Student Loan Payoff Calculator
Free student loan payoff calculator. See how long to pay off your student loans based on income, compare payoff strategies, and find the fastest path to debt freedom.
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Understanding Student Loan Repayment Options
Federal student loans offer several repayment plans beyond the standard 10-year plan. The Standard Plan has fixed payments over 10 years — the fastest payoff with the least interest. Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans cap payments at 10-20% of discretionary income and forgive remaining balances after 20-25 years. The newest plan, SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education), caps undergraduate payments at 5% of discretionary income with a lower income threshold — making it the most affordable option for many borrowers.
The trade-off is clear: lower monthly payments mean more total interest. A $35,000 loan at 5.5% costs $380/month on the standard plan and $18,000 in total interest. On an IDR plan with $250/month payments, total interest could exceed $30,000 before any forgiveness applies. The optimal strategy depends on whether you qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) — if so, IDR with minimum payments makes sense because the balance is forgiven tax-free after 10 years of qualifying payments. Use our Debt Payoff Calculator to compare strategies.
The $100/Month Rule: How Extra Payments Transform Your Timeline
Adding just $100/month to student loan payments has an outsized impact. On a $35,000 loan at 5.5%, the standard payment is $380/month over 10 years with $10,600 in total interest. Adding $100/month ($480 total) reduces payoff to 7 years 4 months and saves $3,200 in interest. Adding $200/month saves $5,400 and cuts the timeline to 6 years. The math is powerful because every extra dollar goes directly to principal, reducing the base that generates interest.
The best strategy for most borrowers: pay the minimum on all loans, then throw every extra dollar at the highest-interest loan (avalanche method). Once that loan is paid off, roll its payment into the next highest rate. This mathematically minimizes total interest paid. If motivation is your challenge, the snowball method (smallest balance first) gets you quick wins that maintain momentum. Calculate which approach saves more with our Snowball vs Avalanche Calculator.