Debts Doctor
Updated for the 2026 repayment plans

Your loans, your career path, your numbers

Compare federal repayment plans — including the new RAP — and see your projected net worth at 10, 20, 30, and 40 years. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

Your details

Estimates are fine — you can adjust anytime.

Loans

Income & training

Salaries are assumed to grow 3% per year.

Taxes & family

Your spouse is counted automatically through filing status: they add to family size for the poverty-line deduction either way, and their income raises income-driven payments only when you file jointly. Spouse income always counts toward household net worth.

Savings & investing

Your savings keep a six-month emergency fund in cash; everything beyond that is invested automatically.

Your results will appear here

Fill in your details and hit Calculate to compare Standard, RAP, IBR, and PAYE — payments, payoff or forgiveness, and your projected net worth over 40 years.

Model assumptions & data sources
  • Plans modeled: Standard (10-year; tiered 10–25 years for new borrowers by balance), IBR (10% of discretionary income, 20-year forgiveness), PAYE (same formula; closed to new enrollment, sunsets 2028), and RAP (1–10% of AGI by bracket, $50/month per dependent credit, $10 minimum, unpaid interest waived, up to $50/month principal match, 30-year forgiveness).
  • Poverty guidelines: 2026 HHS figures ($15,960 + $5,680 per additional household member, 48 states + DC). Discretionary income = AGI − 150% of the guideline.
  • Filing status & spouse: Joint filing includes spouse income in the AGI used for payment math; filing separately (or single) uses your income only. A spouse is never entered as a dependent — if you're married, they're automatically counted in family size for the poverty-line deduction, and their income is always included in household income for the net worth projections regardless of filing status.
  • Income: salaries grow 3% annually; attending salary starts after your residency/fellowship years. IDR payments recalculate annually.
  • Interest: accrues monthly on principal (simple interest). Payments cover interest first, then principal. Unpaid interest accumulates without compounding — except under RAP, where it's waived.
  • Savings model: each year you save your chosen % of after-tax income remaining after loan payments — so plans with higher payments leave less to save and invest, and that difference compounds. Cash acts as an emergency fund holding six months of spending; every saved dollar beyond that cushion is invested. Cash grows 1%/yr, investments at your chosen return. Net worth = cash + investments − remaining loan balance.
  • Purchasing power: "today's dollars" figures deflate future net worth by an assumed 2.5% annual inflation rate.
  • Not modeled: grace periods, PSLF, loan consolidation, taxes on investment gains, or taxes on forgiven balances. Repayment is assumed to start now and every payment is made on time.

The repayment landscape changed in 2026

SAVE was eliminated, RAP launched July 1, 2026, and PAYE/ICR are closed to new enrollment and sunset in 2028. Former SAVE borrowers must move to a new plan — no later than July 1, 2028, and you'll be reassigned automatically if you don't choose. Official details at studentaid.gov →

Disclaimer: This calculator is an educational tool, not financial advice. We've done our best to model federal repayment plans accurately, but we make no guarantee of accuracy or completeness, and we are not responsible for decisions made based on these estimates. Projections depend on the assumptions you enter and on simplified models of plans whose rules change over time. Always confirm current plan terms with your loan servicer and studentaid.gov before making decisions.