Every federal repayment plan, forgiveness program, and outside source of help — what each one does, who qualifies, and where to apply. No account needed.
This page is general information, not advice about your loans. Nothing here is personalized and we don't ask for your loan details. Program rules change often — each item shows its source and the date we last checked it.
Not a quiz and not a form — just the four variables that gate every program below. Once you know your answers, most of this page either applies to you or doesn't.
Are your loans federal or private?
This decides more than anything else. Income-driven repayment, every forgiveness program, and federal hardship protections exist only on federal loans. Private lenders set their own terms and owe you none of it. If you don't know whether your loans are federal, check studentaid.gov — federal loans appear there, private ones don't.
Who is your employer?
Public Service Loan Forgiveness turns on the employer, not the job title. Government agencies and 501(c)(3) nonprofits qualify; for-profit companies don't, however public-spirited the work. Separately, many employers pay toward loans as a benefit — that has nothing to do with federal rules and everything to do with your HR department.
How does your income compare to your balance?
Income-driven plans are worth most when the balance is large relative to what you earn, because the payment is capped and the remainder is eventually forgiven. When your income comfortably covers a standard payment, staying on Standard costs less in total interest and finishes sooner.
Are your loans current, in deferment, or in default?
Status decides which door is even open. Current loans can switch plans freely. Loans in deferment or forbearance usually aren't accruing qualifying months toward forgiveness. Loans in default have to be rehabilitated or consolidated back into good standing before most programs will accept them.
Section 2
Federal repayment plans.
These change what you pay each month, not what you owe. Every one of them applies to federal loans only.
Standard (10-year)
Fixed monthly payments that clear your federal balance in ten years.
The default plan every federal borrower starts on. Best if you can afford the payment, because it costs the least total interest of any federal option.
Key rules
Fixed payment amount for up to 120 months.
Available on Direct, FFEL and Consolidation loans.
Payments count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Not for you if
Not for you if the fixed payment is more than your budget can carry — an income-driven plan exists for that.
Private loans are not eligible; your lender sets those terms.
Common mistake
Switching off Standard to lower a payment without checking that the new plan still counts toward forgiveness.
No estimate — your amount depends on your balance, rate, income, and family size, and this page has none of them.
Your amount depends on your balance, rate, income, and family size. The studentaid.gov Loan Simulator will give you a figure.
These cancel debt outright. All of them are free to apply for — anyone charging you a fee to file is selling you paperwork you can do yourself.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Forgives your remaining federal balance after ten years of qualifying public service payments.
Full-time employees of government agencies and 501(c)(3) nonprofits with Direct Loans.
Key rules
120 qualifying monthly payments — they do not have to be consecutive.
Payments must be made on a qualifying plan (income-driven or Standard 10-year).
Direct Loans only — FFEL and Perkins loans must be consolidated first.
You must be employed full time by a qualifying employer for each month you count.
The forgiven amount is not taxed as federal income.
Not for you if
Not for you if you work for a for-profit employer, even in a public-facing role.
Not for you if your loans are private — no federal forgiveness applies.
Common mistake
Two errors cost people years: payments made on the wrong plan or the wrong loan type don't count at all, and employer certification should be filed every year — not saved up and submitted at the end.
No estimate — your qualifying payment count comes from your servicer's record, which this page can't see.
studentaid.gov — PSLF Rule source: U.S. Department of Education — Federal Student Aid — verified August 10, 2026
Forgiveness at the end of an income-driven term
Any balance left after a full income-driven repayment term is cancelled.
Federal borrowers on an income-driven plan whose balance is large relative to income.
Key rules
You must stay on a qualifying income-driven plan and recertify each year.
The remaining balance is forgiven at the end of the plan's term.
Months in most deferments and forbearances do not count.
Not for you if
Not for you if you can clear the balance on Standard — you'd pay more interest waiting.
Private loans are not eligible.
Common mistake
Switching plans repeatedly, which can reset or pause the count of qualifying months.
No estimate — the forgiven amount depends on your income path over decades, which nobody can state as a figure today.
Money toward your loans from an employer, a state, or a service commitment. Your servicer will never tell you about any of it.
Employer repayment assistance and tuition benefits
Your employer pays money toward your loans or your tuition, tax-free.
Anyone employed by a company that offers educational assistance — far more people than realise it.
Key rules
Employers may contribute tax-free toward student loans under Section 127 of the tax code.
Benefits are typically a monthly amount with an annual or lifetime cap.
Contributions are usually paid to your servicer, not to you.
Enrolment normally runs through HR, with proof of the loan.
Not for you if
Not available if your employer doesn't offer the benefit — but ask before assuming.
Common mistake
Never asking. Ask HR two things: does the company offer educational assistance, and does it cover student loan repayment as well as tuition? Many employees never learn their own benefit exists.
No estimate — only your employer's plan document states the amount.
Refinancing private loans to a lower rate is usually straightforward upside. Refinancing federal loans converts them permanently to private debt and forfeits income-driven repayment, every forgiveness program, and federal hardship protections. This site earns nothing from refinancing referrals.
Refinancing private loans
Replacing a private loan with a new private loan at a lower rate.
Borrowers with private loans, steady income and good credit, whose current rate is above what lenders are quoting today.
Key rules
A new lender pays off the old loan and issues a new one at a new rate and term.
Approval and rate depend on credit and income, not on the original loan.
There are no federal protections to lose, because there were none to begin with.
Not for you if
Not for you if the new rate isn't meaningfully lower, or the term stretches so far that total interest rises.
Common mistake
Comparing monthly payments instead of total interest — a longer term can look cheaper monthly and cost far more overall.
No estimate — the rate you'd be offered depends on an underwriting decision we can't make.
Converts federal loans permanently to private debt at a new rate.
A narrow group: high earners with secure income, no interest in forgiveness, and a materially lower rate on offer.
Key rules
The conversion is permanent — federal loans cannot be restored afterwards.
You forfeit income-driven repayment, all federal forgiveness programs, and federal deferment and forbearance protections.
Consolidation with the Department of Education is a different thing and keeps loans federal.
Not for you if
Not for you if you work in public service or might in future.
Not for you if your income could fall, or if you might ever need an income-driven payment.
Common mistake
Trading permanent protections for a rate saving that a single job loss wipes out. This site earns nothing from refinancing referrals, so there's no reason for us to nudge you toward it.
No estimate — any saving depends on a private lender's offer, and the protections you'd give up have no price.
If you might ever need income-driven payments or forgiveness, don't refinance federal loans — the rate saving is almost never worth it.
Section 6
What this page can't tell you.
This page lists what exists. It can't tell you which plan is cheapest for your balance, whether your employer qualifies for forgiveness, how many qualifying payments you've made, or what happens to your payoff date if you add $100 a month. That needs your numbers. Add your loans and we'll build a personalized report — free, no credit check.
We track what you enter. We're not your servicer and we don't move your money.
Looking for current interest rates, the pay-off-versus-invest framework, the glossary, or the full list of official links? Those live in Resources(in your account).