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Estimate your payments and potential discharge amount under SAVE, PSLF, and IDR plans.
Project your path to debt freedom
Estimated Monthly Payment
Total Amount to be Paid
Amount Forgiven
Time to Forgiveness
Based on your income, your calculated monthly payments are high enough that you will likely pay off your balance in full before reaching the forgiveness threshold.
Optimize your student debt strategy with our 2026 calculators. Estimate SAVE plan payments, PSLF timelines, and refinance savings with real-time interest analysis.
The landscape of federal student loans has shifted dramatically as we enter 2026. With the SAVE plan now fully implemented, 'interest subsidy' is the term you need to know. For many, your balance will no longer grow even if your payment is $0, provided you're on a qualifying IDR plan. Our suite of tools helps you navigate whether you should stay in the federal safety net or seek lower private rates via refinancing-a move that depends entirely on your specific career trajectory and risk tolerance.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) remains the gold standard for debt discharge in 2026. The key is strict documentation. Every month you work for a government or non-profit counts toward your 120-payment goal. Use our PSLF estimator to track your exact discharge date and ensure your IDR payments are as low as legally possible, maximizing the 'forgiven' portion of your debt.
"Don't forget the $2,500 student loan interest deduction. Even if you don't itemize, this 'above-the-line' deduction can lower your taxable income, effectively giving you a discount on your interest payments every tax season."
"Never refinance federal loans into private ones until you've calculated your potential forgiveness value. Once you go private, you lose all federal protections, including the SAVE plan interest subsidies."
PSLF is a federal program that forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer (government or non-profit).
Under current federal law (through 2025), forgiven federal student loans are not considered taxable income at the federal level. However, some states may still tax the forgiven amount. PSLF has always been federally tax-free.
The SAVE plan calculator uses your discretionary income and family size to estimate your monthly payment, often resulting in $0 payments for lower earners.
Yes, our PSLF calculator helps you track your 120 qualifying payments and estimates the remaining balance that will be forgiven tax-free.