Student Loan RAP and PSLF

Compare standard repayment, RAP and RAP with public-service forgiveness, including scheduled payment dates and forgiveness taxes.

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Your loans and income

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Use combined AGI when filing jointly; use your own AGI when filing separately. This estimate assumes no allocation to a spouse's separate loans. Use the income your servicer will use.

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Enter your servicer-confirmed RAP credit toward 360 payments. The separate PSLF count goes below.

Dates and standard plan

Payments continue on this day each month, clamped to month-end when needed. Daily interest accrues on unpaid principal between those dates. All payments are full and on time.

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Use the original aggregate Direct Loan balance when entering repayment. For an older consolidation, use the servicer's term-setting total, including qualifying other student loans. Enter months already used from the permitted standard repayment period; changing plans does not automatically restart it. This is one fixed-rate balance, not a loan-by-loan quote.

Public service credit

Payments during the gap still count toward RAP, but not PSLF. PSLF requires 120 qualifying monthly payments, qualifying full-time employment (generally at least 30 hours weekly), and qualifying employment when applying. This planner assumes prompt application and approval after eligibility; it does not predict processing time or certify an employer.

Forgiveness tax assumptions

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Under current federal law, ordinary RAP forgiveness is generally taxable; PSLF is federally excluded. These are assumed effective rates on the forgiven balance, not a future tax return. State rates are manual: zero means you assume an exclusion or no tax. Future law, insolvency exclusions and deductible-interest adjustments can change the result.

Standard plan

10-year maximum; 120 months available.

Standard monthly payment$444.09
Standard total paid$53,289.48
Standard forgiveness$0
Standard forgiveness tax$0

Payoff: Oct 1, 2036. No forgiveness.

RAP

Starting monthly payment$225.00
RAP total paid$61,905.88
RAP balance forgiven$0.00
RAP federal forgiveness tax$0.00
RAP state forgiveness tax$0.00
RAP paid plus forgiveness tax$61,905.88

Payoff: Apr 1, 2040 (162 future payments).

RAP + PSLF

PSLF path starting payment$225.00
PSLF path total paid$39,823.08
PSLF path balance forgiven$19,805.67
PSLF path federal forgiveness tax$0.00
PSLF path state forgiveness tax$0.00
PSLF path paid plus forgiveness tax$39,823.08

PSLF eligible: Oct 1, 2036 (120 future payments; 120 PSLF credits).

Balance over time

Balances include prior accrued interest and fall to zero when paid or forgiven. All totals are nominal dollars; tax is added at forgiveness and is not discounted.

RAP assistance

Interest waived$0.00
Government principal matching$414.00

Original fixed-term comparison

Fixed comparison monthly payment$444.08
Fixed comparison total paid$53,289.91

This original comparison always uses monthly interest, starts a fresh selected term, and combines prior interest with principal. It preserves older scenarios; it does not establish eligibility for that repayment term.

RAP by year

YearMonthly paymentPaidInterest waivedPrincipal matchPrincipal leftPrior interest left
1$225$2,700$0$284$39,400$0
2$235$2,817$0$131$38,800$0
3$245$2,937$0$0$38,173$0
4$314$3,772$0$0$36,651$0
5$327$3,921$0$0$34,880$0
6$340$4,075$0$0$32,843$0
7$353$4,233$0$0$30,517$0
8$366$4,396$0$0$27,881$0
9$449$5,387$0$0$24,063$0
10$465$5,585$0$0$19,806$0
11$482$5,788$0$0$15,077$0
12$500$5,998$0$0$9,841$0
13$595$7,141$0$0$3,108$0
14$616$3,156$0$0$0$0
How it works›

RAP payments, assistance and dates. RAP applies one income percentage to all AGI, a $50 monthly reduction per dependent other than a spouse, and a $10 minimum. Full on-time payments cover current interest, then prior interest, then principal. Unpaid current interest is waived; principal matching brings principal reduction to the lesser of your payment or $50. Annual recertification changes AGI once every 12 modeled payments. RAP forgiveness follows 360 servicer-credited qualifying months. Monthly APR/12 is the compatibility default. Daily actual/actual divides each day's interest by 365 or 366; the separate 365.25 option matches Edfinancial's $20,000 at 4.5% for 30 days = $73.92 example. Neither reconstructs irregular servicer activity, fees or missed payments.Edfinancial: RAPEdfinancial: daily interest example34 CFR 685.209: RAP

Standard repayment term. With no Direct Loan received on or after July 1, 2026, ordinary standard repayment has a 10-year maximum. An eligible older consolidation entering repayment from July 2006 uses a 10/12/15/20/25/30-year term at $7,500/$10,000/$20,000/$40,000/$60,000 boundaries. Any Direct Loan received from July 2026 uses the tiered 10/15/20/25-year standard at $25,000/$50,000/$100,000 boundaries. The term uses the original servicer-defined aggregate balance; months already used reduce the available period. The payment solver uses the selected interest convention, a $50 floor, and noncapitalized prior interest. Older pre-July-2006 consolidation and variable-rate schedules require separate servicer review.34 CFR 685.208: fixed repayment plansEdfinancial: repayment options

PSLF employment and credited payments. RAP is a qualifying repayment plan for PSLF. The model uses your confirmed count and credits one payment per month of qualifying full-time employment, excluding one entered employment gap. Payments continue during that gap. After 120 qualifying payments, qualifying employment must also exist when applying. If the balance is paid off first, PSLF forgives nothing; if RAP forgiveness arrives first, its tax treatment applies. Approval, processing time, employer certification, buyback, deferment and forbearance credits are outside this estimate.34 CFR 685.219: PSLFFederal Student Aid: PSLF

Forgiveness tax under current law. IRC 108(f)(1) retains the service-based federal exclusion applicable to PSLF. Public Law 119-21 section 70119 replaced 108(f)(5) with a death/disability exclusion for discharges after 2025, not a blanket IDR exclusion. Ordinary RAP forgiveness is therefore modeled as federally taxable; PSLF federal tax is zero. Enter assumed effective federal/state rates on the forgiven balance. This does not calculate future brackets, state conformity, insolvency exclusions or deductible-interest adjustments; future law may differ.Public Law 119-21, section 70119IRS: IRC 108(f)(1) service exclusionIRS Taxpayer Advocate: forgiveness and taxes (March 2026)