Student Loan Payment Calculator

Student loan repayment plansdetermine how much you pay each month, how long you'll be in repayment, and how much total interest you'll pay over the life of your federal student loans. The U.S. Department of Education offers several plan types: Standard Repayment (fixed 10-year term), Graduated Repayment (10 years with increasing payments), Extended Repayment (up to 25 years for fixed or graduated payments), and four income-driven repayment (IDR) plans - PAYE, REPAYE, IBR, and ICR - which cap payments based on your discretionary income and offer loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. Our student loan payment calculator helps borrowers compare all seven plans simultaneously, showing monthly payments, total interest, total cost, and payoff dates so you can make an informed choice about which repayment strategy fits your financial situation.

1. 1. Enter Your Loan Details: Start by entering your total student loan amount (use the quick presets for common balances like $35K, $50K, or $100K), your interest rate, and the loan term. Choose a repayment plan from the dropdown - the calculator will show results for that plan while comparing it against all other plans automatically.
2. 2. Provide Income & Family Size (for IDR Plans): If you select an income-driven plan (PAYE, REPAYE, IBR, or ICR), additional fields appear for your annual adjusted gross income (AGI) and family size. The calculator uses the 2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines to compute your discretionary income - your AGI minus 150% of the poverty line - and applies the plan's formula (10% for PAYE/REPAYE/IBR, 20% for ICR) to determine your monthly payment.
3. 3. Compare All Plans Side by Side: Click Calculate Payments to see KPI summary cards for your selected plan (monthly payment, total interest, total cost, payoff date), a full comparison table of all seven plans with color-coded interest values, a detailed per-plan breakdown, and plan comparison insight cards that highlight the lowest-cost, lowest-payment, and fastest-payoff options automatically. Click any plan row to switch the detailed view to that plan.

• PAYE (Pay As You Earn): Payments capped at 10% of discretionary income and never exceed the Standard 10-year payment amount. Forgiveness after 20 years. Available to borrowers who took their first loan after October 1, 2007, and received a disbursement after October 1, 2011. Discretionary income = AGI - 150% of poverty line.
• REPAYE (Revised Pay As You Earn): Payments are 10% of discretionary income with no cap. Forgiveness after 20 years (undergraduate loans) or 25 years (graduate/professional loans). Available to all Direct Loan borrowers regardless of when they borrowed. Includes an interest subsidy: the government pays 50% of unpaid accrued interest on subsidized loans and 50% of unpaid interest on unsubsidized loans.
• IBR (Income-Based Repayment): For new borrowers after July 1, 2014: payments are 10% of discretionary income, capped at the Standard 10-year amount, forgiveness after 20 years. For older borrowers: 15% of discretionary income, forgiveness after 25 years. Discretionary income = AGI - 150% of poverty line.
• ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment): The lesser of 20% of discretionary income or a fixed 12-year amortization amount adjusted by income. Forgiveness after 25 years. Discretionary income = AGI - 100% of poverty line (note: ICR uses 100% of poverty line, not 150%). Available to all Direct Loan borrowers and the only IDR plan available to Parent PLUS borrowers (after consolidation).

The student loan payment calculator provides accurate estimates based on current federal student loan formulas and 2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines. IDR calculations assume your income and family size remain constant throughout the repayment period - in reality, you recertify annually, and payments adjust based on changes. Loan forgiveness amounts are estimates and may be affected by plan changes, legislative updates, or the type of loans you hold. The calculator does not account for interest capitalization events (e.g., when leaving deferment or forbearance), consolidation impacts, partial financial hardship determinations, or the taxability of forgiven amounts under current IRS rules. Graduated plan payments are approximated - actual graduated schedules vary by servicer. This calculator is for educational purposes and should not be considered financial advice. Always verify your specific loan details and repayment options with your loan servicer or at studentaid.gov. All calculations run entirely client-side in your browser - no data is sent to any server, no signup is required, and your financial information never leaves your device.