Use Federal Student Aid’s Repayment Calculator with your current loan, income and family information, then submit an application for the plan you want. The calculator is an estimate; your federal loan servicer sets the final payment after processing the request and sends the effective date and billing amount.
If your income or family size changed while you are already in an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, you can request an early recalculation instead of waiting for annual recertification. The steps below show what to gather, how to model realistic scenarios, how to handle the 2026 SAVE transition, and how to confirm the bill that actually applies.
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What “recalculate” means after a plan change
A repayment-plan switch has two separate stages:
- Estimate: You enter loan and financial information in Federal Student Aid’s calculator to see which plans you may qualify for and what each could cost.
- Official determination: You apply through StudentAid.gov or your servicer. After reviewing your request, the servicer establishes the eligible plan, payment amount, repayment term and start date shown on your account.
Federal Student Aid states, “The results provided by the Repayment Calculator are estimates only.” Use the estimate for budgeting and comparison, not as permission to change an automatic payment or skip a bill. Wait for the servicer’s processed notice and updated billing statement.
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A plan’s eligibility and payment can depend on the loan type, when the loan was first disbursed, your balance and interest, income, family or dependent information, and whether you are pursuing a program such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). A lower monthly amount can extend repayment and increase total interest, so recalculation is a comparison exercise rather than a search for the smallest number.
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Gather the information that controls the estimate
Confirm every loan and your current plan
Sign in at StudentAid.gov and review each federal loan’s type, outstanding principal, accrued interest, servicer and original disbursement timing. Eligibility rules differ by loan type and by when borrowing occurred. Include all loans you expect to place under the new plan; leaving one out can make the combined estimate misleading.
Prepare current financial and family details
IDR payments use applicable income and family or dependent information. Have the income figures and family size that apply to the request ready. If the calculator offers IRS data import and you are eligible, you can authorize the import; manual entry remains available. Federal Student Aid notes that borrowers with Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) debt must enter financial information manually in the calculator.
Collect forgiveness and employment information
If PSLF or another discharge path matters to your decision, note your existing qualifying-payment progress, employment certification status and intended payoff or forgiveness horizon. The calculator’s discharge projections assume you satisfy the applicable requirements, including making full, on-time payments. A projection is not a guarantee that a payment will qualify.
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- Log in. Open Federal Student Aid’s Compare Repayment Plans With Our Repayment Calculator page and sign in so the tool can import your federal loan information.
- Review the imported loans. Check balances, loan types and disbursement information against your StudentAid.gov account. Correct or add information if the display does not represent the debt you intend to repay.
- Authorize IRS import when available. If you are eligible and want the tool to retrieve income data, follow the authorization prompts. Otherwise, choose manual entry and provide the income and family information requested.
- Run a current-information estimate. Use the income and family details that apply now, not an outdated annual-certification figure. For planning, you can also run a separate scenario with a plausible future income or family change; label that result as a scenario rather than your current bill.
- Review all eligible plans. Open the details for each option instead of selecting the first low monthly amount. Record the estimated payment, repayment period, projected payoff date, total amount paid, principal and interest paid, possible discharge amount and the assumptions behind the projection.
- Check program and transition notes. Look for eligibility limits tied to loan type or disbursement date, PSLF implications, consolidation effects and any plan scheduled to end during your expected repayment period.
- Save the comparison. Keep a copy of the estimates and the date you ran them. They are useful when checking the servicer’s final terms, but they do not replace the official application decision.
Federal Student Aid’s calculator guidance explains that similar monthly payments can produce different total costs. Compare the full projection before choosing a plan.
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Request an early IDR recalculation when your circumstances change
You do not have to wait for the next annual recertification if your current IDR payment no longer reflects your situation. Federal Student Aid says a borrower can submit updated information through the StudentAid.gov IDR request flow or directly to the servicer and ask for a recalculation.
Changes that may justify an early request
- A material drop in income, such as losing a job or moving to lower-paid work.
- A substantial income increase that means your current payment is understated.
- A change in family or dependent information used for the IDR calculation.
- Another documented circumstance that makes the information used for the current payment inaccurate.
How to submit the request
- Open the IDR application and choose the option to provide updated information or recalculate based on a change in circumstances.
- Enter the requested income and family details, or authorize the available IRS import.
- Submit the request through StudentAid.gov, or send the information to your servicer using the servicer’s official channel.
- Keep the confirmation and continue following the existing billing instructions until the servicer confirms a new amount and effective date.
An early request changes the information used for the new determination; it does not automatically pause a payment or erase an amount already due. Ask the servicer how a pending request affects your next bill if the deadline is close.
Understand the difference between fixed-payment and IDR calculations
Fixed-payment plans
A basic amortization estimate for a fixed-payment plan uses the amount being repaid, annual interest rate and number of repayment months. A generic calculator can illustrate how a longer term lowers the scheduled payment while increasing the time interest accrues. For example, the MOHELA Loan Repayment Calculator accepts those three inputs.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThat arithmetic is only an illustration. It does not determine federal-plan eligibility, account for every federal servicing rule, or establish the payment that will appear on your bill. Use Federal Student Aid’s calculator and the servicer’s processed terms for the official decision.
Income-driven plans
IDR payments depend on income and family or dependent information under the rules of the plan for which you qualify. There is no single formula that produces the official amount for every borrower and every current plan. Enter the requested information in the official application and let the servicer apply the plan’s rules.
