Student Loan Repayment Plan Comparator

Lower monthly payment isn't always lower total cost.

An income-driven student loan repayment plan's lower monthly payment is immediately, tangibly appealing, but the actual total cost comparison against a standard plan requires accounting for two things easy to overlook: interest that continues accruing (and can exceed the payment amount, growing the balance) over a much longer repayment term, and the fact that any balance forgiven at the end of an income-driven plan is generally treated as taxable income, creating a real tax bill in the forgiveness year. This calculator runs the actual amortization math for both plans side by side, including an estimated tax cost on any forgiven balance.

• →Simulates real month-by-month interest accrual and balance changes for the income-driven plan, not a simplified estimate
• →Includes the often-overlooked tax cost on any balance forgiven at the end of an income-driven term
• →Compares true total cost side by side, not just the more visible monthly payment difference
• →Explicit about its simplifications — a starting comparison, not a substitute for your loan servicer's guidance
• →Watermarked by Cikal Studio Labs · Works on any device, no install required