{
  "slug": "student-loan-idr-payment",
  "title": "Student Loan IDR Payment Calculator",
  "heading": "Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Payment Estimator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/student-loan-idr-payment",
  "summary": "Estimate your monthly federal student loan payment under income-driven repayment.",
  "description": "Income-driven repayment plans set your federal student loan payment as a percentage of discretionary income rather than the loan balance and standard term. Discretionary income is generally your adjusted gross income minus a poverty-line-based exemption — typically 150% or 225% of the federal poverty level for your family size, depending on the plan. Older plans like IBR and PAYE use 10-15% of discretionary income, while the newer SAVE plan uses a lower percentage (5-10%, split by undergraduate vs. graduate debt) and shelters more income before any payment is due, often producing a $0 payment for lower earners. This calculator estimates your monthly payment under a generic IDR formula using your AGI, family size, and the plan's percentage and poverty multiplier, so you can compare roughly what different IDR plans would charge before applying through your loan servicer.",
  "formula": "Discretionary income = AGI − (poverty line % × FPL for family size); payment = discretionary income × plan % ÷ 12.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=student-loan-idr-payment",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "agi",
      "label": "Adjusted gross income",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 55000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "familySize",
      "label": "Family size",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 8
    },
    {
      "id": "plan",
      "label": "IDR plan",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "save",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "save",
          "label": "SAVE (225% FPL, 10% undergrad)"
        },
        {
          "value": "paye",
          "label": "PAYE (150% FPL, 10%)"
        },
        {
          "value": "ibr",
          "label": "IBR (150% FPL, 15%)"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "monthlyPayment",
      "label": "Estimated monthly IDR payment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "exemption",
      "label": "Income exempted from payment calc",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "discretionary",
      "label": "Discretionary income used",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "annualPayment",
      "label": "Estimated annual payment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Adjusted gross income: 55000 $",
      "Family size: 1",
      "IDR plan: SAVE (225% FPL, 10% undergrad)"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Estimated monthly IDR payment: $176",
      "Income exempted from payment calc: $33,885",
      "Discretionary income used: $21,115",
      "Estimated annual payment: $2,112"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter adjusted gross income ($).",
      "Enter family size.",
      "Enter idr plan.",
      "Read your estimated monthly idr payment on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "agi": 33000,
        "familySize": 1,
        "plan": "save"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "agi": 55000,
        "familySize": 1,
        "plan": "save"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "agi": 88000,
        "familySize": 2,
        "plan": "save"
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why is SAVE's payment often lower than other plans?",
      "a": "SAVE shelters 225% of the federal poverty line before counting any income toward the payment calculation, compared to 150% for older plans like PAYE and IBR, and it also charges a lower percentage (as low as 5% for undergraduate-only debt). Together this means many low-to-moderate earners owe $0 or a much smaller payment under SAVE than they would under older IDR plans."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does my spouse's income count?",
      "a": "If you file taxes jointly, your spouse's income and family size are generally included in the calculation for most plans, which can raise your payment substantially. Filing separately can exclude spousal income for some plans (notably not always SAVE in every scenario), but often costs more in overall taxes, so it's a real tradeoff to model carefully."
    },
    {
      "q": "What happens to the remaining balance after making IDR payments for years?",
      "a": "Federal IDR plans forgive the remaining balance after a set number of qualifying payments, typically 20-25 years depending on the plan and whether the debt is undergraduate or graduate. Under current tax law, forgiven IDR balances are treated as taxable income in the year forgiven (with an exception through 2025 under a temporary tax provision), so plan for that eventual tax bill."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this payment locked in permanently?",
      "a": "No, IDR payments are recalculated annually based on updated income and family size, so your payment can go up or down each year as you recertify. Missing recertification can bump you to a higher standard payment or capitalize interest, so mark your recertification date."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pslf-remaining-payments",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/unemployment-benefit-estimate"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Student Loan IDR Payment Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/student-loan-idr-payment)"
}