Consolidating federal loans under the 2026 rules
A consolidation loan made on or after July 1, 2026 is a new loan and closes IBR for good. When it still helps, and what it does to your rate and PSLF count.
Built on the rules in force since July 1, 2026
Which repayment plan costs you the least?
Put in your loans and your income. You'll see the monthly payment and the total you'd pay under RAP, IBR, Tiered Standard and Standard, when PSLF could forgive the rest if you qualify, and what refinancing would cost you in federal protections.
StudentLoan.help is independent. It is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid or any loan servicer. Applying for a repayment plan, consolidation or PSLF is free at StudentAid.gov.
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Repayment calculator
Your plans, side by side
Enter at least one loan balance and rate to see your payments.
What changed on July 1, 2026
Two new plans arrived and the old menu started to close. Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025, created the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), an income-driven plan that charges 1% to 10% of your income, and the Tiered Standard plan, a fixed payment over 10 to 25 years depending on how much you owe.
Which plans you can use depends on when your loans were made. If every federal loan you have was made before July 1, 2026, you keep the older options, including Income-Based Repayment and the 10-year Standard plan, and you can also choose RAP. If any loan was made on or after July 1, 2026, including a new consolidation loan, your choices narrow to RAP and Tiered Standard. The calculator applies that rule from your answer to “When were your federal loans first paid out?”
How to read your results
The plan with the lowest monthly payment is often not the one with the lowest total cost. RAP and IBR keep payments low when your income is low, but they can run for 20 to 30 years. A standard plan costs more each month and usually less overall. If you work full time for a government or 501(c)(3) employer, the comparison flips: under Public Service Loan Forgiveness whatever is left after 120 qualifying payments is forgiven tax free, so the lowest payment usually wins.
Every formula, and every assumption the calculator makes about your future income, is written out on How the calculator works.
Guides for the situation you are in
Getting out of student loan default in 2026
How default works, what collections are paused right now, and how rehabilitation and consolidation get a federal loan back in good standing.
Leaving the SAVE plan
SAVE is over. When your 90-day clock starts, what happens if you don't choose, and how RAP, IBR and Standard compare for former SAVE borrowers.
What Parent PLUS borrowers can still do
Parent PLUS loans can't use RAP. Which plans parents keep, the one-payment ICR step that keeps IBR open until 2028, the new borrowing caps, and discharge rules.
PSLF employer questions, answered
Which employers count for PSLF, what full time means, contractors and second jobs, the vacated 2025 employer rule, and which plans count now.
What refinancing federal loans trades away
When refinancing student loans into a private loan saves money, when it doesn't, and the federal protections you give up for good. With a worked example.
The Repayment Assistance Plan, line by line
How RAP payments are calculated from your AGI and dependents, what happens to unpaid interest, the $50 principal match, and when the balance is forgiven.
Is that student loan relief company a scam?
Everything these companies sell is free from the Department of Education. The warning signs, recent FTC cases, and what to do if you already signed up or paid.
Questions people ask
What is the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)?
RAP is the income-driven plan Congress created in Public Law 119-21. It opened July 1, 2026. Your payment is 1% to 10% of your adjusted gross income, depending on how much you earn, minus $50 a month for each dependent, with a $10 minimum. Interest your payment doesn't cover is waived, and any balance left after 360 qualifying payments is forgiven.
I was on SAVE. What happens to me now?
SAVE has ended, and every borrower still on it has to move to another plan within 90 days of their servicer's notice. If you borrowed before July 1, 2026 you can generally choose RAP, IBR or a standard plan. The calculator compares them on your numbers, and the Leaving SAVE guide covers the deadlines.
Is the calculator's answer the same as my servicer's?
It should be close, not identical. Your servicer uses your exact tax return, the date each loan entered repayment, and the interest already accrued. The calculator assumes your income grows at the rate you set and that you never miss a payment. Use it to choose a plan, then confirm the payment with your servicer or studentaid.gov.
Does refinancing ever make sense for federal loans?
Sometimes, if you earn a lot, don't work for the government or a 501(c)(3), and have an offer well below your federal rate. It never makes sense if you're heading for PSLF, because private loans don't qualify and the move can't be undone.