A bunch of of random repayment option questions

I just have a bunch of random questions and I don’t know what I’m doing.

I think I was enrolled in SAVE ages ago. I kept getting notifications about when to re-certify and then subsequent notifications about that recertification date being pushed back. I have no idea what plan I’m even on but it says I have a monthly payment of $0. Why is this the case? how is this possible?

I think I last applied for SAVE when my income was much lower. Should I have recertified anyway?

Because I can afford to, I’ve been throwing some money at the highest interest loans to pay down the interest and attack some of the principal. I pay anywhere between $650-1200 depending on the month. My outstanding balance is $144K thanks to grad school plus taking a few years to get solid footing in my career. Am I wasting money by doing this or is it a good idea?

My income is $135K, and AGI I guess depends on how much I’m putting towards retirement. What will I even qualify for?

If I get married to my partner and file jointly, our HHI will be over $275K. How will that affect my payment?

I’m half considering ignoring the repayment plan confusion and just doing the math myself and calculating a 10-year repayment plan starting now and just be done with it. As long as I don’t get laid off (operative words here), I can afford it. But I would lose out in investment income and potentially, home equity (since it would delay the purchase of a single family home) if I can get away with paying less. So is a repayment plan worth it in my case?

A bunch of of random repayment option questions
byu/EpicShkhara inStudentLoans

Posted by EpicShkhara

waterwicca on May 6, 2026 6:46 pm

You cannot recert for SAVE because that plan is dead. If you are on SAVE then you have zero dollars due because you are in forbearance because of the court case since the summer of 2024.

The plan to transition SAVE borrowers has been announced.

Read about the transition here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/BazoUbRtjx](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/BazoUbRtjx)

Starting on July 1, 2026, borrowers on the SAVE forbearance will start receiving notices giving them 90 days to move themselves to another plan. If you do not switch plans by yourself then you will be put into the Standard plan at the end of your 90 days. Not every borrower will get their 90 day notice on July 1st. They will go out in waves.

Currently ICR, PAYE, and IBR are available as far as IDR plans go. RAP will start July 2026. By July 2028 there will only be IBR and RAP. ICR and PAYE will be gone. You are only limited to RAP if you take any loans out on or after July 1, 2026.

Keep in mind that the Standard plan can be quite expensive for some borrowers if you have been in repayment for many years.

If you have never consolidated your loans then your Standard plan is the 10 year Standard plan. That counts towards forgiveness. If you have consolidated your loans then your Standard plan is a term between 10 and 30 years depending on what your loan balance was. This doesn’t count towards forgiveness unless your balance was very low and your consolidation Standard term is a 10 year term. See the chart here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/standard?upha=](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/standard?upha=)

Note: the new Tiered Standard plan mentioned in the Department’s messaging is only for a borrower who takes any loans out or consolidates on or after July 1, 2026. If you don’t fall into that category then your Standard plan is one of the two described above. Read about the new Tiered Standard plan as well as how RAP works here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/lsHO2ct2JR](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/lsHO2ct2JR)

The Standard plan is designed to pay off your loans in a specific amount of time. Your 10-30 year clock started ticking as soon as you entered repayment. It only pauses for periods of forbearance and deferment, like the Covid forbearance and SAVE forbearance. If you consolidated then your new consolidation loan entered repayment when it was disbursed.

For example, if your Standard plan is the 10 year Standard plan and you have been in repayment for 8 years then your Standard plan now would be calculated to pay off your remaining balance in 2 years. If you have been in repayment for 10+ years then your Standard payment now would be for your entire remaining balance at once. So, it’s very expensive and unexpected for many here who were already relying on an IDR plan.

I recommend you move to another plan when required. Waiting and automatically being put into the Standard plan isn’t going to be the best move for a lot of borrowers. Run the numbers and make a game plan for yourself.

