Income-Driven Repayment Estimate
Estimate your federal student-loan payment under RAP, IBR, PAYE and ICR with 2026 rules and poverty guidelines — compare plans side by side, with spouse income, dependents, total paid, forgiveness and PSLF.
How it works
IBR / PAYE: monthly = rate × (AGI − 150% of poverty guideline) ÷ 12, rate 10% (15% for pre-July-2014 IBR borrowers), never above the 10-year standard payment · ICR: 20% × (AGI − 100% of guideline) ÷ 12 · RAP: (1%–10% of total AGI by $10,000 band, or $120 a year at $10,000 or less) ÷ 12 − $50 per dependent, at least $10 · Poverty guideline 2026 (48 states): $15,960 + $5,680 per extra person
Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans set your federal student-loan payment from your income rather than your balance. As of late 2026 there are four. Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) charge 10% of discretionary income — AGI minus 150% of the federal poverty guideline for your household size — or 15% for IBR borrowers who had loans before July 1, 2014, and never more than the 10-year standard payment. Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) charges up to 20% of income above 100% of the guideline. The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), created by the 2025 budget law and open since July 1, 2026, works differently: it charges 1% to 10% of your whole AGI depending on your income band, subtracts $50 a month per dependent, has a $10 minimum, waives unpaid interest and adds a small principal match. The SAVE plan ended in 2026, PAYE and ICR close by July 1, 2028, and any loan made on or after July 1, 2026 can use only RAP or the fixed Tiered Standard plan. The calculator uses the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines (with separate figures for Alaska and Hawaii), joint or separate tax filing, a split of the payment when both spouses have loans, yearly income growth, and the forgiveness period of each plan — 20 or 25 years for IBR, 20 for PAYE, 25 for ICR, 30 for RAP, or 10 under PSLF — to project total payments and any forgiven balance, and compares every plan with the standard and tiered fixed plans.
Worked example
A single borrower (household of 1) with a $45,000 AGI and $35,000 of loans at 6.5% has a 2026 poverty guideline of $15,960 and a protected income of 1.5 × $15,960 = $23,940. Discretionary income is $45,000 − $23,940 = $21,060. Under IBR at 10% that is $2,106 a year, or $175.50 a month, below the $397.42 standard 10-year payment. Under RAP the $45,000 AGI falls in the 4% band: 4% × $45,000 ÷ 12 = $150 a month, or $100 with one dependent. ICR would be 20% × ($45,000 − $15,960) ÷ 12 = $484 a month at most.
Sources: Federal Student Aid — SAVE plan borrowers: choosing a different repayment plan (2026) · Edfinancial (federal loan servicer) — Repayment Assistance Plan · Edfinancial — Income-Based Repayment · U.S. Department of Education — RISE final rule fact sheet · HHS ASPE — 2026 poverty guidelines
Frequently asked questions
What counts as discretionary income?
For IBR and PAYE it is your AGI minus 150% of the federal poverty guideline for your family size and state; for ICR it is AGI minus 100% of the guideline. In 2026 the guideline is $15,960 for one person plus $5,680 for each extra person in the 48 states and DC, higher in Alaska and Hawaii. RAP does not use discretionary income: it takes a percentage of your whole AGI.
Should I choose RAP or IBR?
Compare the plan table. RAP is often lower at modest incomes and for borrowers with dependents, waives unpaid interest and is the only income-driven plan for loans made from July 1, 2026, but forgiveness takes 30 years and the minimum is $10. IBR forgives after 20 years for most borrowers (25 for older loans), caps the payment at the 10-year standard amount and allows $0 payments, but it is closed to anyone with a loan made on or after July 1, 2026.
Can my payment really be $0?
Under IBR, PAYE and ICR, yes: if your income is at or below the protected amount the payment is $0, and those months still count toward forgiveness and PSLF. RAP has no $0 payment — the minimum is $10 a month.
What happened to the SAVE plan?
SAVE ended after a March 2026 court order, and the 2025 budget law repealed it. Servicers are notifying SAVE borrowers through 2026 and giving them 90 days to choose another plan, such as IBR or RAP; borrowers who do not choose are placed in a standard plan.
How does marriage affect the payment?
If you file jointly, the plans use your combined AGI; if both of you have federal loans, the payment is shared in proportion to each person’s debt. Filing separately generally counts only your own income, which can lower the payment but may cost tax benefits.
Is this an official payment amount?
No — it is an estimate based on published 2026 rules. Your servicer calculates the binding figure from your tax return and loan records, and rules can still change. Use StudentAid.gov’s Loan Simulator with your actual loans before you switch plans.
Related calculators
Educational estimate only. Financial-aid, loan and tuition rules change and vary by school, state and program — confirm figures with your school and loan servicer.