Leaving SAVE: RAP vs Tiered Standard in real numbers

If you are still in the SAVE forbearance, you have 90 days from the date on your notice to choose a new repayment plan. If you don’t, your servicer moves you to the Standard or Tiered Standard Plan, which for most borrowers is the most expensive monthly payment on the menu. Source · NCLC, Sept. 28, 2026

Notices started going out in early July 2026, so the first deadlines fell in late September and early October. Everyone’s clock is different, because it starts on the date of your own notice.

Below: what the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), Tiered Standard and Income-Based Repayment (IBR) would charge four example households, and how to pick in the time you have.

SAVE is over, and the court order requires a new plan

A federal court order of March 10, 2026 stopped the Department of Education from running the SAVE Plan. Borrowers whose loans are in forbearance because they enrolled in or applied for SAVE “must select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their loans.” Source · StudentAid.gov, IDR court actions

StudentAid.gov says that if you don’t pick one, your servicer will move you to a different plan. The National Consumer Law Center reports that this means Standard or Tiered Standard, depending on whether you have any loan first paid out after July 1, 2026.

Which plans you can pick depends on one date

If none of your loans was first paid out on or after July 1, 2026, you can choose RAP, IBR, PAYE or ICR, or a fixed plan. PAYE and ICR end no later than July 1, 2028, so you would move again. Source · StudentAid.gov, IDR plans

If any loan, including a consolidation loan, was first paid out on or after that date, your Direct Loans can only go on RAP or Tiered Standard. Source · StudentAid.gov, OBBBA definitions

RAP has two protections Tiered Standard doesn’t. If an on-time payment is less than the month’s interest, the rest is waived, so your balance doesn’t grow. If a payment cuts principal by less than $50, the Department adds a match to make up the difference. Source · StudentAid.gov, OBBBA definitions

The plans in dollars for four households

These examples use a 6.52% rate, this year’s undergraduate Direct Loan rate, and the 2026 poverty guidelines. Your loans may carry different rates; the pattern holds.

Three things stand out:

• Single borrowers with modest balances pay less on RAP or IBR than on Tiered Standard, and both income-driven plans keep PSLF open.
• Parents get $50 a month off RAP per child, but IBR shields a bigger share of income. The single parent above pays $129 on RAP against $117 on IBR.
• Large balances stretch Tiered Standard to 20 years for the married couple, which lowers the payment but adds years of interest and no forgiveness.

Example: the single parent who misses the deadline and lands on Tiered Standard would pay $262 a month, $1,738 a year more than on IBR. These are planning figures; your servicer sets the real payment.

Pick a plan in the time you have

1. Find your notice and count 90 days

   Check your email, mail and servicer inbox. Use the earliest notice date if you have more than one.

2. Price the plans on your numbers

   Run RAP, IBR and Tiered Standard with your balance and the income on your latest tax return.

3. Apply at StudentAid.gov/idr

   Give consent to import your federal tax information. StudentAid.gov says it speeds up the application and recertifies your plan each year.

4. Turn on auto pay

   Borrowers leaving SAVE who enroll in a new plan can get the 1-point auto pay rate cut. Sign up by December 31, 2026. Source · StudentAid.gov, IDR court actions

Frequently asked questions

I missed my 90 days. Is it too late?

No. NCLC says that even if you are moved to a standard plan, you can still apply for an income-driven plan or request a forbearance later. Apply as soon as you can, because the standard payment is due in the meantime.

I haven’t received a notice. Should I wait?

You don’t have to. NCLC points out you can switch now, which starts progress toward PSLF or income-driven forgiveness sooner.

Does time in the SAVE forbearance count for PSLF?

Not automatically. If you already have 120 months of certified qualifying employment, PSLF Buyback may let you pay for those months, as long as you weren’t on RAP or Tiered Standard during them. Our PSLF Buyback guide explains the rule.

Your next step: price your exit

The 90 days decide which plan you get. The loan repayment calculator shows what each one costs on your balance and income, so you pick it, not your servicer.