01 / Dental students
Plan your education
Work through school costs, funding and repayment one decision at a time.
Explore the dental loan guideYour future in dentistry starts with clarity
Your dental career.
A clearer path forward.
From financing dental school to planning your next loan payment. Explore the tools and guidance to take your next step with confidence.
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Start where you are
One profession. More than one path.
Choose the guidance that fits your next step.
02 / International dentists
Find your path to practice
Explore advanced standing programs and understand the funding questions to ask.
Explore international pathways03 / Residents & new dentists
Make a repayment plan
Compare repayment scenarios using your income, household and loan balances.
Compare repayment optionsDental student loan calculator
See what repayment could look like.
Compare estimated payments, interest and payoff timelines. Adjust the assumptions in the planner below to explore your own situation.
- RAP
- Standard 10-year
- Aggressive payoff
View as a table
| Year | RAP | Standard 10-year | Aggressive payoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 |
| 5 | $297,480 | $174,434 | $98,548 |
| 10 | $294,480 | $0 | — |
| 15 | $290,529 | — | — |
| 20 | $267,569 | — | — |
| 25 | $206,968 | — | — |
| 30 | $86,163 | — | — |
Estimates based on the current planner inputs below. Compare the balance remaining alongside total payments, time to repayment and any projected forgiveness tax.
AGI (year 3)
$172,075
RAP payment (year 3)
$1,434/mo
Best federal option
RAP (30-yr forgive)
Its total cost
$781,506
Your situation
Change any number and every result above updates as you type. The essentials are showing; open the dashed sections for finer settings.
Career & income
What you expect to earn once you start practicing.
Graduation year, income milestones and bonus
Career milestonesIncome jumps — partner, practice owner, a year off. Between milestones pay grows at your raise rate. Your payment reacts a year later, when that income reaches your tax return.
Pre-tax contributions (per year)
Retirement and health contributions lower the income your payment is based on.
HSA, FSA, premiums and yearly growth
Year 1 total: $13,000 · year 10: $16,235
Household & taxes
Filing status and dependents set your RAP payment.
Tax rates on forgiven balances
Your federal loans
Total balance and average rate. Import your file to fill these in for you.
Older loans
Employer & timing
Public-service work and when you start paying.
Payoff & refinance scenarios
What-ifs to compare against the federal plans.
Autopay assumptions
Refinance and comparison settings
Paying for school: federal vs. private
Salary → AGI → your RAP payment
Income-driven payments use adjusted gross income — what's left after pre-tax contributions, before taxes. Lower AGI, lower payment.
Salary
$180,000
− Pre-tax contributions
$13,000
= AGI
$167,000
RAP: 10% of AGI
$1,392/mo
Levers that lower your RAP payment (full-salary year)
| Move | New AGI | RAP / mo | Saves / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max 401(k)/403(b) ($24,500) | $152,500 | $1,271 | $121 |
| Max HSA ($4,400) — needs an HSA-eligible plan | $162,600 | $1,355 | $37 |
| Both | $148,100 | $1,234 | $158 |
Above $100k AGI every $1,000 of pre-tax savings cuts RAP by about $8.33/mo. If you're chasing forgiveness (PSLF or IDR), that's money you never pay back. If you're paying it off, it just lowers your required minimum.
Your first three years out
Year 1 — uses your student-year return
$10/mo on RAP
AGI $0
Year 2 — uses your graduation-year return
$557/mo on RAP
AGI $83,500
Year 3 — first full-salary return
$1,434/mo on RAP
AGI $172,075
You recertify income every year. RAP always looks back at your latest tax return, so payments ramp up a year or two after your salary does. Standard 10-year would be $3,632/mo from day one.
Autopay is cutting your rate to 7.20% for 20 more months
The Department of Education added a temporary extra 0.75% on top of the usual 0.25% autopay discount, so automatic payments are worth a full 1% through 2028-06-30. You have to be enrolled by 2026-09-30 to get it, and stay enrolled to keep it. It applies to Direct Loans made after July 2012. After the window it drops back to 0.25%. Set it up with your servicer — it also means you never miss a payment, which matters on RAP, where a late payment costs you that month's interest waiver.
