Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) Calculator
Estimate your monthly payment under RAP, the new federal plan for 2026. It charges 1% to 10% of your AGI, subtracts $50 per dependent, keeps the floor at $10, and forgives the rest after 30 years.
Your Estimated RAP Payment
How RAP Works
RAP is a new income-driven plan, but it does not use the "discretionary income" math that older plans rely on. Instead it takes a sliding percentage of your total AGI, so your payment tracks your actual income more directly. The formula is simple:
Monthly Payment = (AGI × applicable %) ÷ 12 − ($50 × dependents)
The applicable percentage starts at 1% and climbs to 10% as your income rises. The result is floored at $10, so no one on RAP pays nothing, and no one pays less than $10 a month even with several dependents.
The Sliding Scale
Your percentage is set by your AGI band. Each additional $10,000 of income adds one percentage point:
| Your AGI | Percentage applied |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $10 minimum |
| $10,001 to $20,000 | 1% |
| $20,001 to $30,000 | 2% |
| $30,001 to $40,000 | 3% |
| $40,001 to $50,000 | 4% |
| $50,001 to $60,000 | 5% |
| $60,001 to $70,000 | 6% |
| $70,001 to $80,000 | 7% |
| $80,001 to $90,000 | 8% |
| $90,001 to $100,000 | 9% |
| Over $100,000 | 10% |
A borrower earning $55,000 falls in the 5% band, so the base payment is $229 a month before dependents. Add two dependents and it drops to $129.
Dependents Lower the Payment
Each dependent you claim on your federal tax return reduces your monthly payment by $50, with a floor of $10. This is one place where RAP works differently from an AGI-only formula: a family of five on the same salary pays meaningfully less than a single borrower.
Interest Subsidy and the $50 Principal Match
Two features keep your balance from ballooning. First, any monthly interest your payment does not cover is not charged to you, so a low payment does not send you deeper into negative amortization. Second, if your payment puts less than $50 toward principal in a month, the government adds a matching payment of up to $50 to principal. Together they mean your balance can fall every month even when you pay little, which is not true of older plans.
Forgiveness After 30 Years
After 360 qualifying monthly payments, any remaining balance of principal and interest is forgiven. If you work in public service, on-time RAP payments also count toward the 120 payments required for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which arrives far sooner. See the PSLF calculator to track that path.
RAP vs. the Older Plans
RAP is the income-based option going forward, but many borrowers still have access to older plans. The classic income-based and income-driven plans use discretionary income (AGI minus 150% of the poverty guideline) and can produce a $0 payment, while RAP uses total AGI and a $10 floor. Which is cheaper depends on your income and family size, so run both and compare. The repayment plan comparison puts them side by side.
Married borrowers should note: if you file jointly, RAP uses your combined AGI and both spouses' dependents. If you file separately, only your own income and dependents count.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)?
RAP is the new income-based federal repayment plan that became available on July 1, 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Instead of using "discretionary income" like older income-driven plans, it charges a sliding percentage of your total adjusted gross income (AGI), ranging from 1% to 10%, with a minimum payment of $10 a month. Any balance left after 30 years of qualifying payments is forgiven.
How is the RAP payment calculated?
The percentage of your AGI starts at 1% just above $10,000 of income and rises one percentage point for every additional $10,000, topping out at 10% once your AGI passes $100,000. That percentage times your AGI, divided by 12, is your base monthly payment. For AGIs of $10,000 or less, the payment is a flat $10. Then each dependent you claim reduces the payment by $50, but it can never fall below $10 a month.
How much does RAP reduce my payment per dependent?
Your monthly payment is reduced by $50 for each dependent child you claim on your federal tax return, down to a floor of $10 a month. So a borrower with two dependents pays $100 less per month than an otherwise identical borrower with none, provided the payment stays at or above $10.
Does RAP interest keep growing if my payment is low?
No, and that is one of RAP's main differences. Any monthly interest that your payment does not cover is not charged to you, so the loan does not fall deeper into negative amortization. On top of that, if your payment puts less than $50 toward principal in a month, the government adds a matching payment of up to $50 to your principal. In practice your balance can fall even when you pay little.
How long until RAP forgiveness, and does it count for PSLF?
RAP forgives any remaining balance after 360 qualifying monthly payments (30 years). For borrowers pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness, on-time RAP payments count toward the 120 payments needed for PSLF, which arrives far sooner than the 30-year clock. Note that the new standard plan does not count toward PSLF, only RAP does.
Can I put my existing loans on RAP?
In many cases yes. RAP is available for most Direct Loans, whether they were disbursed before or after July 1, 2026, so borrowers with older loans can generally elect it. Parent PLUS loans are never eligible, even if consolidated. Loans in default are not eligible until you rehabilitate or consolidate them out of default.
Last updated: October 2026 · Reviewed by ScholarPay editorial team · General information only — not tax or financial advice.