Paydown: Student Loan Planner

Paydown answers one question: which federal student-loan repayment plan should you be on now? THE RULES CHANGED Loans made on or after July 1, 2026 can only use the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or a tiered Standard plan. The older income-driven plans close to existing borrowers on July 1, 2028. Parent PLUS consolidations keep income-based repayment only under a narrow window. And forgiveness under an income-driven plan is taxable again from 2026. Which of this applies to you depends on when each of your loans was made, what kind it is, and what you've done with it. YOUR LOANS, MAPPED Import the aid file you download from StudentAid.gov, or add loans by hand. Paydown reads every loan, date and balance on your phone and sorts them by the rules that apply to them. Nothing is uploaded — there is no account and no server. EVERY PLAN YOU CAN STILL PICK Answer six short questions about your income, household, state and public-service work. Paydown then simulates every plan you're eligible for, month by month to payoff or forgiveness: RAP with its interest waiver and principal match, IBR, tiered Standard, and the plans that end in 2028 with their switch to RAP modelled in. Rank them by lifetime cost, lowest monthly payment, or fastest payoff. THE MATH, SHOWN Tap any plan and see how the payment was calculated, line by line, with the statute each line comes from. Every rule is cited, and each citation opens a plain-English explanation. TRAPS, CAUGHT BEFORE THEY COST YOU Paydown flags the moves that quietly cost money: consolidating in a way that forfeits a plan, choosing a plan whose payments don't count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or missing the Parent PLUS window. Trap alerts are always free. WHAT IF Change jobs, get married, have a child, leave public service, or pay extra, and see how the best plan and its lifetime cost change. KEEP IT Export a one-page plan PDF to keep or share, and set reminders for annual recertification, PSLF certification, and the 2028 plan sunset. PAY ONCE Importing, the loan map, the plan menu with monthly payments, and every trap alert are free. One $19.99 purchase unlocks lifetime cost, tax on forgiveness, the What-If Lab, the plan PDF and reminders. No subscription. Family Sharing included. Paydown is an independent planning tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, or any loan servicer, and it cannot change your plan — you do that with your servicer. Results are estimates from the rules and the figures you enter; they are not financial, tax or legal advice.