Grace period vs. RAP right away
Taking the 6-month grace period lets about $12,300 of interest build up. Ending grace early and enrolling in RAP costs about $60 for those six months ($10/mo) — the rest of the interest is waived, and the government's principal match still nudges your balance down. You'd also get 6 extra qualifying months toward PSLF. Over the life of the RAP plan, the government waives about $75,150 of your interest.
Strategy comparison
Starting balance $300,000Rate 7.95%(autopay −0.25%)7.20% for 20 more monthsDebt ÷ full-salary AGI: 1.7×IBR hidden — loans after 7/1/2026
Income, pre-tax and household inputs change the RAP, IBR and PSLF payments. Standard, Tiered and refinance payments depend only on balance and rate, but every plan's % of pay and whether it fits your 20% budget change with income. Changed numbers flash yellow.
RAP (30-yr forgive): lowest cost, if you commit for 30 years
You'd pay about $749,626 (peak 9% of gross pay), then about $86,163 is forgiven with a $31,880 tax bill. Setting aside about $38/mo covers it. Don't pay extra. Your debt is 1.7× your income; above roughly 2× forgiveness tends to win, below 1× paying it off usually wins.
Aggressive 7-yr would cost less, but it's over your budget
It needs up to $4,668/mo — 31% of your gross pay, above your 20% limit — and would save about $119,083 in today's dollars. Raise the limit under "Payoff & refinance scenarios" if you can handle it.
What about refinancing privately?
At 6.5% the refinance would cost about $114,923 less (today's dollars) than RAP (30-yr forgive), but you'd owe $3,406/mo (23% of gross pay) from day one, which is over your 20% limit. You'd also permanently give up RAP/IBR, PSLF, forgiveness and federal payment pauses, and the higher payment counts against you when a bank sizes a mortgage or practice loan.
| Strategy | Year 1 /mo | Year 3 /mo | Peak % of pay | Years | You pay | Forgiven | Tax bill | Total cost | In today's $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard (10-year) Default plan if you do nothing. Fastest federal payoff, highest monthly bill. Fixed payment · not affected by income | $3,632 | $3,632 | 24% · over budget | 9.9 | $428,574 | — | — | $428,574 | $371,450 |
Tiered Standard (25-year) New fixed plan for loans made on/after 7/1/2026. Term is set by your balance (10–25 yrs). Fixed payment · not affected by income | $2,306 | $2,306 | 15% | 24.2 | $667,462 | — | — | $667,462 | $476,653 |
RAP → forgiveness at 30 yrsbest federal option Pay the minimum on RAP for 360 months; the rest is forgiven but taxed as income. | $10 | $1,434 | 9% | 30.0 | $749,626 | $86,163 | $31,880 | $781,506 | $468,383 |
Stay federal + pay off in 7 yrs Enroll in RAP for the safety net, then pay extra (no prepayment penalty) to finish on your timeline. | $4,668 | $4,668 | 31% · over budget | 6.9 | $386,615 | — | — | $386,615 | $349,300 |
Private refinance (6.5% / 10 yrs) Lower rate possible, but you permanently lose RAP/IBR, PSLF, forgiveness, and federal pauses. Fixed payment · not affected by income | $3,406 | $3,406 | 23% · over budget | 10.0 | $408,773 | — | — | $408,773 | $353,460 |
The "tax bomb"
Forgiveness through RAP or IBR counts as income in the year it happens (federal 32% + state 5% assumed). Monthly savings needed to cover it by then, at 5% growth: RAP (30-yr forgive): $38/mo. PSLF forgiveness is federally tax-free.
Balance remaining by year
Standard 10-yrTiered 25-yrRAP (30-yr forgive)Aggressive 7-yrPrivate refi
Lines that end above $0 are forgiven at that point.
