Selecting the best repayment plan requires more than just finding the one with the lowest monthly payment. Each one has unique features that can be positive or negative. The trick is to understand the differences between them.

Today, we will take a deep dive into federal student loan repayment plans. We will cover the repayment schedule, rules, and regulations for each repayment plan. Then, we will explore who could benefit from that particular payment plan.

Repayment Basics

We will first review a few basic concepts helpful in understanding federal student loan repayment.

Federal Student Loan Servicers

The company paid by the government to collect your federal loans is your student loan servicer. The servicer is supposed to guide borrowers through repayment options, including plan selection. However, they don’t always offer the best advice.

Loan servicers can be a valuable source of information, and working with them is essential for making payments. However, it can be a big mistake to rely entirely upon federal student loan servicers. There have been multiple lawsuits brought against loan servicers for failing borrowers.

If you are unsure which lender services your federal student loans, the Department of Education tracks up-to-date records on the servicer(s) assigned to your loans.

Repayment is the Goal

Much of this article will cover the minimum payment requirements on various plans. Selecting the repayment plan with the lowest minimum monthly payment can have significant advantages. But, it’s important to remember that most borrowers will have to pay back their loans in full with interest.

Making the smallest payment possible can result in maximum interest spending. For this reason, borrowers shouldn’t just seek out the “best” federal repayment plan. Instead, they should come up with a strategy for debt elimination. The goal should be to eliminate student loans while spending as little as possible. Merely delaying payments will only increase the cost of the debt.

The Loan Simulator

One of the most valuable resources for federal borrowers is the Loan Simulator. This tool lets you use your actual loan information to estimate your payments on various repayment plans. It isn’t a perfect resource. It has to make certain assumptions about you, your loans, and your repayment. However, it does a decent job of helping people consider how the different repayment plans would work in their circumstances.

Federal Student Loan Consolidation

You may have one or more federal loans that are ineligible for a desired repayment plan or program. You can usually remedy this issue by consolidating your federal loans. Federal student loan consolidation is when the federal government combines all of a borrower’s existing federal loans into one or two individual loans. Determining whether or not you should consolidate can be a tricky question. But it’s an essential question to answer, especially if you’re considering pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Finding the Best Federal Repayment Plan

If there isn’t a single repayment option that stands out as the best, how do you pick the right one?

The best way to think about federal repayment plans is to consider them as tools in a toolbox. For example, a borrower might opt for a very low minimum payment plan to focus her efforts on paying down high-interest credit card debt. Once she pays off the high-interest debt, she can switch tools and turn to a more aggressive repayment strategy. For this reason, there isn’t a “best” repayment plan. Instead, borrowers should focus on finding the plan that best fits the needs of their circumstances.

The key is to understand how you can use these tools. Once you understand the various options, you can pick the right tool for the job.

The Standard Repayment Plan

The Standard Repayment Plan is often called the 10-year repayment plan. This plan is the default plan on which the government initially places most borrowers. Accordingly, the first student loan bill to show up in your mailbox is probably based on this plan. It is also the repayment plan that usually has the highest minimum payment.

The math on the standard repayment plan is simple. Payments are calculated so that the loan is paid off in full after ten years, or 120 payments. The monthly payments stay level for the duration of the loan. Note: For borrowers who consolidate their loans, the standard repayment plan can have a 10 to 30 years repayment length.

The Graduated Repayment Plan

The government set up the Graduated Repayment Plan to help borrowers ease into their student loan repayment. Borrowers enrolled in the graduated repayment plan will see their monthly payments increase every two years. The repayment length on the graduated repayment plan is ten years. However, if the borrower has previously consolidated their federal student loans, repayment can last for 10 to 30 years.

While making smaller payments that gradually increase may sound appealing, this plan isn’t the best choice for most borrowers. One of the significant flaws with the graduated repayment plan is that it doesn’t qualify for some of the best federal student loan forgiveness programs. Borrowers looking for lower payments are typically better off opting for an income-driven repayment plan due to their increased flexibility.

The Extended Repayment Plan

The Extended Repayment Plan gives borrowers 25 years to repay their student loans. There are two options with this plan. The first offers fixed payments for the entire 25 years. The second, sometimes called the Extended Graduated Repayment Plan, offers graduated payments. Borrowers who opt for lower payments now and higher payments in the future will end up spending more on interest.

