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RAP vs. IBR vs. Standard Repayment Calculator (2026)

Compare the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and the Standard 10-year plan side by side — monthly payment, years to forgiveness, and total cost, for your actual balance and income.

SAVE plan forbearance is ending in 2026 — servicers are sending borrowers a 90-day notice to pick a new plan, or be defaulted onto the Standard plan. RAP (new, started July 1, 2026) and IBR are the two income-driven options still open to borrowers with loans from before July 1, 2026. This compares all three for your own numbers.

$35,000
$45,000

Assumes your AGI and dependents stay the same for the life of the loan — in reality your IDR payment is recalculated every year when you recertify your income, so a real payment path will differ from this straight-line estimate as your income changes.

RAPLowest payment

New income-driven plan, % of AGI

Monthly payment$150
Forgiven after30 yrs
Total you pay$54,000
Balance forgiven$16,883

IBRLowest total cost

Existing income-driven plan, % of discretionary income

Monthly payment$179
Forgiven after20 yrs
Total you pay$43,050
Balance forgiven$40,006

Standard (10-yr)

Fixed payment, no income-driven

Monthly payment$397
Paid off in10 yrs
Total you pay$47,690

For you, right now

RAP's lowest monthly payment is $150, and it never lets your balance grow — unpaid interest is waived each month you pay in full and on time. IBR's payment here is $179, but without that subsidy your balance can grow faster than RAP's if the payment doesn't cover monthly interest. The Standard plan costs $397/mo but is the only one of the three that guarantees you're debt-free — and owe no tax — in 10 years, since it's never forgiven and never taxed.

Forgiveness is taxable again in 2026. The pandemic-era federal tax exclusion for forgiven student debt covered discharges only through 2025. A RAP or IBR balance forgiven in 2026 or later is generally added to your taxable income for that year (Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and death/disability discharges stay tax-free). Some states tax forgiveness differently — check your state's rules separately.

Estimate only, for a single borrower's own income and federal Direct Loans — doesn't combine a spouse's income or loans, model Parent PLUS loans, or use Alaska/Hawaii's higher poverty guidelines (which would lower an IBR payment slightly). RAP's interest-subsidy and principal-match rules are modeled from federal loan servicers' plain-language descriptions of the plan, which launched July 1, 2026 — not a published government calculation spec. Not financial, tax, or legal advice; for your actual numbers, use the official comparison tool at studentaid.gov/loan-simulator or talk to your loan servicer before choosing a plan.

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