Dental Student Loan Repayment Calculator (2026)

Compare RAP, IBR, PSLF, standard, aggressive payoff and private refinancing under the 2026 rules — built for D1–D4s, residents, and new associates.

New to this? Take the 8-step guide. One decision at a time, with plain-English explanations. Your answers carry over →

Want your real balances? — it stays in your browser, and every number below uses your own loans.

What you still owe, year by year

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

See full comparison ↓

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.

Starting salary (associate / residency)

Annual raise

AGI on your most recent tax return

As a student this is usually $0 — that's what RAP uses for your first 12 months.

Graduation year, income milestones and bonus

Share of the year you worked in your graduation year

Graduate in May, start in July ≈ 50%. This return sets year-2 payments.

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.

Signing / starting bonus

Taxable income — it raises the AGI on your graduation-year return.

Pre-tax contributions (per year)

Retirement and health contributions lower the income your payment is based on.

How do you want to enter these?401(k) / 403(b) — 2026 limit $24,500

HSA, FSA, premiums and yearly growth

HSA — limit $4,400 self / $8,750 family

FSA

Medical / dental / vision premiums

Yearly growth in these amounts

IRS limits and premiums drift up over time. Holding them flat for 30 years overstates your AGI.

Year 1 total: $13,000 · year 10: $16,235

Household & taxes

Filing status and dependents set your RAP payment.

Tax filing statusDependents on your return

Tax rates on forgiven balances

Federal marginal tax rate when forgiven

State income tax rate

Your federal loans

Total balance and average rate. Import your file to fill these in for you.

Total federal balance

Weighted interest rate

I have (or will get) loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026True for most students still in school in 2026–27. New loans can only use RAP or Tiered Standard, so IBR is hidden.

Older loans

I had federal loans before July 1, 2014Puts you on old IBR (15% / 25 years).

Employer & timing

Public-service work and when you start paying.

I work (or will work) for a PSLF-qualifying employerNonprofit hospital, FQHC, public health, VA/military, dental school faculty. Check your employer's EIN at studentaid.gov/pslf.Skip the 6-month grace period and enroll in RAP right awayYour $0 student-year AGI means ~$10/mo with unpaid interest waived — instead of interest piling up during grace.

Payoff & refinance scenarios

What-ifs to compare against the federal plans.

Aggressive payoff target

yrs

Autopay assumptions

Enrolled in autopay (−1% now, −0.25% after 6/30/2028)ED added a temporary extra 0.75% on top of the usual 0.25%. You must be enrolled by 2026-09-30 to get it.Standard autopay discount (after the temporary window)

Temporary total discount

Months of the temporary discount left

Runs through 2028-06-30. About 20 months from today.

Private / refinanced loans you already have

Paid alongside your federal loans. No income-driven plans, no forgiveness.Max share of gross pay for student loans

Plans whose payment goes above this are never recommended. 10–20% is a common range.

Refinance and comparison settings

Private refinance rate

Private refinance term

yrs

Discount rate (today's-dollars comparison)

Roughly inflation. Money paid in 25 years is worth less than money paid today.

Paying for school: federal vs. private

Plan my school borrowing here (sets the loan balances used below)New professional students can borrow $50,000/yr and $200,000 total in federal loans, with Grad PLUS closed. Anything above that has to come from savings, scholarships or private loans.

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.

Planned housing payment (PITI)

Other monthly debt (car, cards)

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.