RAP vs IBR After SAVE: Which Plan Costs You Less? (2026)

Short answer: single with no dependents and earning $30,000 to $70,000? RAP usually gives you the lower payment. Kids, a joint return with your spouse, or income above about $80,000? Usually IBR. If the difference is small, IBR keeps the door open: you can move from IBR to RAP, never the other way.

Why the answer changes with your family

RAP looks at your total income and charges a flat percentage for your bracket: 5% if your AGI is between $50,000 and $60,000, for example. Each dependent takes just $50 a month off.¹

IBR first protects 150% of the poverty line for your household and only charges on what’s left. In 2026 that line is $15,960 for one person and rises $5,680 per extra person: a family of four protects $49,500 a year.² That’s why IBR usually wins as soon as kids or a spouse are on the return.

Five worked examples

Estimated monthly payment by plan
Borrower	RAP	IBR	Standard, 10 yrs
Single, $35,000, $30,000 owed	$88	$92	$333
Single, $55,000, $38,000 owed	$229	$259	$431
Single parent (1 child), $48,000, $42,000 owed	$110	$130	$466
Married, joint return, 2 children, $90,000, $60,000 owed	$500	$338	$666
Single, $120,000, $95,000 owed	$1,000	$801	$1,103

Estimates from our calculator (2026 poverty guidelines, 48 states, loans after 2014). Lowest payment in bold.

The answer also jumps around: because RAP adds a point every $10,000, a $1 raise can change which plan is cheaper. That’s why your exact numbers matter.

Run your own numbers

Your numbers

Five quick answers. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Adjusted gross income (AGI)

Form 1040, line 11a on 2025 returns (line 11 on 2024). Filing jointly? Use the joint AGI.

Your federal student loan balance

All Direct Loans, from your studentaid.gov dashboard.

Tax filing status

Dependents you claim

Children or others on your tax return.

Working toward PSLF?

Full-time for a government or nonprofit employer.

Refine your estimate: interest rate, state, loans before 2014, payments made

Average interest rate

Not sure? Leave 6.5%.

Where you live

Federal loans before July 1, 2014?

Decides whether IBR takes 10% or 15%.

Qualifying payments already made

Optional. Months counted so far.

Where do I find my AGI?

Form 1040 for 2025: adjusted gross income (AGI) is on line 11a

Your three lanes

Showing an example borrower: $55,000 income, single, $38,000 at 6.5%. Enter your numbers to see yours.

Lowest payment

RAP

Repayment Assistance Plan

$229/mo

5.0% of your monthly income

Length: Forgiven after 30 yrs
Counts toward PSLF: Yes
Can switch later: Never back to IBR
Deadline to choose: Open any time

IBR

Income-Based Repayment

$259/mo

5.7% of your monthly income

Length: Forgiven after 20 yrs
Counts toward PSLF: Yes
Can switch later: Yes, to RAP
Deadline to choose: Before July 1, 2028

Do nothing

Standard plan, assigned automatically

$431/mo

9.4% of your monthly income

Length: Paid off in 10 yrs
Counts toward PSLF: Yes
Can switch later: Yes
Deadline to choose: Automatic after your deadline

Or $331/mo on Tiered Standard (15 yrs, no PSLF credit).

Estimates from the 2026 federal formulas. Your servicer calculates the official amount.

RAP and IBR, line by line

	RAP	IBR
How it’s calculated	1% to 10% of your total AGI, in $10,000 steps; $10,000 or less pays $10 a month.¹	10% of what you earn above 150% of the poverty line (15% if you had loans before July 1, 2014).^2,3
Your family	Takes $50 a month off per dependent you claim.	Counts your whole family in the poverty line, which rises $5,680 per person in 2026.
Minimum payment	$10 a month.	$0 if your income is low.
Payment cap	None.	Never more than the 10-year Standard payment.
Interest	If your payment doesn’t cover the month’s interest, the rest is waived. If it cuts your principal by less than $50, the government makes up the difference, up to $50.⁴	Unpaid interest builds up.
Forgiveness	After 360 payments (30 years).	After 20 years (25 if you had loans before 2014).
PSLF	Counts.	Counts.
Switching later	Not to IBR: months on RAP don’t count toward IBR.⁵	To RAP, yes, any time.
Open until	Always.	July 1, 2028 only.⁵

If you work in public service (PSLF)

RAP and IBR count the same for PSLF: after 120 qualifying payments the rest is forgiven tax-free. So the rule is simple: pick the lower payment.⁶ What you shouldn’t do is stay on Tiered Standard, which generally doesn’t count.⁷ More on PSLF and SAVE.

The trap of picking RAP too early

From IBR you can move to RAP at any time. From RAP you can’t go back to IBR without losing credit: months on RAP don’t count toward IBR forgiveness. And from July 1, 2028, IBR takes no new enrollees.^5,4 If the two are close for you today, IBR is the more flexible choice.

What if I’m married?

In both plans, filing taxes separately keeps your spouse’s income out, which can cut your payment a lot. But filing separately often raises the household’s taxes, so you have to compare both.⁴ The personalized report runs that comparison on your numbers.

Frequently asked questions

Is RAP or IBR cheaper?

It depends on your household: RAP is usually cheaper for single borrowers earning $30,000 to $70,000; IBR for families with kids, joint filers and higher incomes.

Can I switch from RAP to IBR later?

Not without losing time: months on RAP don’t count toward IBR forgiveness, and IBR stops accepting new enrollees on July 1, 2028.

Does RAP count for PSLF?

Yes. Both RAP and IBR count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

RAP vs IBR: which plan to pick when you leave SAVE