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Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Comparison Calculator

See monthly payments, total paid, and forgiven amounts across all four federal IDR plans versus the standard 10-year plan.

Inputs

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Results update as you type, and the address bar keeps your numbers so the link you share reopens this exact calculation.

Standard 10-year monthly payment

$568

10-year standard plan monthly payment.

Detailed results
SAVE plan monthly paymentTODO: FPL figures must be verified — payment may be 0 until rate data is populated.$229
PAYE plan monthly paymentTODO: FPL figures must be verified.$458
SAVE estimated forgiveness amount$70,434
Standard plan total paid (10yr)$68,129

What this result means

Standard 10-year monthly payment: $568.

SAVE reduces your monthly payment by $339 vs the standard plan. Whether total cost is lower depends on how much is forgiven after the repayment term.

IDR Plan Comparison

Side-by-side monthly payment and forgiveness estimates for each plan. Note: FPL-dependent values require verified 2025 poverty guidelines.

IDR Plan Comparison. 6 rows, first 6 shown.
PlanMonthly PaymentTotal PaidEstimated ForgivenessRepayment Term (years)
Standard (10-year)$568$68,129$0.0010
SAVE$229$55,000$70,43420
PAYE$458$75,836$0.0020
IBR (new)$458$75,836$0.0020
IBR (prior)$688$63,732$0.0025
ICR$917$59,426$0.0025

How this is calculated

IDR payment = (AGI − FPL × multiplier%) × plan% ÷ 12. Standard payment = P × r(1+r)^120 / ((1+r)^120 − 1).

Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans cap your federal student loan payments at a percentage of your discretionary income and forgive any remaining balance after a set repayment term.

SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) replaced REPAYE in 2023. It uses 5% of discretionary income for undergraduate loans (10% for graduate) and defines discretionary income as the amount above 225% of the federal poverty line — the most generous definition of any plan. Unpaid interest does not capitalize on SAVE.

PAYE (Pay As You Earn) caps payments at 10% of discretionary income (150% FPL threshold) and at the standard 10-year payment amount. Available only to borrowers who had no outstanding federal loans before October 1, 2007.

IBR (Income-Based Repayment) comes in two variants: new borrowers (after July 1, 2014) pay 10%; prior borrowers pay 15%. Widely available — no loan-origination-date eligibility requirement for most borrowers.

ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment) calculates the lesser of 20% of discretionary income or a 12-year fixed payment adjusted for income. Typically the least favorable for high-balance borrowers.

IMPORTANT — FPL placeholder. This calculator's IDR payment amounts depend on federal poverty guidelines (FPL), which must be updated annually. The values shown will be $0 until the statutory FPL figures are verified and populated. The standard 10-year payment is always accurate.

Assumptions

  • Federal poverty guidelines (FPL) are set to 0 (TODO:VERIFY) — IDR payment amounts will be $0 until populated.
  • Income is assumed constant throughout the repayment term; actual IDR payments recalculate annually.
  • Standard payment computed using 10-year term at the stated interest rate.
  • Forgiveness tax treatment follows current law (federally tax-free through extended legislation) — verify at time of forgiveness.
  • Graduate vs. undergraduate loan split not modeled — SAVE rate defaults to undergrad percentage.
  • PAYE eligibility (loan origination date) is not verified.

Frequently asked questions

›Why might IDR cost more than the standard plan?

If your income is high relative to your debt, IDR payments may equal or exceed the standard payment. And if you don't qualify for forgiveness (pay off early), you've paid more interest overall due to the longer term.

›Is forgiven debt taxable?

Under current law (extended through 2025 by the American Rescue Plan), IDR forgiveness is federally tax-free. This may change — verify current IRS guidance before planning for forgiveness.

›How does PSLF interact with IDR?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness forgives remaining balances after 120 qualifying payments on an IDR plan while working for a qualifying employer. PSLF forgiveness is always tax-free.

›Can I switch plans?

Yes, you can switch IDR plans at any time through your loan servicer. However, switching resets some plan-specific eligibility clocks.

›Why are IDR payment amounts showing as $0?

IDR payments depend on federal poverty guidelines that require annual verification. This calculator uses placeholder values (TODO:VERIFY) until the 2025 figures are confirmed and populated.

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