Like the Graduated Repayment Plan, the Extended Repayment Plan doesn’t qualify for some student loan forgiveness programs. Accordingly, this plan is less than ideal for most borrowers. Even for borrowers who don’t expect to pursue loan forgiveness, opting for an income-driven plan is often preferable. This is because it keeps that possibility open in the future.

If the Extended and Graduated Repayment Plans seem like undesirable options, there is a reason. The government created these plans long before it created the newer, more borrower-friendly plans. In some ways, these plans are ineffectual relics. However, it’s certainly conceivable that circumstances could exist in which a borrower might want to choose one of these plans.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Note: While the Graduated and Extended Repayment plans are not eligible for PSLF, borrowers who are otherwise eligible may have a limited opportunity for forgiveness.

Income-Driven Repayment Plans

The remaining federal repayment plans fall into the category of Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans. In many cases, IDR plans are part of an optimal repayment strategy.

What makes these plans special is that monthly payments are based upon how much a borrower makes rather than what they owe. In theory, this means that all federal borrowers should be able to afford their monthly payments.

To enroll in an IDR plan, borrowers must first submit income verification. This usually means a recent tax return or latest paystub. From this information, the loan servicer will calculate a borrower’s discretionary income. We have previously looked at discretionary income calculations in detail. The short version is that once a borrower earns enough income to be above 150% of the federal poverty level, they must pay a portion of that surplus income toward their student loans. The percent of discretionary income required depends upon the specific IDR plan selected.

A big perk of IDR plans is that they are eligible for student loan forgiveness after 20 to 25 years, depending on the plan. Borrowers on SAVE with a small balance can also qualify in as little as 10 years. For borrowers with no hope of ever repaying their federal loans, this route to forgiveness offers a light at the end of the tunnel. The bad news is that the IRS may consider forgiven debt to be income for tax purposes.

Fortunately, there are a couple of notable exceptions to the tax rule. For starters, Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not taxed. Second, there is a temporary exception that lasts until 2026. However, borrowers who earn forgiveness after the temporary rule expires may still get a tax bill.

The table below shows the basics of each Income-Driven Repayment Plan.

Plan	Discretionary Income Required	Years Until Forgiveness
ICR - Income-Contingent Repayment	20%	25
IBR - Income-Based Repayment	15%	25
PAYE - Pay As You Earn	10%	20
IBR for New Borrowers*	10%	20
SAVE - Saving on A Valuable Education	5 - 10%	20 or 25**

* New Borrowers are defined as those who started borrowing after July 1, 2014.
** Borrowers with graduate school debt qualify after 25 years, while those with undergrad debt qualify after 20 years.

While our table does cover the basics of the various IDR plans, there is fine print associated with each program that borrowers should understand. In some cases, this fine print prevents certain borrowers from applying to their desired repayment plan. In other cases, some repayment plans have unique perks that make them an ideal option.

Further Reading: Tips for Deciding Between IBR, PAYE, and SAVE.

Pay As You Earn (PAYE)

The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plan is one of the most popular federal student loan repayment plans. The government expects borrowers to pay only 10% of their discretionary income. Furthermore, the government grants forgiveness after 20 years. The 10% and 20-year numbers are both the lowest available of all the IDR plans. The PAYE plan is also an eligible repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The downside to PAYE is that it is available only to borrowers who are new as of Oct. 1, 2007, who received a disbursement of a Direct Loan on or after Oct. 1, 2011.

For a while, PAYE was the best repayment plan available. The arrival of SAVE changed this analysis.

Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) – Formerly REPAYE

The new SAVE plan is arguably the best federal student loan repayment option. It was created to replace and improve upon the REPAYE plan.

It changes the discretionary income calculation so that borrowers get to keep more of their income.

Additionally, borrowers with undergraduate debt are only required to pay 5% of their discretionary income on SAVE. Graduate debt still gets charged at 10%.

SAVE also has an excellent subsidy for borrowers who have unpaid interest each month.

Looking Into SAVE: SAVE introduces a few new rules, and some of them will not be available until July 1, 2024.

If you are considering any IDR plan, be sure to investigate the full details on the SAVE plan.

SAVE Calculator: Curious about SAVE payments?

Check out the new SAVE calculator to estimate monthly payments on SAVE.

Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR)

The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan is one of the most popular repayment plans. For a long period, the IBR plan was by far the best option for many borrowers. As time has passed, however, the government has created new programs such as PAYE and SAVE. This means that, while IBR might still be the preferred choice for some, it is no longer the slam dunk it used to be.

Before we get into the IBR specifics, it is essential to note that there are two forms of IBR: IBR for New Borrowers and the standard IBR plan. These two repayment plans work in the same manner, but there are three key differences. IBR for New Borrowers:

1. only charges 10% of discretionary income (standard IBR is 15%),
2. offers forgiveness after 20 years (standard IBR is 25), and
3. is only available to borrowers who started borrowing after July 1, 2014.

The IBR for New Borrowers plan is an excellent option, but many borrowers are not eligible for this repayment plan.

Today, the borrowers who might still want to opt for IBR would be those who desperately want to file their taxes separately from their spouses. IBR plans don’t include spousal income in the monthly payment calculations. Thus, IBR borrowers should be willing to pay 15% of their discretionary income and probably a higher tax bill.

Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR)

The Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan is much less desirable than the newer IDR plans. This is because ICR charges 20% of discretionary income and requires a full 25 years before student loan forgiveness is an option. ICR is an eligible repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness purposes.

However, ICR is still a good option for some borrowers because it is some borrowers’ only option. The most common example would be parents who borrowed PLUS loans. If these parents consolidate their PLUS loans into a federal direct consolidation loan, they can become eligible for ICR and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For many Parent PLUS loan borrowers, this is the best option.

FFEL Loans, PLUS Loans, and Perkins Loans

The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Perkins loan program were two very popular forms of student loans for several years. In 2010, Congress terminated the FFEL program and chose not to renew the Perkins Loan program in 2017. These two programs were unique in their funding structure. As a result, the government treats repayment of these loans somewhat differently than the standard federal direct loans. Although the PLUS loan program continues to this day, it also receives specialized treatment in repayment.

Borrowers with FFEL, PLUS, and Perkins loans should know that these loans may not be eligible for all repayment plans. They should also know that federal direct consolidation can often serve as a backdoor to make the debt eligible for the desired repayment plan. However, some of these loans can be toxic and destroy program eligibility. For example, including a PLUS loan made to a graduate student into a federal direct consolidation can make that loan eligible for SAVE. However, including a PLUS loan made to a parent into a federal direct consolidation makes the entire consolidated loan ineligible for SAVE.

We won’t be getting into the specific eligibility issue for these loan types, but borrowers with these loans should be aware of the potential problems. Handling these loans will require a bit more research and extra conversation with your student loan servicer.

Does My Spouse’s Income Count in Repayment Plan Calculations?

Being married can make federal student loan repayment a bit more complicated.

As a general rule, the Department of Education looks at a couple’s ability to pay the debt and calculates discretionary income for the couple rather than the individual. For married couples who both have federal student loans, this means that the math will get a little more tricky, but household spending on federal student loans will remain constant. When calculating payments, the Department of Education first ascertains the exact number it expects a couple to pay each month. The Department then determines the monthly amount owed based upon relative loan size.

For couples who both have federal student loans, the math might look like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Example both sign up for IBR. Based upon their latest tax return, the Department of Education determines that 15% of their combined income results in a $300 per month IBR payment. Mr. Example owes $40,000 on his student loans, while Mrs. Example owes $20,000. Because Mr. Example’s debt is double his wife’s, he will owe double the payment. Mr. Example will be charged $200 per month while Mrs. Example gets charged $100 per month. If Mr. and Mrs. Example had equal debt, they would each be expected to pay $150 per month. Filing taxes separately may not result in much savings; it just means the individual payments may be slightly different depending upon loan balances.

For couples with one spouse who has federal loans and one who does not, things get more tricky. This is because most IDR plans will calculate payments based upon their combined income rather than just the borrower’s income. The good news is that the couple can file their taxes separately to secure a lower payment on some repayment plans. The bad news is that by filing separately, the tax bill in April can be more expensive. For some couples, it makes more sense to file jointly and live with the higher monthly payment because the debt will have to be paid in full. For others, filing separately to get lower payments might make sense if the student loan borrower is chasing after student loan forgiveness.

How do I change Repayment Plans?

The easiest way to sign up for an IDR plan is to complete the application online.

