IBR Student Loan Payment Estimator
Estimate your Income-Based Repayment (IBR) monthly student loan payment from your AGI and family size, using 2025 federal poverty guidelines. Runs in your browser.
IBR estimate
- Poverty guideline (family of 1)
- $15,650
- 150% of poverty line
- $23,475
- Discretionary income
- $21,525
- Estimated monthly payment
- $179
IBR payment = (AGI − 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size) × 10% ÷ 12, using 2025 HHS poverty guidelines (48 contiguous states; Alaska/Hawaii differ). Federal income-driven repayment plans and rules have been changing (SAVE litigation, new legislation) — verify your actual plan and payment with your servicer or studentaid.gov. Estimate only; not financial advice.
About this tool
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is a federal student-loan plan that caps your monthly payment at a percentage of your discretionary income rather than what it takes to amortize the balance. This estimator applies the formula the Department of Education uses: discretionary income is your adjusted gross income (AGI) minus 150% of the federal poverty guideline for your family size, and the annual payment is a percentage of that — 10% for borrowers who took out their first loans after July 1, 2014, or 15% for earlier borrowers — divided by 12 for the monthly amount. It uses the 2025 HHS poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii have higher figures). If your income is at or below 150% of the poverty line, the formula yields a $0 payment. An important caveat: federal income-driven repayment has been in flux — the SAVE plan has faced litigation and new legislation is reshaping the options — so this is an IBR estimate for orientation, and you should confirm your actual plan and payment with your loan servicer or studentaid.gov. Not financial advice. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use it
- Enter your adjusted gross income (AGI), from your tax return.
- Enter your family size as defined for the plan.
- Pick 10% (newer borrowers) or 15% (pre-July-2014).
- Read the estimated monthly payment; verify with your servicer.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the IBR payment calculated?
- Discretionary income = AGI − 150% × the federal poverty guideline for your family size. The payment is that times 10% (or 15% for older loans), divided by 12. If AGI is below 150% of the poverty line, the payment is $0.
- What counts as family size?
- For IDR plans it generally includes you, your spouse, and your dependents (children and others who receive more than half their support from you) — even some not claimed on taxes. It is not always the same as your tax dependents; check the plan definition.
- Which percentage applies to me, 10% or 15%?
- IBR uses 10% of discretionary income for borrowers who were new borrowers on or after July 1, 2014, and 15% for those with older loans. The plan you qualify for determines which; this tool lets you pick.
- Why might my real payment differ?
- Servicers use the exact poverty guideline for your state and household, may use AGI from a specific tax year, and the rules have been changing (SAVE litigation, new laws). Alaska and Hawaii have higher poverty figures than the 48 states used here. Treat this as an estimate.
- Does a low IBR payment mean my loan shrinks?
- Not necessarily — if the payment is less than the monthly interest, the balance can grow. IDR plans offer forgiveness of the remaining balance after 20–25 years of payments (and PSLF after 10 years for qualifying public service); see the PSLF countdown tool.
- Is this financial advice?
- No. It is an informational estimate. Confirm your plan, payment, and eligibility with your federal loan servicer or studentaid.gov.