Also, many have asked: Yes, you need to recertify your income to change to another IDR plan because providing current income documentation is always part of the IDR application. No one is automatically being moved to any plan other than Standard, where your income doesn’t matter. You either move yourself to something else or get put onto the Standard plan.

Here’s a link to the loan simulator on studentaid. It can be glitchy. It can only work with the info you give it and it often assumes you are just starting repayment, but it can be a good starting point to explore your options: [https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/](https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/)

Read about the current IDR plans and eligibility here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven) and also here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven/questions#paye-eligibility](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven/questions#paye-eligibility)

NOTE: If you have double consolidated Parent Plus loans on SAVE then you can currently use any IDR plan you are eligible for. You cannot use RAP. By July 2028 you will only have IBR.

You can apply for another IDR plan here: [https://studentaid.gov/idr/](https://studentaid.gov/idr/) . If you import your tax data as part of the application it would give you estimates for the IDR plans you qualify for within the application. RAP won’t be available until July 2026. You can wait until then to choose it if you wish. The 90 day notices don’t start going out until July anyway.

Here is a calculator that includes RAP: [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/income-based-repayment-calculator/](https://www.studentloanplanner.com/income-based-repayment-calculator/)

Here is one that includes ICR: [https://www.tateesq.com/calculator/income-contingent-repayment](https://www.tateesq.com/calculator/income-contingent-repayment)

Here is another calculator that includes all of the IDR plans as well as the Tiered Standard plan (only available if you take a loan out on or after July 1, 2026): [https://www.edcapny.org/resources-for-borrowers/repayment-plan-calculator/](https://www.edcapny.org/resources-for-borrowers/repayment-plan-calculator/)

Here is one you can use to estimate your Standard payment amount based on the number or years left on your assigned Standard timeline: [https://smartasset.com/student-loans/student-loan-calculator#ULZjsYILdK](https://smartasset.com/student-loans/student-loan-calculator#ULZjsYILdK)

And here is Besty’s post with, as always, a lot of helpful information and answers to common questions coming up on the topic of the SAVE transition: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/gToBveoo66](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/gToBveoo66)

2 Comments

waterwicca on May 6, 2026 6:46 pm

You cannot recert for SAVE because that plan is dead. If you are on SAVE then you have zero dollars due because you are in forbearance because of the court case since the summer of 2024.

The plan to transition SAVE borrowers has been announced.

Read about the transition here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/BazoUbRtjx](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/BazoUbRtjx)

Starting on July 1, 2026, borrowers on the SAVE forbearance will start receiving notices giving them 90 days to move themselves to another plan. If you do not switch plans by yourself then you will be put into the Standard plan at the end of your 90 days. Not every borrower will get their 90 day notice on July 1st. They will go out in waves.

Currently ICR, PAYE, and IBR are available as far as IDR plans go. RAP will start July 2026. By July 2028 there will only be IBR and RAP. ICR and PAYE will be gone. You are only limited to RAP if you take any loans out on or after July 1, 2026.

Keep in mind that the Standard plan can be quite expensive for some borrowers if you have been in repayment for many years.

If you have never consolidated your loans then your Standard plan is the 10 year Standard plan. That counts towards forgiveness. If you have consolidated your loans then your Standard plan is a term between 10 and 30 years depending on what your loan balance was. This doesn’t count towards forgiveness unless your balance was very low and your consolidation Standard term is a 10 year term. See the chart here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/standard?upha=](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/standard?upha=)

Note: the new Tiered Standard plan mentioned in the Department’s messaging is only for a borrower who takes any loans out or consolidates on or after July 1, 2026. If you don’t fall into that category then your Standard plan is one of the two described above. Read about the new Tiered Standard plan as well as how RAP works here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/lsHO2ct2JR](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/lsHO2ct2JR)

The Standard plan is designed to pay off your loans in a specific amount of time. Your 10-30 year clock started ticking as soon as you entered repayment. It only pauses for periods of forbearance and deferment, like the Covid forbearance and SAVE forbearance. If you consolidated then your new consolidation loan entered repayment when it was disbursed.

