Student loan payment calculator
There are three steps: your income, then your filing status and dependents, then your balance and rate. Your monthly bill shows up for four plans: Tiered Standard Plan, Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and 10-year Standard Plan.
- The lowest RAP payment is $10 a month
- Each dependent takes $50 a month off your RAP payment
- July 1, 2026That's when RAP opened
- PAYE and ICR, two older plans based on income, close on July 1, 2028
Working out your estimated repayment from income
Your adjusted gross income (AGI), the total income on your tax return, matters most for the RAP and IBR amounts. If you're married and file one tax return together, RAP uses both your incomes. If your spouse has federal loans too, your payment is lower. If you file separately, RAP counts just your income and the dependents listed on your return.
Show how it's worked out
| Your AGI | Yearly RAP starting amount |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $120 a year |
| Over $10,000, up to $20,000 | 1% of your AGI |
| Over $20,000, up to $30,000 | 2% of your AGI |
| Over $30,000, up to $40,000 | 3% of your AGI |
| Over $40,000, up to $50,000 | 4% of your AGI |
| Over $50,000, up to $60,000 | 5% of your AGI |
| Over $60,000, up to $70,000 | 6% of your AGI |
| Over $70,000, up to $80,000 | 7% of your AGI |
| Over $80,000, up to $90,000 | 8% of your AGI |
| Over $90,000, up to $100,000 | 9% of your AGI |
| Over $100,000 | 10% of your AGI |
- Unpaid interest: if you pay the full amount on time and it doesn't cover that month's interest, RAP pays what's left. So what you owe doesn't grow.
- Principal match: what you borrowed is called the principal. If an on-time RAP payment cuts it by under $50, the Department of Education pays the difference so it still drops by $50.
How the numbers are worked out
Show how it's worked out
Both RAP and IBR base what you pay on your income. Payments under the Standard and Tiered Standard plans stay fixed. Over the term, they pay off both your balance and interest. The RAP table lists RAP amounts for every income band.
IBR divides borrowers into two groups. A new borrower is someone who owed nothing on Direct Loans or FFEL loans on July 1, 2014. Owing nothing on them when you borrowed again after that date also makes you one. New borrowers pay 10% of their income above 150% of the poverty line. For earlier borrowers, the rate is 15%. In the 48 states and DC, that level is $23,940 a year for a single person.
| Plan | How the payment is set | Smallest payment | Highest payment | Ends after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | 1% to 10% of all your AGI, minus $50 for each dependent | $10 | No upper limit | Rest forgiven after 360 payments |
| IBR (Income-Based Repayment) | 10% for new borrowers or 15% for earlier ones, of your income above 150% of the poverty line | $0 | Your 10-year Standard payment | Anything left is forgiven once 20 years (new) or 25 years (earlier) have passed |
| Standard | Fixed, pays off your loan in 10 years | $50 | Fixed payment | Paid off in 10 years |
| Tiered Standard | Fixed, term set by your balance | Fixed payment | Paid off in 10 to 25 years |
How much you owe sets how long Tiered Standard lasts.
| Balance when you start | How long Tiered Standard lasts |
|---|---|
| Under $25,000 | 10 years |
| $25,000 to under $50,000 | 15 years |
| $50,000 to under $100,000 | 20 years |
| $100,000 or more | 25 years |
Sources: Federal Student Aid, plan definitions, plus Federal Student Aid, Standard Plan.
What steps should you take next?
Use the income-driven repayment form to apply for RAP or IBR on studentaid.gov. It doesn't cost anything.
Your loan servicer, the company that bills you, handles it and then sends you the new monthly bill.
Each year, send your servicer your latest income so your payment keeps pace with what you earn. This yearly step is called recertifying.
Common questions
What does a $100k student loan cost each month?
On the 10-year Standard Plan, you'd pay about $1,110 each month with 6% interest, or $1,213 with 8%. RAP and IBR are based on your income, so they could cost you a lot less.
What would a $70,000 student loan cost each month?
Over 10 years at 6%, you'd pay about $777 a month. The Tiered Standard Plan would give you 20 years, so each bill is smaller, but you'd pay more interest overall.
Which repayment plan for student loans is the standard one?
It's the fixed plan: your payment stays the same each month, and it's at least $50 for a term of up to 10 years. It's for Direct Loans and FFEL loans (federal loans banks made in the past) paid out for the first time before July 1, 2026. Newer ones use RAP or the Tiered Standard Plan.
For income-driven plans, what is this student loan repayment calculator?
It uses your income to calculate a monthly bill. Ours lines up RAP and IBR beside the fixed plans to show you which one costs you less.
How can I work out my minimum student loan payment?
Put in your AGI, how you file, your dependents, your balance and your rate, and the bill for each plan will show up. Monthly payments under the Standard Plan stay at $50 or higher. The minimum RAP payment is $10. Your IBR payment could be $0 when your income is below 150% of the poverty line. That's the low-income level the government sets for your household size.
Can you use it to calculate payments for private, tuition or multiple education loans?
For several federal loans, it does. Add up what you owe on all of them and use the average of their interest rates. A private or tuition loan fits only the 10-year fixed line. Private lenders don't offer RAP, IBR or Tiered Standard, because those are federal plans.
What the words mean here
- AGI
- Adjusted gross income means the total income listed on your tax return. You'll find it on line 11 of your federal tax return.
- Dependent
- This means someone you claim on your tax return, for example a child.
- Principal
- What you borrowed, before any interest is added.
- Servicer
- Your servicer bills you for your loan and handles changes to your plan.
- IBR
- Income-Based Repayment: a plan based on your income that older loans can still use.
- The poverty line
- A low-income level the government sets, based on how many people are in your household. For a single person in the 48 states and DC, the yearly amount is $15,960. IBR uses 150% of that amount, which is $23,940.
- The 10-year Standard payment
- A fixed monthly amount that pays your loan off in 10 years.
- Tiered Standard
- A plan with a fixed payment, spread over 10 to 25 years based on what you owe.
- Direct Loans
- These federal student loans come from the Department of Education.
- FFEL loans
- These older federal loans were made by banks before 2010.
- Joint or separate filing
- Whether you and your spouse file one tax return together or each file your own.
- SAVE, PAYE and ICR
- Income-based plans from earlier years that have ended or are closing.
- Recertify
- Each year, tell your servicer your income again so they can update your payment.
- Income-driven repayment
- This plan sets your monthly payment based on your income, not your balance.
More ways to check your loan
Look closer at one plan, or check one number.