Federal Student Loan Repayment Calculator: RAP vs IBR vs PAYE
This income-based repayment calculator compares RAP, IBR, and PAYE so you can see which income-driven repayment plan costs less over the life of the loan — including SAVE borrowers deciding what to switch to.
Prosperics' Federal Student Loan Calculator is a free tool that compares every 2026 federal repayment plan — RAP, IBR, PAYE, ICR and Tiered Standard — side by side from your AGI, filing status, balance and rate. It is one of the few calculators that models RAP's bracket cliffs, married-filing-separately, PSLF buyback and the tax bill on forgiven balances, so you see total cost, not just the monthly payment.
RAP brackets create payment cliffs where earning $1 more can jump your monthly payment significantly. Use the cliff analysis to find safe income ranges and plan AGI-reducing strategies like 401(k) or HSA contributions.
Understanding RAP Brackets Under the OBBBA · Payment Cliff Effects and How to Manage Them · Income-Based Repayment (IBR): The Universal Safety Net · PAYE: The Safe Bridge Plan (Closed July 2026; Sunsets July 2028) · The Capitalization Trap: How Switching Plans Can Cost Thousands · PSLF Buyback: Recovering Lost Qualifying Months · The IDR Tax Bomb: Planning for Taxable Forgiveness
Read the full guide →Loan Forgiveness Under OBBBA: Timeline and Eligibility · New Borrowing Caps and What They Mean for Students · Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR): The Parent PLUS Option
Read the full guide →RAP vs IBR: How to Choose Between the Two Plans · RAP Payment Examples at Different Income Levels · Switching Repayment Plans: Costs, Traps, and Timing
Read the full guide →Facts last reviewed:
RAP is the federal income-driven repayment plan established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It calculates the required payment using 1%–10% brackets applied to total adjusted gross income, with a $10 monthly floor and a $50 monthly deduction for each dependent. Borrowers who receive a new Direct Loan on or after July 1, 2026 are generally limited to RAP or Tiered Standard for eligible non-Parent-PLUS loans.
RAP applies one rate to total AGI within each bracket, so crossing a bracket boundary can cause a noticeable payment jump even when AGI rises by only $1. The calculator shows the next threshold and estimated jump. Consider the full tax and retirement impact before changing pre-tax contributions solely to manage a loan payment.
RAP has a maximum repayment period of 30 years, or 360 qualifying monthly payments. Borrowers who meet every Public Service Loan Forgiveness requirement may instead receive federal tax-free forgiveness after 120 qualifying payments. Confirm qualifying-payment counts and recertification requirements with your servicer.
Yes. Joint filers generally use combined AGI, with an allocation when both spouses have federal student loans; separate filers generally use the borrower's individual AGI. The RAP percentage brackets themselves do not change by filing status. Filing separately may lower a loan payment but increase the household's tax cost, so compare both effects.
The OBBBA introduces annual and lifetime borrowing caps that vary by loan type and academic level. These caps limit new federal student loan originations. Existing balances above the new caps are grandfathered and not retroactively reduced, but future borrowing is subject to the new limits.
No. Parent PLUS loans and Direct Consolidation Loans that repaid Parent PLUS debt are excluded from RAP. Some borrowers may have limited access to legacy income-driven options depending on their consolidation and enrollment history, but new Parent PLUS borrowing after July 1, 2026 is generally limited to the Tiered Standard Plan. Verify the exact loan history with the servicer.
Start with five fields: Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), filing status, total federal loan balance, weighted interest rate, and loan type. That is enough for a meaningful Plan Comparison. Add currently enrolled plan and first loan/disbursement dates if you need PAYE or ICR eligibility checked, and add PSLF fields if you work in public service.
Common reasons: Parent PLUS (and consolidations that repaid Parent PLUS) are not eligible for RAP; PAYE and ICR closed to new enrollment on July 1, 2026, so they appear only if you are already enrolled; missing first loan or disbursement dates can block PAYE eligibility checks. The card shows the specific reason for your inputs.
Payoff timeline means the loan is fully repaid before any forgiveness horizon, so forgiven amount is $0. Time to forgiveness means a balance is projected to remain at the plan’s horizon and be forgiven then — 30 years (360 payments) for RAP, or 20–25 years for IBR/PAYE/ICR. The label switches automatically based on the projection.
Dependent children reduce your RAP payment by $50 per dependent (never below the $10 floor). Household size is used only for IDR plans (IBR, PAYE, ICR) to compute discretionary income against the Federal Poverty Level. Household size does not change your RAP payment — do not treat the two fields as the same.
PAYE generally uses 10% of discretionary income and a 20-year forgiveness clock, but it closed to new enrollment on July 1, 2026 — it only appears if you are already on it. RAP is the new default income-based repayment plan for most new Direct Loans: bracketed 1%–10% of AGI, a $10 floor, and a 30-year horizon. This calculator compares RAP vs PAYE (and IBR) on the same AGI so you can see monthly payment, total paid, and forgiveness before you switch off SAVE.
Facts last reviewed:
Disclaimer: This calculator is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or student loan servicing advice. All calculations are based on simplified models of complex federal regulations, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), and federal tax law, and may not account for all variables that affect your actual repayment obligations. Results are estimates only — actual loan payments, forgiveness amounts, tax liabilities, eligibility determinations, and timelines may differ materially based on your individual circumstances, servicer calculations, and changes to federal or state law. Calculator results do not guarantee eligibility for any repayment plan, forgiveness program, or tax treatment. PSLF qualifying payment counts, buyback costs, and forgiveness projections are estimates and must be verified with your loan servicer and the U.S. Department of Education. Tax bomb projections use current federal tax brackets which are subject to change. The accuracy of results depends on the accuracy of user-provided inputs; we are not responsible for errors resulting from incorrect, incomplete, or outdated information entered by the user. This tool is provided "as is" without any warranties, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Prosperics, DIGITI LLC, or its affiliates be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the use of or reliance on this calculator. No professional-client relationship is created by your use of this tool. Always consult a qualified student loan advisor, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or licensed attorney before making decisions about loan repayment, plan selection, filing status, or debt management.
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