RAP & PSLF Planner

Your payment every year from now until forgiveness or payoff, compared with every plan you can actually choose.

Rules last verified Sep 25, 2026

SAVE has ended. If you were on SAVE, choose a new plan within 90 days of your servicer’s notice. PAYE and ICR close to everyone on July 1, 2028. Parent PLUS loans aren’t eligible for RAP. What to do on studentaid.gov

These are example numbers. Answer a few questions and every calculator fills in with yours, saved in this browser.

Your loans

Federal loan balance

Weighted interest rate

Any loans disbursed before July 1, 2026?

Yes means IBR is still open to you until July 1, 2028. Newer loans can only use RAP or Tiered Standard.

Career & income

Where you are now

AGI on your last tax return

Form 1040, line 11. RAP recalculates every year from your most recent return.

Years left in training

Annual raise

Expected attending salary

Pre-tax 403(b)/457(b) as attending

Lowers AGI, and with it your payment

Household

Tax filing status

Married? We’ll show joint and separate side by side, including the extra tax from filing separately.

Dependents on your return

Each one lowers the RAP payment by $50 a month

PSLF

Qualifying payments already made

Employer type

Lowest total cost for your loans

PSLF in Sept 2035 · 108 payments left

Enroll in IBR, stay on PSLF

You pay over 9 years: $190,675
Forgiven, tax-free: $213,502
Less than RAP + PSLF: $16,277

RAP is $31 a month cheaper this year. Once you’re an attending, IBR subtracts 150% of the poverty line from your income before charging 10%, and RAP subtracts nothing. IBR closes to new enrollment on July 1, 2028.

RAP now $340 per month

Waived $25,870 interest

Match $1,200 principal

Monthly payment, year by year

Monthly payment by year
Year	RAP	IBR
Y1	$340	$371
Y2	$414	$396
Y3	$1,546	$1,350
Y4	$2,296	$2,100
Y5	$2,371	$2,175
Y6	$2,448	$2,252
Y7	$2,528	$2,332
Y8	$2,610	$2,414
Y9	$2,694	$2,498

Every plan open to you

Totals in today’s dollars, no discounting

Every plan open to you
Plan	Now	You pay in total	Forgiven	Counts for PSLF
IBR + PSLF 10% of income above 150% of poverty line	$371/mo	$190,675	$213,502 tax-free	Yes · lowest cost
RAP + PSLF 1–10% of AGI, −$50 per dependent	$340/mo	$206,952	$155,761 tax-free	Yes
RAP, no PSLF Forgiveness after 360 payments	$340/mo	$394,426	$0 paid off in 14 yr 3 mo	n/a
10-year Standard Fixed payment	$2,903/mo	$348,325	$0	Yes, but nothing left
Private refinance 5.50%, 10 years (example rate)	$2,713/mo	$325,579	$0	No · leaves federal system
Tiered Standard 10–25 yr term set by balance (25 years for this balance)	Only for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026			Never

IBR + PSLF Yes · lowest cost

Now

$371/mo
You pay in total

$190,675
Forgiven

$213,502
RAP + PSLF Yes

Now

$340/mo
You pay in total

$206,952
Forgiven

$155,761
RAP, no PSLF

Now

$340/mo
You pay in total

$394,426
Forgiven

$0
10-year Standard

Now

$2,903/mo
You pay in total

$348,325
Forgiven

$0
Private refinance No · leaves federal system

Now

$2,713/mo
You pay in total

$325,579
Forgiven

$0
Tiered Standard

Only for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026

How RAP’s subsidy works

This month’s interest is $1,458. Your $340 payment covers part of it, and the government waives the rest so your balance never grows.

You pay $340Waived $1,118

+ $50 from the government toward principal

When your payment cuts principal by less than $50, the Department of Education reduces principal by the difference. It’s added on top of your payment, not taken out of it.

You’re near an AGI cliff

RAP applies the tier rate to all of your AGI, so crossing a $10,000 line raises the whole payment.

5% tier6% tier7% tier $60k$70k You · $68,000

Put $8,001 more into a pre-tax 403(b)

AGI drops to $59,999 and RAP falls to $250/mo: −$1,080 a year in payments plus about $1,110 less federal tax.

Educational estimates only. Assumes PSLF-qualifying employment throughout, annual recertification, and the 2025 HHS poverty guideline for IBR. RAP forgiveness after 360 payments may be taxable; PSLF forgiveness is not. Confirm with your servicer.