Borrowers can use the Department of Education website to submit an Income-Driven Plan Request. The form takes just a few minutes to fill out, and most borrowers can have the IRS send their most recent tax return information directly to the Department of Education, making the process fast and straightforward. Other borrowers may have to manually submit recent pay stubs if they are not using a tax return.

IDR requests can take well over a month to be processed, so borrowers should not expect instant results on their application.

Is Deferment or a Forbearance an Option?

Borrowers who are struggling to repay their federal loans can opt to sign up for a deferment or forbearance. This usually isn’t the best strategy, however. When a borrower isn’t making payments towards their loans, the balance grows, and a difficult situation becomes even harder to manage.

In short, forbearance or deferment is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. These options may be helpful in some limited circumstances. But, most borrowers are better off by putting a plan in place to eliminate their debt rather than just delaying payments.

Opting for an income-driven repayment plan can mean $0 per month payments. What’s more, it starts the borrower on a path to forgiveness and debt freedom.

Refinancing with a Private Lender

Another option for federal student loan repayment is to refinance with a private lender.

This option carries major risks because the refinance process pays off old federal loans in full and creates new private loans. These new private loans don’t have the same great forgiveness programs or the flexibility afforded by income-driven repayment plans. Making things even riskier is the fact that there is no way to “undo” a student loan refinance. Once the federal loan is paid off, it can never come back.

The benefit is that borrowers can get dramatically reduced interest rates. Several lenders offer refinancing services, and they target borrowers with good jobs and a strong credit rating.

Weighing the risk vs. the reward on the refinancing decision can be tricky. We usually suggest borrowers hold off on refinancing until they are confident that they won’t ever need income-driven repayment or student loan forgiveness. At that point, it is time to check the current refinance rates to see if there are any potential savings available.

Which Federal Repayment Plan is the Best Option?

There are a variety of federal repayment plans, and there are specific circumstances where each repayment plan excels.

Many borrowers may find that one plan is best initially but change plans as their repayment situation evolves.

The most important thing for borrowers is to understand the options available so that they don’t miss out on any savings opportunities.

Still not sure which option is best? This IDR comparison article looks at specific circumstances where one plan is noticeably better than others.

The post Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan Options and Strategy appeared first on The Student Loan Sherpa.

Don is getting some confusing information from Navient and wants to know when his loans will be paid in full if he switches repayment plans.

Don’s Question About REPAYE and His Payoff Date

I’m currently on an extended loan repayment looking to switch to REPAYE. When I fill out the information on Navient, it estimates that my new payoff will be in 2029 (20 years from when I originally borrowed my loans). However, when I called them, they told me REPAYE’s 20 year term doesn’t start until I actually apply so my payoff will actually be more like 2039 or 2040. Why does Navient estimate 2029 when I fill out the questions and is there a way to get credit for my historical payments? i.e. “time served.” I’ve never been late and have been paying every month for the past 10 years. If I apply for REPAYE now, does the timeline for paying on time reset? I’m wondering if, when I actually apply, how the govt will determine my payoff date.

Determining Loan Payoff Date

For some repayment plans, figuring out the loan payoff date is pretty simple.

If you are on the 10-year repayment plan, your loans will be paid off in 10 years. Likewise, if you are on the extended repayment plan, it will be a total of 25 years to pay off the debt. These timelines all assume only the minimum payments are made.

Income-driven repayment plans, such as REPAYE, make the payoff date calculation much more difficult. This is because income-driven plans charge borrowers based on what they make rather than what they owe. If Don loses his job next week, he could pay nothing until he finds a new job. During a time of $0 payments or really low monthly payments, a loan balance may actually grow due to the accumulation of interest.

Because income can change from one year to the next it is impossible to say how long it will take to pay off a loan on an income-driven repayment plan.

However, because income-driven repayment plans have student loan forgiveness provisions, we can determine the maximum amount of time on the repayment plan. The various income-driven repayment plans will trigger student loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years, depending upon the plan selected. With REPAYE, Don would be eligible for forgiveness after 20 years.

Navient should know better than to tell Don a payoff date for his loans if he enrolls in an income-driven repayment plan. It would be much more accurate to say the earliest possible student loan forgiveness date.

