Right Repay

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IDR calculator: RAP, IBR, PAYE and ICR on the same income.

Income-driven repayment is four different formulas, and the same income gets four different bills. Enter your loans and income once and the calculator runs every plan you qualify for, month by month, and ranks them on what you pay all in.

Rank every plan for me, free Ten questions, two minutes, your own numbers.

Four income-driven plans side by side: RAP, 1 to 10 percent of AGI; IBR, 10 or 15 percent above 150 percent of poverty; PAYE, 10 percent above 150 percent; ICR, 20 percent above 100 percent

Four formulas

RAP
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.
IBR
10% of discretionary income if your first federal loan was made on or after July 1, 2014 ("new borrower" IBR), 15% if earlier. Discretionary income is adjusted gross income minus 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size. The payment never exceeds the 10-year Standard amount set when you enroll. Married filing separately counts only your income, not your spouse's; filing jointly counts both.
PAYE
10% of discretionary income (AGI minus 150% of the poverty guideline), capped at the 10-year Standard amount. Married filing separately counts only your income, not your spouse's.
ICR
The lesser of 20% of discretionary income (AGI minus 100% of the poverty guideline) and what a 12-year fixed plan would charge, adjusted by an income factor.

Who can still use which

RAP
Open since July 1, 2026 to Direct Loans. The only income-driven plan for any loan made on or after that date. Parent PLUS loans, consolidated or not, are excluded.
IBR
Open to borrowers whose loans were all made before July 1, 2026. A new loan or consolidation on or after that date closes IBR for good.
PAYE and ICR
Closing. Both end no later than July 1, 2028; borrowers on them must move to IBR, RAP or a fixed plan by then. ICR is the only income-driven plan for consolidated Parent PLUS loans.

Four borrowers, every income-driven payment

BorrowerRAPIBRPAYEICRStandard#1 planAll in on #1
$38,000 income, $27,000 in loans$95$117not opennot open$307Income-Based Repayment$35,596
$46,000 income, $58,000 in loans$153$184not opennot open$659Income-Based Repayment$63,762
$55,000 income, $48,000 in loans$229$259not opennot open$545Standard 10-year$65,404
$85,000 income, $95,000 in loans$567$509not opennot open$1,079Standard 10-year$129,445

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. "Not open" means the engine set the plan aside for that borrower: PAYE and ICR are closing by July 1, 2028 and only remain a path for people already enrolled in them, so a borrower leaving SAVE cannot pick them now.

Why the lowest payment is not the cheapest plan

Clocks differ

RAP forgives after 30 years, new-borrower IBR and PAYE after 20, ICR and older IBR after 25. A lower payment for ten more years usually costs more in total.

Interest differs

RAP waives the interest your payment does not cover. IBR, PAYE and ICR do not, so a small payment on those plans lets the balance grow.

Forgiveness is taxed

Balances forgiven under any of the four are taxable income in the year of forgiveness, unless forgiven through PSLF. The ranking adds a 22% tax to make the comparison honest.

Switching has a cost

Leaving IBR capitalizes unpaid interest. Time on RAP does not count toward IBR forgiveness. The plan you pick this fall is the one you should be able to stay on.

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

Every plan, your numbers, ranked.

The free ranking runs all four income-driven plans and the fixed ones on your income and loans, with the math shown and every rule sourced. Positions 2 onward are free; the kit with the pre-filled form is $29.

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Sources

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