Average Student Loan Debt by Degree Level
Source: Education Data Initiative, 2025
Compare repayment plans, estimate forgiveness, analyze extra payments, and plan your payoff strategy for federal and private student loans.
Income is required for income-driven repayment plan calculations. Poverty guidelines reference: 2025 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Side-by-side comparison of all available repayment plans. Income-driven plans require income input above.
| Plan | Monthly Payment | Total Paid | Total Interest | Payoff Time | Forgiveness |
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| Click "Calculate All Plans" to see results | |||||
See how extra monthly payments reduce your total cost and payoff time on the Standard 10-year plan.
Estimate your forgiveness under PSLF. You must work full-time for a qualifying employer and make 120 qualifying payments.
Enter a new rate and term to compare refinancing vs. your current loan on the Standard plan.
Monthly payment breakdown for the Standard 10-year repayment plan.
| # | Payment | Principal | Interest | Balance |
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| Calculate to view schedule | ||||
Visual comparison of remaining balance across repayment plans.
Student loan repayment can feel overwhelming, but understanding your options is the first step toward a manageable payoff strategy. Federal student loans offer several repayment plans designed to fit different financial situations.
The Standard Repayment Plan spreads your payments evenly over 10 years with fixed monthly amounts. This is the default plan and results in the lowest total interest paid among all options. The Graduated Plan starts with lower payments that increase every two years over 10 years, designed for borrowers who expect their income to grow. The Extended Plan stretches payments over 25 years, reducing monthly amounts but increasing total interest significantly.
Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans tie your monthly payment to your income and family size. These plans offer forgiveness of any remaining balance after 20 or 25 years of payments. The four IDR options - IBR, PAYE, REPAYE/SAVE, and ICR - each have slightly different eligibility requirements and payment calculations, but all use a percentage of your discretionary income (the difference between your adjusted gross income and 150% of the federal poverty guideline for your family size and state).
Comprehensive overview of the federal and private student loan system, history, and repayment options.
Technical discussions about amortization formulas and repayment calculation methods.
Video tutorials on choosing the right repayment plan and paying off student loans faster.
Official U.S. Department of Education resource for all federal repayment plan details.
This student loan calculator works in all modern browsers with full functionality:
All calculations run entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
Recently Updated: March 2026 — Updated poverty guidelines and repayment plan calculations. Last updated: March 20, 2026.
Source: Education Data Initiative, 2025
A comprehensive overview of student loan repayment strategies and income-driven plan options.
I've spent a lot of time building this student loan calculator because I don't think repayment planning should be confusing. When I tested the math against actual federal loan servicer numbers, I found the results matched within a few dollars. It won't replace a financial advisor, but it can't hurt to run your own numbers first. If your employer doesn't offer student loan assistance, you'll want to compare IDR plans carefully. Most borrowers don't realize how much interest can pile up, and this tool doesn't hide that from you.
This calculator was designed with pagespeed as a primary goal, achieving sub-second load times with no external dependencies. Our testing involved validating amortization calculations against official federal loan servicer repayment schedules. The original research behind the IDR plan modeling uses 2025 federal poverty guidelines and current income-driven repayment formulas. All calculations run client-side and have been tested in Chrome 134, Firefox, Safari, and Edge for full browser compatibility.
Student loan repayment strategies are frequently discussed on Hacker News and personal finance communities. For developers building financial tools, the financial package on npm provides amortization and time-value-of-money functions that pair well with loan calculation engines.
Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans set your monthly payment based on your discretionary income and family size. The four main IDR plans are Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE/SAVE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). Monthly payments range from 10% to 20% of discretionary income, and any remaining balance is forgiven after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after you make 120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years) while working full-time for a qualifying employer such as government organizations or 501(c)(3) nonprofits. You must be on an income-driven repayment plan or the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan, and payments must be made on time. The forgiven amount is tax-free under PSLF.
Refinancing can save money if you qualify for a lower interest rate, but it comes with trade-offs. Refinancing federal loans with a private lender means losing access to federal benefits like income-driven repayment plans, loan forgiveness programs, and deferment or forbearance options. Refinancing makes most sense for private loans or for borrowers who do not need federal protections and can secure a significantly lower rate.
Extra payments reduce your principal balance faster, which means less interest accrues over the life of the loan. For example, adding $100 per month to a $35,000 loan at 5.5% interest on the standard 10-year plan could save over $2,500 in interest and pay off the loan nearly 2 years early. The earlier you start making extra payments, the more you save.
Subsidized loans are available to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need, and the government pays the interest while you are in school at least half-time, during the grace period, and during deferment. Unsubsidized loans are available to all students regardless of need, but interest accrues from the date of disbursement. Unsubsidized loans generally have the same interest rate as subsidized loans but cost more overall because of the additional interest.
The Student Loan Calculator lets you calculate student loan payments, interest, and repayment timelines. Whether you're a professional, student, or hobbyist, this tool is designed to save you time and deliver accurate results without requiring any downloads or sign-ups.
Built by Michael Lip, this tool runs 100% client-side in your browser. No data is ever uploaded or sent to any server, ensuring complete privacy and security for all your inputs.