New, for loans made on or after July 1, 2026
Tiered Standard
A fixed payment whose term depends on your balance: 10, 15, 20 or 25 years.
See where it ranks for you, free Two minutes, your own numbers, every plan side by side.
- Payment
- A level payment over 10 years for balances under $25,000, 15 years to $50,000, 20 years to $100,000, 25 years above that.
- Who qualifies
- Loans made on or after July 1, 2026, and borrowers who consolidate on or after that date.
- Forgiveness
- None.
- Interest
- All interest is paid over the term.
- PSLF
- Not treated as a qualifying plan in this ranking; confirm with the PSLF Help Tool before relying on it.
- Taxes
- Nothing is forgiven, so nothing is taxed.
- How to apply
- Request it from your servicer. Borrowers with post-2026 loans who choose nothing are placed on it.
- Leaving it
- RAP is the alternative for these loans.
- Dates
- Since July 1, 2026.
Good for
- A predictable payment on a newer loan
Watch out
- Longer terms mean more interest
- No forgiveness
Where Tiered 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. Every position is free, with the math; the kit to switch is $29.
Rank my plans, freeSources
- Public Law 119-21, the 2025 reconciliation act (student loan title) Congress.gov
- Next steps for borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan (press release) U.S. Department of Education
- Repayment plans 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
- Standard 10-yearThe default when you choose nothing
- 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
Guides
- SAVE is ending: what to do in your 90 daysThe dates, the options, what the default costs
- RAP vs IBRRule by rule, with numbers for four borrowers
- PSLF and the SAVE exitWhich plans count, which to pick
- Married: file jointly or separatelyThe same couple, both ways
- Parent PLUS loansWhat is still open, what consolidating changes
- Your servicer's noticeMOHELA, Nelnet, Aidvantage, Edfinancial
- How the ranking worksThe rules, the math, what it assumes, what it never does
- RAP calculatorThe formula, the brackets, four borrowers' payments
- IBR calculatorDiscretionary income, the 10% or 15%, the cap
- IDR calculator, every planRAP, IBR, PAYE and ICR on the same income
- Forgiveness in 2026What is left, when it comes, who pays the tax
- The best repayment planRanked for four borrowers, and what the default costs
- How to apply for RAPWhat to have ready, the screens, the answers