78%
Will the 2027 HHS poverty guideline for one person in the 48 contiguous states and DC be at least $16,400?
Forecast 2026-10-21 · resolves by 2027-02-28
Loans · Tool
Compare RAP, IBR and Tiered Standard on a resident's income
Compare federal repayment plans on a resident's income and an attending's, using the rules in effect since July 1, 2026. Your numbers stay in your browser.
Comparison
| Plan | Monthly, year 1 | Monthly, attending | Total paid | Real cost | Ends | Forgiven |
|---|
Balance over time
Show as a table
What would change your cost
Change in real cost (payments in today's dollars plus tax on forgiveness) if one thing about your situation is different. Negative means it would cost you less.
Scenarios reflect 2026 conditions: Medicare cut work RVUs for procedures in 2026 and has proposed a lower 2027 conversion factor; forgiveness outside PSLF is taxable again; new loan rates track the 10-year Treasury yield. Pre-tax saving also builds retirement savings, which this table doesn't count.
A comparison, not a recommendation. Your servicer's figures govern. Forgiveness outside PSLF is federally taxable for discharges after 2025; real cost includes an estimate of that tax at the rate you enter. Confirm employer eligibility with the PSLF Help Tool on studentaid.gov.
Assumptions and rules used
- Single tax filer, or married filing separately with no spousal loans.
- One weighted interest rate on all loans, all unsubsidized.
- Every payment is on time and in full; no deferment or forbearance months.
- Each year's payment uses the previous year's AGI, as servicers do.
- Total paid is in nominal dollars. Real cost discounts each payment to today at your discount rate and adds the estimated tax on forgiveness outside PSLF, which has been federally taxable since 2026.
- A spouse's income, if entered, is added to AGI every year as if filing jointly and held flat; a spouse's own loans are not modeled.
- Poverty guidelines are held at their 2026 values.
- Under IBR, unpaid interest capitalizes once, when the payment first reaches the 10-year standard cap.
- RAP: 10 AGI brackets from 1% to 10%, applied to your whole AGI; $50 off per dependent; $10 minimum; unpaid interest waived; up to $50 a month principal match; forgiveness after 360 payments.
- IBR: 10% (15% if you borrowed before July 2014) of AGI above 150% of the poverty guideline, capped at the 10-year standard payment.
- Tiered Standard: fixed payment over 10–25 years depending on balance; does not count toward PSLF.
Rules as of 2026-10-21. Sources and what changed in 2026 →
Which plans can you use?
It depends on when your Direct Loans were made. If every loan was made before July 1, 2026, you can choose RAP, IBR or a standard plan, and switch between them. Once you have any Direct Loan made on or after July 1, 2026, including a consolidation loan, all your loans go to RAP or Tiered Standard, and IBR is no longer available.
That makes consolidation a decision with consequences: consolidating on or after July 1, 2026, for example to end a grace period early, closes IBR for everything you owe.
SAVE ended: what residents on SAVE do now
A court order ended the SAVE plan on March 10, 2026. Starting July 1, 2026, servicers began sending each SAVE borrower a notice with at least 90 days to choose a new plan. Borrowers who don't choose are placed in the Standard plan, or Tiered Standard if they have newer loans. Both have fixed payments that don't follow income, and Tiered Standard payments don't count toward PSLF. Compare the plans above before your deadline.
Outlook: rule changes ahead
Dated forecasts, scored when they resolve. All forecasts and the track record →
82%
Will new graduate and professional Direct Unsubsidized loans for 2027–28 carry an interest rate above 2026–27's 8.07%?
Forecast 2026-10-21 · resolves by 2027-06-30
6%
Will a federal appeals court reinstate the 2025 PSLF employer-eligibility rule, by reversing or staying the vacatur, by June 30, 2027?
Forecast 2026-10-21 · resolves by 2027-06-30
Worked examples
$250,000 at 8.07%, three more years of training at $70,000, then $300,000 rising 2% a year, single filer. The first year of payments uses a student year's income of $0.
Loans all made before July 1, 2026, private-practice career
| Plan | First-year monthly | Total paid | Real cost | Ends after | Forgiven |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | $10 | $403,749 | $302,074 | 15 yr 9 mo | $0 |
| IBR | $0 | $532,539 | $386,080 | 20 yr | $66,619 (taxable) |
| Standard | $3,042 | $365,093 | $315,081 | 10 yr | $0 |
Loans all made before July 1, 2026, 10 years at a nonprofit hospital (PSLF)
| Plan | First-year monthly | Total paid | Real cost | Ends after | Forgiven |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | $10 | $201,964 | $164,986 | 10 yr | $160,655 (PSLF, tax-free) |
| IBR | $0 | $188,698 | $154,349 | 10 yr | $263,052 (PSLF, tax-free) |
| Standard | $3,042 | $365,093 | $315,081 | 10 yr | $0 |
Any loan made on or after July 1, 2026
| Plan | First-year monthly | Total paid | Real cost | Ends after | Forgiven |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | $10 | $403,749 | $302,074 | 15 yr 9 mo | $0 |
| Tiered Standard | $1,941 | $582,344 | $409,342 | 25 yr | $0 |
Total paid is nominal. Real cost discounts payments to today at 3% and adds tax on forgiveness outside PSLF at 35%. Your servicer's figures govern.
Common questions
Do residency forbearance months count toward PSLF?
No. Mandatory residency forbearance is available 12 months at a time, but those months count toward neither PSLF nor plan forgiveness, and interest accrues. Payments on RAP or IBR during residency do count if your employer qualifies.
Does RAP count toward PSLF?
Yes. On-time, full RAP payments count. Under RAP, months in deferment or forbearance never count toward PSLF.
Does Tiered Standard count toward PSLF?
The Department of Education says Tiered Standard payments do not count toward PSLF.
Why is my first RAP payment so low?
RAP uses the adjusted gross income on your most recent tax return. For most new residents that is a student year with little or no income, so the payment is the $10 minimum until the next recertification.