Your IDR payment, estimated.
Estimate one scenario at a time, then adjust the inputs when income, household size, or loan balance changes.
On $60,000 of income with a $45k balance, the eligible estimate is about $250 a month.
Formula-only rows are comparison math, not the estimated payment for this loan shape.
Where your payment lands.
RAP tiers your monthly by income: 1% at the bottom, climbing to 10% above six figures. Your bracket is highlighted.
Interest vs. principal, year by year.
Each column is one year of payments. Darker = principal, lighter = interest, hatched = interest waived by RAP.
Where every dollar goes.
You pay this one off before forgiveness kicks in — here's the principal-and-interest split over the life of the loan.
Every plan, stacked.
Same numbers, every income-driven plan. Select an eligible row to update the estimate, or a formula-only row to see why it is blocked.
Formula-only rows are shown for comparison and do not update the hero estimate.
About this calculator
A short reference for the assumptions and formulas behind the estimate. Open only what you need.
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Estimates use current federal IDR formulas and the 2026 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC.
Alaska and Hawaii use separate poverty tables not included here. If you live in either state, your payment will be slightly lower.
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RAP uses a tiered percentage of AGI: 1% at $10k and below, stepping up to 10% above $100k.
It then applies a $50/month deduction per qualifying dependent and a $10/month minimum. Unpaid interest is waived, so the balance can't grow. Forgiveness comes at 30 years.
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New IBR (post-2014 borrowers) uses 10% of discretionary income, capped at the Standard 10-year payment. Forgiveness comes at 20 years.
Old IBR (pre-2014 borrowers) uses 15% of discretionary income, capped at the Standard 10-year payment. Forgiveness comes at 25 years.
PAYE uses 10% of discretionary income, capped at the Standard 10-year payment. Forgiveness comes at 20 years. PAYE closed to new enrollment in 2024, but existing enrollees are grandfathered.
Discretionary income is AGI minus 150% of the federal poverty guideline for your family size.
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ICR uses the lesser of 20% of discretionary income or a 12-year fixed payment. Its discretionary-income test uses 100% of the poverty guideline, not 150%, which is why ICR payments are usually higher.
Forgiveness comes at 25 years. ICR is usually the wrong answer unless you have Parent PLUS loans.
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Married filing separately only counts your own income, but your household size still includes your spouse for the poverty-guideline lookup.
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The calculator keeps every formula visible, but only available, conditional, or warning plans can drive the monthly estimate, scorecard, forgiveness projection, and charts.
The forward-looking gate uses the May 1, 2026 final rule for 34 CFR 685.209. PAYE and ordinary ICR are treated as grandfathered temporary plans, and PAYE, IBR, and ICR are not applied to loans made on or after July 1, 2026.
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Parent PLUS loans and Parent-PLUS-derived consolidation loans need separate handling. The calculator does not treat pre-July 1, 2026 Parent-PLUS-derived consolidation debt as RAP eligible.
For mixed Parent PLUS and non-Parent Direct balances, formula rows stay visible, but no blended estimate drives the result until split-balance modeling is added.
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This is a planning estimate, not a servicer determination. Eligibility, plan availability, grandfathered PAYE status, tax filing status, family size, and your servicer records can change the final number.
Estimates only. Always confirm with your servicer before making a decision about your loans. If you'd like a human to run these numbers with you, book a 20-min call ($200, written recap the next day).
Questions about your situation?
Every loan is different. A 20-minute call can save months of guessing.