How we calculate your payments

RAP (Repayment Assistance Plan)

• Annual payment = a percentage of your total AGI by bracket: over $10,000 up to $20,000, 1%; up to $30,000, 2%; and so on up to 10% above $100,000. $10,000 or less pays $10 a month.^1,2
• Divided by 12, minus $50 per dependent you claim. The payment never drops below $10.
• Interest your payment doesn’t cover is waived. If your payment cuts principal by less than $50, the government makes up the difference, up to $50.
• The balance is forgiven after 360 payments (30 years).

IBR (Income-Based Repayment)

• Discretionary income = AGI minus 150% of the 2026 HHS poverty guideline for your family: $15,960 for one person plus $5,680 per additional person in the 48 states and DC (Alaska: $19,950 + $7,100; Hawaii: $18,360 + $6,530).³
• Payment = 10% of discretionary income a year, divided by 12 (15% if you had loans before July 1, 2014). Never more than the 10-year Standard payment.⁴
• Family = you, your spouse if you file jointly, and your dependents. Payments under $5 are $0; $5 to $10 become $10.
• Forgiven after 20 years (25 if you had loans before 2014).

If you file jointly and your spouse also has loans

We calculate the household payment and assign you the share that matches your part of the combined balance.

Standard and Tiered Standard

• Standard: the fixed payment that pays off your balance in 10 years at your average rate.
• Tiered Standard: the term depends on the balance: under $25,000, 10 years; up to $50,000, 15; up to $100,000, 20; above that, 25.⁴

Projection with raises

For the total cost, the report recalculates RAP and IBR payments every year assuming your pay rises 3% a year and the poverty guidelines 2.5% a year (about inflation). RAP’s brackets are fixed dollar amounts in the law, so they don’t move: over time RAP gets more expensive as you earn more. IBR never exceeds the 10-year Standard payment set when you enter the plan. Debt forgiven at the end of RAP or IBR is taxable from 2026, so the total cost adds an estimated 22% federal tax on it; PSLF forgiveness is tax-free.^1,3,2

Deadline

90 days from the date on your notice. A notice dated July 1, 2026 is due September 29, 2026, matching the first published deadlines.^5,6

Simplifications

• The free calculator shows today’s payment; the report’s total cost uses the projection with raises. Family and interest rate are held constant.
• We don’t calculate the tax cost of filing separately. Tax on forgiven debt is an estimate at 22%.
• Parent PLUS loans aren’t covered: they can’t use RAP.⁴
• Results are estimates. Your servicer calculates the official payment. To double-check, also try the official Loan Simulator.⁷

How we verify

Every figure in the calculator is checked against hand-calculated cases (for example, $55,000 income and $38,000 at 6.5%: RAP $229, IBR $259, Standard $431). If you spot an error, email hello@saveplandeadline.com and we’ll fix it.