For example, if your Standard plan is the 10 year Standard plan and you have been in repayment for 8 years then your Standard plan now would be calculated to pay off your remaining balance in 2 years. If you have been in repayment for 10+ years then your Standard payment now would be for your entire remaining balance at once. So, it’s very expensive and unexpected for many here who were already relying on an IDR plan.

I recommend you move to another plan when required. Waiting and automatically being put into the Standard plan isn’t going to be the best move for a lot of borrowers. Run the numbers and make a game plan for yourself.

Also, many have asked: Yes, you need to recertify your income to change to another IDR plan because providing current income documentation is always part of the IDR application. No one is automatically being moved to any plan other than Standard, where your income doesn’t matter. You either move yourself to something else or get put onto the Standard plan.

Here’s a link to the loan simulator on studentaid. It can be glitchy. It can only work with the info you give it and it often assumes you are just starting repayment, but it can be a good starting point to explore your options: [https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/](https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/)

Read about the current IDR plans and eligibility here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven) and also here: [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven/questions#paye-eligibility](https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven/questions#paye-eligibility)

NOTE: If you have double consolidated Parent Plus loans on SAVE then you can currently use any IDR plan you are eligible for. You cannot use RAP. By July 2028 you will only have IBR.

You can apply for another IDR plan here: [https://studentaid.gov/idr/](https://studentaid.gov/idr/) . If you import your tax data as part of the application it would give you estimates for the IDR plans you qualify for within the application. RAP won’t be available until July 2026. You can wait until then to choose it if you wish. The 90 day notices don’t start going out until July anyway.

Here is a calculator that includes RAP: [https://www.studentloanplanner.com/income-based-repayment-calculator/](https://www.studentloanplanner.com/income-based-repayment-calculator/)

Here is one that includes ICR: [https://www.tateesq.com/calculator/income-contingent-repayment](https://www.tateesq.com/calculator/income-contingent-repayment)

Here is another calculator that includes all of the IDR plans as well as the Tiered Standard plan (only available if you take a loan out on or after July 1, 2026): [https://www.edcapny.org/resources-for-borrowers/repayment-plan-calculator/](https://www.edcapny.org/resources-for-borrowers/repayment-plan-calculator/)

Here is one you can use to estimate your Standard payment amount based on the number or years left on your assigned Standard timeline: [https://smartasset.com/student-loans/student-loan-calculator#ULZjsYILdK](https://smartasset.com/student-loans/student-loan-calculator#ULZjsYILdK)

And here is Besty’s post with, as always, a lot of helpful information and answers to common questions coming up on the topic of the SAVE transition: [https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/gToBveoo66](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/s/gToBveoo66)
kuru_snacc on May 6, 2026 6:54 pm

People will answer all sorts of personal opinions about investing (often that they can’t actually prove with the math, or against your expected growth in income), but don’t forget that this matters too: What makes you feel more secure, and what will be good for the long-term success of your family.

It sounds like you’ve been aggressively paying down and are more comfortable with that vs. any sort of forgiveness (have you considered this, or does it not fit your field?)

Have you looked at the upcoming RAP plan? It’s based on AGI and gives an interest subsidy.

Also, you should technically recertify annually or when your income changes, but if they’re the ones pushing off your date (and plus you’re making payments, not avoiding), then meh. This changes, however, when you are seeking forgiveness. It becomes more important to play by the book in those cases.

Also yes your payments will go up when you MFJ but you need to weigh this against the benefits / tax credit(s) of MFJ if you’re considering filing separately. Whether or not your spouse has student loans really determine what the payment ends up looking like or if there’s even a benefit.

Also, when you don’t select an IDR, usually they will default you to standard anyway.

I will let others fill in with mathematical considerations of carrying the debt and awaiting forgiveness vs. aggressive payoff. Just wanted to remind you it ultimately depends on your goals. Good luck!

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