Getting Forgiveness Credit for Time on Extended and Graduated Repayment Plans

If student loan forgiveness can come after 20 years, Don is wise to want that clock to start running as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, time spent on the extended repayment plan and the graduated repayment plan does not count toward forgiveness.

If Don starts repayment on the REPAYE plan next month, the clock will start next month… not when he first borrowed the loans.

The one exception to this rule is for applicants to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Last year Congress passed a law that temporarily expanded PSLF for borrowers who were mistakenly enrolled in an ineligible repayment plan. These ineligible repayment plans include the Extended Repayment Plan, the Graduated Repayment Plan, and the Graduated Extended Repayment Plan. However, funding for this program is limited and awarded on a first come first serve basis. More information about the temporary expanded loan forgiveness can be found at the Department of Education’s website.

If Don finds a PSLF eligible job, his prior payments could conceivably count toward forgiveness. Otherwise, his “time served” on the extended repayment plan counts for nothing.

The Bigger Picture

The real question that Don needs to figure out is not when his loans will be paid off, but how his loans will get paid off.

For some borrowers, this means paying off the student loans as quickly as possible. For others, it means saving for a house and then attacking the student debt. Letting the specific terms of a repayment plan dictate payment amounts is a recipe for spending more than necessary on interest.

When evaluating repayment options and strategy, it is critical to think about how student loan repayment fits within the bigger picture.

The post Loan Payoff Date When Switching Repayment Plans appeared first on The Student Loan Sherpa.

Today, they are dinosaurs compared to the new and improved federal repayment plans, and continuing to pay for your student loans under these two old plans could unnecessarily cost you thousands of dollars.

Graduated and Extended Plan Benefits

In theory, both the extended and graduated repayment plans have their perks.

The extended repayment plan gives you far more time to pay off your loans than the standard repayment plan.

The graduated repayment plan allows borrowers to pay less now and then pay more in the future when they will hopefully be making more money.

While these plans sound nice, and have served many people for years, the creation of newer and better repayment plans has made these old plans a relic of little value to most. The difference is all in the fine print.

Improved Alternatives

The newer and better plans are the income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.

While the extended and graduated repayment plans attempt to alter your payments to numbers you can afford, the IDR plans ensure that you don’t ever have to pay more than 10% of your income to federal student loans.

For many, they pay a much smaller portion, even as little as $0 per month (for those at or below 150% of the poverty level income).

Additionally, some income-driven plans offer a subsidy to cover a portion of the interest charged each month. This assistance can make a huge difference in debt elimination.

Income-Driven Repayment Can Mean Student Loan Forgiveness

In addition to the lower payments required by IDR plans like IBR and PAYE, they also qualify for two types of student loan forgiveness.

The first type is public service forgiveness. If you make payments on time for 10 years, and have certified public service employment, the remaining balance on your student loans is forgiven. If you were on the extended or graduated repayment plans, and were working the same job, but paying even more each month, you would not qualify for student loan forgiveness.

The second type of forgiveness happens after 20 years on PAYE or 25 years of IBR. Anyone qualifies for the second type of forgiveness, regardless of what job you work or how much you pay. (FYI: for this second type of forgiveness, the debt forgiven may be taxed in the future). Compare this perk to the extended repayment plan… which can last up to 30 years!  If you were on the PAYE plan, you could only pay a portion of your debt and have the remainder forgiven after 20 years. On the extended payment plan, you could end up paying the full amount plus interest over the course of 30 years.

When is a graduated or extended repayment plan a good idea?

Borrowers should only enroll in the extended or graduate repayment plan if they will definitely be paying off their loan in full.

If a borrower is certain that they will pay back the full balance of their debt, then the forgiveness programs no longer matter. However, if there is a chance that they will not be able to pay off the loan in the future, keeping student loan forgiveness as an option is the preferred route.

Additionally, if borrowers are looking for the lowest possible payment as part of an aggressive repayment strategy, then a graduated or extended repayment plan might make sense. In this instance, the graduated or extended repayment plan is a temporary measure to pay off high-interest debt.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, every student loan situation is different.

Despite their shortcomings, it is possible that the graduated or extended repayment plans are the best options for some people.

However, the small differences in the fine print can make a huge difference, so it is critical to be informed of all the options out there. The wrong choice could cost thousands.

Enrolling in a Better Plan

Borrowers interested in signing up for an Income-Driven Repayment plan can submit their request on the studentaid.gov website.

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