Standard repayment, extra payments, or income-driven with forgiveness — three very different roads out of the same debt.
IDR plans typically charge ~10% of income above 150% of the federal poverty line, with the remainder forgiven after 20–25 years (taxable as income in many cases).
| Plan | Payoff | Total paid | Interest / forgiven |
|---|
This student loan calculator lays three repayment roads side by side: standard ten-year repayment, accelerated payoff with extra payments, and income-driven repayment with eventual forgiveness. Each has a very different timeline and total cost.
Standard repayment runs ten years; extra payments shorten it; income-driven plans stretch 20–25 years but may forgive the remainder. The calculator shows each path.
It caps your payment at a share of discretionary income and forgives any balance left after 20–25 years, though forgiven amounts may be taxable.
Yes. With no prepayment penalty, extra payments go straight to principal, cutting both the payoff time and the total interest you pay.