Income-Driven Repayment Calculator

What this estimates

Income-driven repayment (IDR) is the umbrella term for the federal plans that set your student-loan payment from your income instead of your balance. This tool answers one focused question: what would my monthly payment be on each of them?

That's a different question from "should I pay my loans off or wait for forgiveness?" — which weighs total lifetime cost across 20+ years. If that's what you're after, use the student loan payoff calculator, which compares Standard, Extended, and IDR on total interest and the amount forgiven. This page is the payment estimator; that one is the payoff comparison.

The plans, side by side

There are four income-driven plans, and they differ on two levers: how much income they shield (the poverty-line multiple) and what share of the rest they charge.

• SAVE — shields 225% of the poverty line and charges 5% of discretionary income on undergraduate debt (10% on graduate). The most generous formula — but blocked by the courts since 2024, so you can't enroll today. Shown for reference.
• PAYE — shields 150%, charges 10%, caps the payment at the Standard 10-year amount, forgives at 20 years.
• IBR — shields 150%; 10% and 20-year forgiveness for borrowers who took their first loan after July 2014, 15% and 25 years for earlier borrowers. Also capped at the Standard payment.
• ICR — shields only 100% of the poverty line and charges 20%, so it's usually the most expensive. Mostly relevant for Parent PLUS borrowers who consolidate.

How the payment is calculated

Every plan runs the same two steps:

discretionary = AGI − (multiplier × poverty_guideline(family_size, state))
monthly       = (rate × discretionary) / 12

The multiplier is 1.5 for IBR and PAYE, 2.25 for SAVE, and 1.0 for ICR. The rate is the plan's share of discretionary income (5–20%). The 2025 federal poverty guideline for a household of one is $15,650 in the contiguous states, higher in Alaska and Hawaii, plus $5,500 per additional family member.

Two inputs move the answer more than people expect. Family size raises the shielded amount, so every dependent lowers the payment. And tax filing status: file separately from your spouse and most plans count only your income — often the single largest lever on the number, at the cost of a higher combined tax bill.

Your IDR payment is a function of income and family size — not what you borrowed.

How to use this

1. Enter your AGI — adjusted gross income, line 11 of your most recent federal return. IDR uses AGI, not gross salary.
2. Set your filing status and family size. If you're married, try toggling jointly versus separately to see how much your spouse's income changes the payment.
3. Pick your state band. Alaska and Hawaii have higher poverty guidelines, which lowers the payment slightly.
4. Choose your loan type. Undergraduate-only debt gets SAVE's lower 5% rate and a 20-year forgiveness clock; graduate debt is 10% and 25 years.
5. Optionally add your balance and rate. That lets the calculator apply the Standard-payment cap on IBR and PAYE (see below). Leave it blank if you're only after the formula payment.

The Standard-payment cap

IBR and PAYE include a borrower protection: your payment is never more than what you'd pay on the Standard 10-year plan, no matter how high your income climbs. So a high earner with a small balance can see their "10% of discretionary income" figure capped down to the ordinary amortizing payment. That cap only kicks in when you give the calculator a balance and interest rate; without them, the tool shows the uncapped formula payment and notes that it can't apply the cap.

SAVE and ICR have no Standard cap — their payment is purely the income formula (ICR also compares against a 12-year amortization factor we approximate).

What this calculator doesn't model

• PSLF specifically. Public Service Loan Forgiveness forgives the balance after 120 qualifying IDR payments (10 years) in eligible employment. The monthly payment is the same IDR number shown here; the forgiveness timeline is what differs.
• The ICR income-factor table. ICR's true payment is the lesser of the 20% rule and an income-weighted 12-year amortization. We model the 20% rule, which is the binding one for most borrowers.
• Annual recertification. Payments are recomputed each year from your latest income and family size. The figure here is a snapshot at the numbers you enter, not a 20-year projection.
• Interest subsidies and capitalization. Some plans waived unpaid interest (SAVE notably, before its injunction). This estimator is payment-only and doesn't track the balance over time.
• The tax treatment of forgiveness. Balances forgiven under IDR may be taxed as income depending on the year and your state. The payoff calculator covers the forgiveness math.