Compare plans on more than the monthly payment
| Comparison item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Estimated monthly payment | Shows the expected recurring amount, but only as a calculator estimate until the servicer processes the application. |
| Repayment period and payoff date | A smaller payment can keep the balance outstanding for more months. |
| Total amount paid | Captures the combined principal and interest over the projected life of the plan. |
| Principal and interest paid | Separates debt reduction from the financing cost of carrying the balance. |
| Possible discharge | Shows a projection under the assumption that you meet the plan’s requirements, including full, on-time payments. |
| Loan-type and disbursement eligibility | Determines whether the plan is actually available for your loans. |
| PSLF and qualifying-payment effects | A plan change can affect how future payments fit your forgiveness strategy; review your qualifying-payment history and employment requirements. |
| Scheduled plan end | A plan that is expected to retire before your anticipated payoff or forgiveness date may require another change. |
When two plans have similar monthly estimates, the term, total paid and forgiveness assumptions can still differ substantially. Choose based on the outcome you can sustain and the goal you are pursuing, not on the first payment figure shown.
What the 2026 SAVE transition means for recalculation
Federal Student Aid’s current SAVE FAQ says a court order ended the SAVE Plan in March 2026. Servicers began sending affected-borrower notices on July 1, 2026, and borrowers are being notified in groups. As a result, two people with the same servicer may receive different notice dates and deadlines.
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| Event | Timing stated by Federal Student Aid | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| Servicer transition notice | Notices began July 1, 2026; distribution is grouped. | Read your own account message or letter and record the deadline printed there. |
| Initial choice period | Generally 90 days after the notice. | Use the calculator and submit an application for an eligible plan within your individual window. |
| Final warning | A final 30-day notice follows if you have not selected a plan. | Act before the final deadline to avoid automatic placement. |
| Automatic placement | Failure to choose by the final deadline leads to a fixed-payment plan; the applicable default depends on loan disbursement timing. | Do not assume the default is the plan you want. Confirm the replacement options with your servicer. |
| New-plan billing notice | At least 21 days before the first due date on the new plan. | Check the payment amount, due date and effective date before changing your budget or auto-pay. |
The 90-day period, final 30-day notice and 21-day billing notice are general rules described in the 2026 FAQ. Your notice and account control the dates that apply to you. Keep copies of every message and contact the servicer promptly if a deadline appears inconsistent.
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Account for plans scheduled to end
Federal Student Aid’s August 2026 calculator guidance says PAYE and ICR are scheduled to be retired no later than July 1, 2028. If your projected payoff or forgiveness horizon extends beyond that date, review whether the plan will remain available, how a future transition could affect your payment and whether your qualifying-payment strategy depends on that plan.
Parent PLUS borrowers and some Direct Consolidation Loans that include Parent PLUS may have limited options after certain plans end, according to the same guidance. Check the loan composition and eligibility result in your account rather than assuming that every IDR option is open to every borrower.
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For an IDR plan
Submit the online IDR application through StudentAid.gov with the information used in your comparison. Follow the prompts for income documentation or IRS authorization and save the submission confirmation.
For a fixed-payment plan
Federal Student Aid advises borrowers who need a fixed-payment plan to contact their servicer. Use the servicer listed in your StudentAid.gov account, not an unsolicited company offering to “process” the application.
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Federal Student Aid says federal-servicer help is free and that borrowers do not need to pay a company to apply for a repayment plan or manage federal loans. Treat a demand for an upfront fee, a promise of guaranteed forgiveness or a request for your StudentAid.gov password as a warning sign.
Verify the final payment before changing your budget
- Wait for processing confirmation. The calculator result alone is not a final approval.
- Read the servicer notice. Confirm the approved plan, payment amount, interest treatment, effective date, first due date and any amount due before that date.
- Compare the notice with your estimate. Differences can arise because the servicer used updated balances, accrued interest, verified income, loan eligibility rules or a different effective date.
- Check your billing statement. The first statement under the new plan should match the processed terms. Review auto-pay instructions and scheduled withdrawals.
- Escalate discrepancies quickly. Contact the servicer through the official account channel, keep a written record and ask what payment is required while the issue is reviewed.
Do not cancel a scheduled payment solely because an application is pending. Until the servicer confirms a change, follow the current account instructions or obtain explicit guidance about the next due amount.
Troubleshoot common recalculation problems
The calculator shows fewer plans than expected
Recheck loan types, original disbursement dates and whether a Parent PLUS loan or a consolidation loan is included. Eligibility is plan-specific; a plan that appears for one loan group may not be available for another.
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Use manual entry if the imported information no longer reflects the income relevant to your request. Submit supporting information through the IDR flow or to the servicer as instructed, and request an early recalculation when the change is material.
The servicer’s payment does not match the estimate
Compare the balance, accrued interest, income data, family information, loan grouping and effective date used in the notice. Ask the servicer to explain each difference before changing auto-pay. The calculator is not the billing authority.
You received a SAVE transition notice but cannot decide in time
Use the notice date to calculate the individual 90-day window, then act before the final 30-day warning expires. If you are unsure which plans fit your loans, contact the servicer and use the official calculator immediately; do not wait for automatic placement into a plan you did not choose.
Your expected forgiveness date is after July 1, 2028
Re-run the comparison with the possible retirement of PAYE and ICR in mind. Review plan eligibility, qualifying-payment rules and the consequences of a later transition before selecting a plan based only on today’s payment.
Quick Recap
A practical recalculation checklist
- Log in to StudentAid.gov and identify every loan, balance, type and original disbursement timing.
- Confirm your current repayment plan and servicer.
- Gather current income and family or dependent information.
- Run the official Repayment Calculator and save the dated results.
- Compare payment, term, payoff date, total paid, principal, interest, discharge assumptions and PSLF effects.
- Check whether the plan is scheduled to end during your repayment or forgiveness horizon.
- Submit the IDR application or contact the servicer for a fixed-payment plan.
- Request an early IDR recalculation if your circumstances changed.
- Read the servicer’s approval notice and updated billing statement.
- Change auto-pay or your budget only after the final amount and effective date are confirmed.
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