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StudentPayoff

IDR Plan Comparator

Estimate your monthly payment under each federal income-driven repayment plan, plus the projected balance at forgiveness.

These numbers are estimates only

We use the published IDR formulas as of early 2026. Federal IDR rules change frequently — the SAVE plan in particular has been subject to legal challenges in 2024-2025 and may be partially or fully enjoined when you read this. Always confirm exact figures and current eligibility at studentaid.gov before making decisions.

Your details

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%
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Used to flag Alaska / Hawaii (which have higher poverty guidelines and slightly lower IDR payments).
Federal poverty guideline (2026): $15,600 for family of 1

PAYE — Pay As You Earn

$263 /mo
Discretionary income
$31,600
Forgiveness term
20 yrs
Balance at year 20
$35,396
Likely qualifies for forgiveness. At 20 years, an estimated $35,396 would be discharged. Note: forgiven IDR balances may be taxable income at the federal level after 2025 unless Congress extends the current exclusion.

PAYE caps payments at 10% of discretionary income above 150% of the federal poverty line, with forgiveness after 20 years (25 for grad-school loans). Payments are also capped at what you'd pay on a 10-year standard plan.

SAVE (formerly REPAYE)

$124 /mo
Discretionary income
$19,900
Forgiveness term
20 yrs
Balance at year 20
$103,544
Likely qualifies for forgiveness. At 20 years, an estimated $103,544 would be discharged. Note: forgiven IDR balances may be taxable income at the federal level after 2025 unless Congress extends the current exclusion.

SAVE was the Biden administration's overhaul of REPAYE: undergraduate borrowers pay 5% of discretionary income (200%+ poverty exclusion), grad-loan borrowers pay 10%, with a blended rate for both. SAVE has been subject to legal challenges since 2024 and may be partially or fully enjoined. Confirm current status at studentaid.gov before relying on these numbers.

IBR — Income-Based Repayment

$395 /mo
Discretionary income
$31,600
Forgiveness term
25 yrs
Balance at year 25
$0
Likely paid off before forgiveness. At this payment level, the loan is on track to fully amortize before the 25-year forgiveness clock runs out.

IBR (the 'old' formula) caps payments at 15% of discretionary income above 150% poverty, with forgiveness after 25 years. New IBR (post-July 2014 borrowers) uses 10% and 20 years instead.

ICR — Income-Contingent Repayment

$657 /mo
Discretionary income
$39,400
Forgiveness term
25 yrs
Balance at year 25
$0
Likely paid off before forgiveness. At this payment level, the loan is on track to fully amortize before the 25-year forgiveness clock runs out.

ICR is the oldest income-driven plan: 20% of discretionary income above the federal poverty line, with forgiveness after 25 years. It's typically the worst-deal plan unless you have Parent PLUS loans, which only qualify for ICR via consolidation.

The four federal IDR plans, explained

Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans cap your federal-loan monthly payment at a percentage of your discretionary income — defined as your AGI minus a multiple of the federal poverty line for your family size. After 20-25 years of qualifying payments, any remaining balance is forgiven. There are four plans live in 2026:

PAYE — Pay As You Earn

10% of discretionary income (AGI − 1.5× poverty line). 20-year forgiveness on undergrad loans, 25-year on grad. Payments capped at the 10-year standard plan figure. PAYE is closed to new enrollees as of 2024 — only existing PAYE borrowers can stay in.

SAVE — Saving on a Valuable Education (formerly REPAYE)

The Biden administration's 2023 overhaul of REPAYE: 5% of discretionary income on undergrad debt, 10% on grad, with a higher poverty exclusion (225%). 20-year forgiveness on undergrad, 25 on grad. Important: SAVE has been subject to legal challenges since 2024 and may be partially or fully enjoined when you read this. Confirm current status at studentaid.gov.

IBR — Income-Based Repayment

Two flavors: “old IBR” (15% of discretionary, 25-year forgiveness) for borrowers before July 2014, and “new IBR” (10% of discretionary, 20-year forgiveness) for newer borrowers. We use old-IBR as the conservative default in the calculator above.

ICR — Income-Contingent Repayment

The oldest IDR plan: 20% of discretionary income (AGI − 1× poverty line), or what you'd pay on a 12-year fixed plan adjusted for income, whichever is less. 25-year forgiveness. Generally the worst-deal IDR — but it's the only IDR plan that Parent PLUS loans can access (after a Direct Consolidation).

The “tax bomb”

Federally, IDR forgiveness has historically been treated as taxable income — a borrower with a $100,000 forgiven balance could owe $20,000+ in federal taxes the year forgiveness lands. Under the American Rescue Plan, federal taxation of student-debt forgiveness is excluded through Dec 31, 2025. After that, unless Congress extends it, the tax bomb is back. Several states independently exclude forgiveness from state income tax — see our state pages for details.

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