The default when you choose nothing
Standard 10-year
The same payment every month for ten years. Where SAVE borrowers land if they choose nothing.
See where it ranks for you, free Two minutes, your own numbers, every plan side by side.
- Payment
- A level payment that clears the balance in 120 months at your rate. It does not change with income.
- Who qualifies
- Loans made before July 1, 2026. Later loans use the Tiered Standard plan.
- Forgiveness
- None. The balance is paid in full.
- Interest
- All interest is paid; nothing accrues unpaid because the payment always covers it.
- PSLF
- Qualifies, though a 10-year plan pays the loan off in the same 120 payments, so little is left to forgive.
- Taxes
- Nothing is forgiven, so nothing is taxed.
- How to apply
- Request it from your servicer, online or with the Repayment Plan Request form. Borrowers who do nothing are placed on it when the 90-day window closes.
- Leaving it
- You can move to an income-driven plan at any time; confirming Standard yourself avoids a surprise bill date.
- Dates
- No end date.
Good for
- Balances small against income, where the payment is affordable and the total is lowest
- Paying off fast
Watch out
- The highest monthly payment of the fixed plans
- No forgiveness
Where Standard lands for you depends on your numbers.
Right Repay runs every plan on your income, household, balance and loan dates, ranks them on all-in cost, and shows the math. Positions 2 onward are free; the kit to switch is $29.
Rank my plans, freeSources
- 34 CFR 685.208, repayment plans Code of Federal Regulations
- Repayment plans Federal Student Aid
- Next steps for borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan (press release) U.S. Department of Education
- Repayment Plan Request for Standard, Graduated and Extended (PDF) Federal Student Aid
Which plan is right for you depends on your income, your balance and your loans' dates.
Rank every plan for me, freeThe other plans
- Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)New, since July 1, 2026
- Income-Based Repayment (IBR)Open, permanent for loans made before July 2026
- Graduated 10-yearOpen
- Extended 25-yearOpen, for more than $30,000 in Direct Loans
- Pay As You Earn (PAYE)Closing: ends by July 1, 2028
- Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR)Closing: ends by July 1, 2028
- Tiered StandardNew, for loans made on or after July 1, 2026