Lowest Total Cost
N/AEnter debt and income to compare modeled total cost.
Compare repayment paths
Start in Simple mode. Enter debt, timing, income, and any private loan layer. Then compare RAP, PAYE, New IBR, Old IBR, Standard, refinancing, and PSLF-style outcomes.
Important limitation
This is an educational planning model, not legal, tax, or individualized financial advice. Small date and rate changes can move projected cost by tens of thousands of dollars before your first real payment.
Results depend on graduation timing, repayment timing, filing status, interest accrual, and whether you take any new Direct Loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026.
Pick a starting point
Load a realistic baseline, then adjust the inputs that differ.
Plain-English Readout
Use this first. Pick a scenario above, then adjust the numbers below.
Lowest Year-1 Payment
N/AEnter debt and income to compare the first year payment stack.
Earliest Exit
N/AEnter debt and income to compare the earliest modeled finish.
Biggest Pressure Point
N/AEnter debt and dates to see the main constraint this scenario creates.
Calculator mode
Simple mode keeps the core borrower and household inputs visible. Advanced adds timing overrides, refinance assumptions, prior-borrower rules, and manual income paths.
Borrower Profile
Start with debt and income. Dates refine the result.
Private loan layer (optional)
Key dates
Most borrowers only need their graduation date and the month repayment actually begins. The calculator auto-models a typical dental-school first disbursement unless you override it.
Repayment start matters for both pre-repayment interest and the July 1, 2028 PAYE transition timing.
RAP is modeled with a $50 monthly reduction per qualifying dependent. This is broader than only children under 17.
If checked, the calculator models the whole Direct Loan bucket as RAP plus the new tiered standard term. CRS and federal summaries treat new post-Jul 1, 2026 borrowing as collapsing legacy IDR access for that borrower.
Household + Assumptions
Refi assumption
Auto mode uses a conservative high-rate stress baseline for refinancing scenarios.
Borrower income growth
Spouse income growth
Notes: This planning model is educational. It uses simplified assumptions and should not be treated as tax, legal, or individualized financial advice.
Borrower Snapshot (Year 1)
- AGI
- $0
- Federal debt at repayment start
- $0
- Private debt at repayment start
- $0
- Timeline modeled
- N/A
- Federal accrual before repayment
- 0 years
- Private accrual before repayment
- 0 years
- Total debt-to-income
- 0%
Household Snapshot (Year 1)
- Household AGI
- $0
- Combined debt at repayment start
- $0
- Combined debt-to-income
- 0%
Repayment Basis (Year 1)
- IDR income used
- $0
- Filing status used
- Single
- Standard monthly (modeled term)
- $0
- Private monthly payment
- $0
- Double-whammy monthly (Std + Private)
- $0
Show full repayment strategy table
Repayment Strategy Summary
| Plan | Total Paid | Forgiven Balance | Tax on Forgiven Debt | Total Cost | Present Value | Year Forgiven/Paid Off | Save/Month for Tax Bomb | Year 1 Federal + Private Monthly | Year 1 Double-Whammy Annual Outflow |
|---|
Show year-by-year payments and balances
Year-by-Year Payments and Balances
Monthly payment by year
Double-whammy monthly (Federal + Private)
Ending balance by year
Show private-loan-only chart
Private Loans Only Annual Chart
OBBBA Quick Policy Snapshot (Updated March 2026)
For federal loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) makes material changes to loan limits and repayment options.
- Professional programs (including Dentistry D.D.S./D.M.D. under current ED consensus language) are generally modeled at a $50,000 annual and $200,000 aggregate federal limit.
- Graduate non-professional programs are generally modeled at $20,500 annual and $100,000 aggregate.
- Parent PLUS limits are tightened to $20,000 annual and $65,000 lifetime per dependent student.
- The law also sets an overall lifetime federal borrowing cap of $257,500 across federal loan types for a single borrower (excluding Parent PLUS borrowed as a parent).
- Repayment options for new loans are simplified to Standard + RAP on the statutory rollout timeline.
- If a borrower takes any new Direct Loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, this calculator models the whole Direct Loan bucket as Standard + RAP only under current federal summaries.
For timeline details, transition rules, and methodology assumptions, see the calculator methodology and legislation watch.
Model Notes and Benchmarks
This calculator is a planning model and not tax/legal advice. For assumptions, benchmark scenarios, and known limitations, see the calculator methodology page.
Default borrower AGI is set to $208,000 as a dentist-income benchmark (using ADA 2024 average net-income data as a proxy for planning AGI).
Credits + Policy Tracking
We credit Student Loan Planner for helping set the bar on practical student-loan scenario tooling.
For borrower-focused coverage of fast-moving federal loan policy, we track Adam S. Minsky's Forbes reporting and cross-check against official federal sources.
Single borrower, $200k debt, $208k AGI, 6.8% federal rate. Compare RAP/PAYE/IBR vs 10-year standard and refi.
Married filing jointly with spouse income and debt included to stress-test IDR payment apportionment logic.