Buying a home or practice? Debt-to-income check
Mortgage and practice lenders look at your monthly debt payments ÷ monthly gross income — not your total balance. A low RAP payment keeps this ratio healthy; a high refinance payment can get a loan denied. Many lenders want 43% or less, and 36% or less is comfortable.
Standard 10-yr
44% · $3,632
Tiered 25-yr
35% · $2,306
RAP (30-yr forgive)
29% · $1,434
Aggressive 7-yr
50% · $4,668
Private refi
42% · $3,406
Uses each plan's year-3 student loan payment. Ask your servicer for a letter showing your actual IDR payment — lenders will usually accept it instead of a percentage of your balance.
2026 rules every dental student should know
Only two income-driven plans remain
RAP (new, from 7/1/2026) and IBR (loans made before 7/1/2026 only). SAVE, PAYE and ICR are ending — if you're on SAVE, pick a new plan when your servicer notifies you or you'll be moved.
RAP basics
1–10% of your whole AGI ($10/mo minimum), minus $50/mo per dependent. If your payment doesn't cover the month's interest, the rest is waived, and the government tops up so principal drops by at least what you paid (up to $50). Forgiven after 360 payments.
New borrowing limits (entering D1s)
Grad PLUS ends for new borrowers on 7/1/2026. Professional students: $50,000/yr and $200,000 total. Students already borrowing keep current limits for up to 3 more academic years. Gaps will need private loans — compare lenders (e.g., ELM Select) and build credit early.
Residency
Unpaid (student-status) residencies can usually keep deferring. Paid residencies go into repayment — but your AGI is low, so RAP is cheap, and a nonprofit hospital residency can count toward PSLF.
Signing bonuses
Average ~$15k. It's taxable income and raises next year's RAP payment. Know if it's a signing or starting bonus, what the clawback terms are, and have an attorney review the contract. If you're going for forgiveness, don't throw it at your loans.
Paying extra
Federal loans have no prepayment penalty, so you can pay more on RAP any month. Extra payments go to interest first, then principal. But if you're pursuing PSLF or IDR forgiveness, extra payments just shrink what's forgiven.
Refinancing
Refinancing private loans for a lower rate is often smart. Refinancing federal loans is permanent: no RAP/IBR, no PSLF, no forgiveness, no federal pauses. Only do it if you're sure you won't need them.
Credit score
Payment history is the biggest factor — a bill paid within 30 days of the due date is still reported on time. Pay every bill on time and check your report for errors regularly; lenders (including for private student loans) will pull it.
Taxes on forgiveness
PSLF: federally tax-free (some states may tax it). RAP/IBR forgiveness: taxable as income, federal and state, starting with discharges in 2026.
Questions for a CPA or planner who works with dentists
These decisions interact with each other. Ask any advisor for a reference from a dentist they've worked with, and whether they know student loans and DSO contracts.
- Should I file jointly or separately to lower my IDR payment, and what does it cost in taxes?
- Is my employer PSLF-qualifying (check the EIN at studentaid.gov/pslf)? Does my residency count?
- Given my practice-ownership timeline, what student loan payment keeps my debt-to-income ratio lendable?
- If I go for IDR forgiveness, how much should I set aside each month for the tax bill?
- Should my signing bonus go to loans, an emergency fund, or retirement?
- Is refinancing my private loans worth it, and should my federal loans stay federal?
- How much should I put pre-tax (401(k)/403(b), HSA) to lower my AGI?
Estimates only — not financial, tax, or legal advice. Rules reflect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as implemented by ED (September 2026): RAP brackets, $50/dependent reduction, $10 minimum, interest waiver and $50 principal match; IBR for pre-7/1/2026 loans; 2026 HHS poverty guideline $15,960. Not modeled: RAP spousal-loan offset for joint filers, future rule changes, and tax-bracket changes. Confirm with your servicer, StudentAid.gov, and a CPA or planner who works with dentists.