years

None

Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)Direct loans from July 1, 2026, except Parent PLUS. Payment is a share of income; the balance is forgiven after 360 payments.

$250

$54,701

18 years 3 months

None

Income-Based Repayment (IBR)Loans made before July 1, 2026. Payment is a share of income above 150% of the poverty line; forgiven after 20 or 25 years.

$301

$47,837

13 years 4 months

None

How this calculator works

The Standard 10-year plan is a fixed payment that clears the balance in 120 months. The Tiered Standard plan, for loans made on or after July 1, 2026, is also fixed, but its length depends on the balance when repayment starts: 10 years under $25,000, 15 years from $25,000 to under $50,000, 20 years from $50,000 to under $100,000 and 25 years at $100,000 or more.
The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) charges a share of adjusted gross income. The share is 1% from $10,000 up to $20,000, rising a point for each $10,000 band to 10% above $100,000. The whole income is multiplied by that share, divided by 12, and reduced by $50 a month for each dependent, with a $10 minimum. Income of $10,000 or less pays $10 a month.
RAP has two balance protections. If the payment does not cover the month's interest, the unpaid interest is not charged. If the payment reduces principal by less than $50, the government cuts principal by the difference, up to $50. After 360 qualifying payments, any remaining balance is cancelled.
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is for loans made before July 1, 2026. The payment is 10% (15% for people who borrowed before July 2014) of the income above 150% of the poverty line for your family size, divided by 12, and never more than the 10-year Standard payment. The balance is forgiven after 20 years (25 for the 15% group).

$32,000 at 6.5% with $60,000 of income

What this assumes

Income, family size and the interest rate stay flat for the whole loan. Real income changes, and each year's payment is reset from the latest tax return.
Every payment is on time and no loan goes through deferment, forbearance or consolidation. Interest on IBR accrues without being added to principal.
One rate applies to the whole balance. Federal loans carry separate rates, and the plans apply to all eligible loans together.
The poverty line is the 2026 HHS figure for the 48 contiguous states, $15,960 plus $5,680 for each added person. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures.
The tax on a forgiven balance is not modeled.
Which plans your loans can use depends on when each loan was made and what type it is. Parent PLUS loans cannot use RAP, and your servicer sets the actual payment.

Finance Quest is educational. It is not financial advice, and no calculator here knows your full situation.

The mistake: picking the plan with the lowest payment without checking the total

Common questions

Who can use the Tiered Standard plan?

How is the RAP payment calculated?

What does the RAP interest subsidy do?

Is forgiven student loan debt taxed?

The lab does not model it. The tax treatment of forgiven balances depends on the type of forgiveness and the year, so check IRS guidance for the year the balance would be cancelled.