Which plan
The best student loan repayment plan is the one that costs you least all in. Here it is for four borrowers.
There is no best plan, only the best plan for your income, your balance, your family and your job. Below, the engine ranks every federal plan for four people leaving SAVE and shows what landing on Standard by default would cost each of them. It ranks the plans for you in two minutes.
Rank every plan for me, free Ten questions, two minutes, your own numbers.
What "best" means
- Cheapest all in
- Every payment until the balance is paid or forgiven, plus the tax on a forgiven balance. This is the default ranking, because it is the number you actually pay.
- Lowest payment now
- The smallest first bill, whatever the total. Right when cash is the constraint. The ranking can order by this instead; it still shows the all-in figure next to it.
- Public service
- If you are working toward PSLF, the best plan is the cheapest qualifying route to the 120th payment; plans that do not count are set aside with the reason.
- Fastest payoff
- Standard or a shorter fixed schedule. Usually the most expensive per month and the cheapest overall for people who can afford it.
Four borrowers, ranked
Same engine as the app: eligibility plan by plan, then every eligible plan run month by month with the 2026 poverty guidelines, each plan's interest rule, yearly recalculation and the tax on forgiveness. The last column is what each borrower would pay by doing nothing and being placed on Standard.
| Borrower | #1 plan | A month | All in | #2 plan | All in | Standard by default |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,000 income, $27,000 in loans | Income-Based Repayment | $117 | $35,596 | Repayment Assistance Plan | $36,180 | $307 a month, $36,790 all in |
| $46,000 income, $58,000 in loans | Income-Based Repayment | $184 | $63,762 | Repayment Assistance Plan | $64,000 | $659 a month, $79,029 all in |
| $55,000 income, $48,000 in loans | Standard 10-year | $545 | $65,404 | Graduated 10-year | $70,150 | $545 a month, $65,404 all in |
| $85,000 income, $95,000 in loans | Standard 10-year | $1,079 | $129,445 | Graduated 10-year | $138,838 | $1,079 a month, $129,445 all in |
Assumes single, a family of one, first loan after July 1, 2014, a 6.5% rate, no public service, flat income, and a 22% tax on any taxable forgiveness. Your own numbers change the order.
Why the answer changes from person to person
The lowest payment is rarely the cheapest plan
An income-driven payment that does not cover interest lets the balance grow for 20 or 30 years, and what is forgiven at the end is taxed. For two of the four borrowers above, the plain 10-year Standard plan wins outright.
Doing nothing has a price
Miss the 90-day window after your notice and you are placed on Standard. For a low income and a large balance that can double the monthly bill against IBR; for a high income it may be the right plan anyway. Know which you are.
Your job changes the order
With PSLF in play, the goal is the cheapest path to 120 qualifying payments, and plans that do not count drop out. Our PSLF guide ranks the plans for three public servants.
Marriage changes the order
Filing jointly counts a spouse's income on every income-driven plan; filing separately counts only yours and costs something at tax time. The married guide runs the same couple both ways.
The best plan for you, with the math shown.
Ten questions, or your loan file. Every federal plan you qualify for, ranked on what you pay all in, with the plans you cannot use set aside and the reason given. Positions 2 onward are free; the kit with the pre-filled form is $29.
Rank my plans, freeSources
- Repayment plans Federal Student Aid
- Income-driven repayment plans Federal Student Aid
- The Repayment Assistance Plan, In Focus IF13075 Congressional Research Service
- 34 CFR 685.209, income-driven repayment plans Code of Federal Regulations
- 2026 poverty guidelines HHS, ASPE
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness Federal Student Aid