Guides
Repayment, explained with real numbers
Every figure in these guides is computed with the same engine as the calculator, from the 2026 final regulations — sources on the methodology page.
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The RAP payment table: every income from $10,000 to $150,000
Exact monthly payments by income and dependents, plus the cliff table showing what a raise across each $10,000 boundary costs you.
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PSLF under RAP: when the balance doesn’t matter, only the payment does
RAP qualifies for PSLF and forgiveness stays tax-free — so pick the lowest qualifying payment. The RAP-vs-IBR crossover sits near $80,000.
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15 years into IBR? Read this before touching RAP
Old IDR months count toward RAP’s clock, but RAP months never count back. The one-way door, worked through by clock position.
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RAP vs IBR vs Standard: five real borrowers, run through the actual math
Five profiles computed with the exact 2026 formulas. The cheapest plan flips with income, family size, and interest rate — by five-figure margins.
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SAVE is gone: the 90-day decision eight million borrowers are getting wrong
The real deadline is 90 days from your servicer notice, not 2028 — and missing it lands you on Standard, not RAP. Plus the little-known IBR lockout rule.
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How RAP actually works: brackets, credits, and the fine print
Cliff income brackets, the $50 dependent credit, the interest waiver, the principal match everyone misquotes, and the one-way forgiveness door.
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The student loan tax bomb is back: what 2026 forgiveness actually costs
The exclusion expired December 31, 2025. What’s taxable now, what stays tax-free, which states pile on, and the insolvency escape valve.
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RAP and married filing separately: the rumor, the real rule, and the math
No, RAP does not count your spouse’s income if you file separately. What the final regulations say and how to weigh the trade-off in dollars.
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RAP’s $50 dependent credit and the $10 floor, precisely
Who counts as a dependent, the order of operations against the floor, why there is no $0 payment, and payment tables by income and family size.