Right Repay

Application

How to apply for RAP: the Repayment Assistance Plan application, step by step.

One form at studentaid.gov covers RAP, IBR, PAYE and ICR. Here is what to have ready, the screens in order, and the answers that keep the servicer from choosing a plan for you. First make sure RAP is your #1: for many borrowers leaving SAVE it is not, and switching later has a cost.

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Five steps: log in at studentaid.gov, open the IDR Plan Request, pick RAP by name, consent to the IRS data share, submit and save the confirmation

Before you apply

Who can
Direct Loans, including Direct Consolidation Loans. FFEL and Perkins loans must be consolidated first. Parent PLUS loans and consolidation loans that repaid Parent PLUS are excluded. For any loan made on or after July 1, 2026 it is the only income-driven plan.
Since when
Available since July 1, 2026. No end date.
Leaving later
If every loan you have was made before July 1, 2026, you can move to IBR later. A new loan or a new consolidation on or after that date closes IBR for good.
The payment
A share of your adjusted gross income, not of discretionary income: 1% for AGI between $10,001 and $20,000, then one point more for each $10,000 bracket, up to 10% above $100,000. AGI at or under $10,000 pays $10. Subtract $50 a month for each dependent child. Never under $10. Married filing separately counts only your AGI, not your spouse's; filing jointly counts both incomes.

Have these ready, about five minutes

  1. Your FSA ID, the studentaid.gov username and password. The sign-in page has Forgot Username and Forgot Password; recovery goes to your email or phone.
  2. Your latest federal tax return, or the AGI on line 11. With IRS consent the application fills it in for you; if your income has dropped since, a recent pay stub instead.
  3. Family size: you, a spouse, and anyone you support. RAP takes $50 a month off for each dependent child.
  4. Your spouse's AGI if you file jointly. No co-signature is needed.
  5. Your servicer login, for auto pay and messages once the plan is approved.
  6. A loan in default has to be rehabilitated or consolidated first; a plan application on a defaulted loan is turned down.

The screens, in order

  1. Sign in at studentaid.gov with your FSA ID. Your loan file is under My Aid, View Details, if you want to check balances first.
  2. Open the IDR Plan Request at studentaid.gov/idr. It is one form for RAP, IBR, PAYE and ICR, about ten minutes. The paper form has no RAP box yet, so choose it online.
  3. Answer it like this. Reason: I want to change to a different income-driven plan. Which plan: Repayment Assistance Plan, by name. Do not pick "the plan with the lowest monthly payment", that lets the servicer choose. Family size: count everyone you support. Income: consent to the IRS data share, it fills your income from your last return and recertifies you every year without another form. Deferment or forbearance: if you are leaving the SAVE forbearance, say you want to start making payments under the new plan immediately.
  4. Submit, then screenshot the confirmation. Keep the confirmation number. Your servicer may place you in a processing forbearance, never more than 60 days, and the first bill follows with at least 21 days notice.
The IDR Plan Request page at studentaid.gov
studentaid.gov/idr: the IDR Plan Request, the one form for every income-driven plan.

After you submit

Check the first bill against the formula

The RAP calculator page shows the brackets and the math. If the servicer's amount does not match your AGI and family size, message them before you pay.

Turn on auto pay

Auto pay takes a point off your interest rate through June 30, 2028 if you enroll by September 30, 2026. Set it up at your servicer, not at studentaid.gov.

Recertify without a form

With the IRS data share consented, your income is pulled from your return each year. Without it, you get a yearly recertification deadline and a bigger bill if you miss it.

Public service

Every on-time RAP payment counts toward the 120 for PSLF. Certify your employment with the PSLF Help Tool after the plan is approved so the count is clean.

A man at a desk by a window reading a printed repayment plan with a pen in his hand

Apply for the right plan, not just for RAP.

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Sources

Two minutes now, or the Standard plan by default later.

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