How to read the chart
Find your AGI in the left column: the adjusted gross income on your latest federal return, Form 1040, line 11 (on a joint return, the couple's total). Read across to the column for the number of dependents you claim. Type your exact AGI into the box above the table and the matching row lights up with your payment to the cent.
Each row is the payment at exactly that AGI. Because a percentage applies to the whole income, payments inside a bracket rise smoothly, by 1% of each extra dollar a year, and then jump at the next edge. A row therefore shows the most anyone with an AGI between the previous row and that row pays.
The eleven brackets
The Repayment Assistance Plan's annual base payment comes from one table in 34 CFR 685.209(b)(2):
- AGI of $10,000 or less: $120 a year, which is the $10 monthly minimum.
- Over $10,000 to $20,000: 1% of AGI. $15,000 pays $150 a year, $12.50 a month.
- Over $20,000 to $30,000: 2%. $30,000 pays $600 a year, $50 a month.
- Over $30,000 to $40,000: 3%. $35,000 pays $87.50 a month.
- Over $40,000 to $50,000: 4%. $50,000 pays $166.67.
- Over $50,000 to $60,000: 5%. $55,000 pays $229.17.
- Over $60,000 to $70,000: 6%. $70,000 pays $350.
- Over $70,000 to $80,000: 7%. $80,000 pays $466.67.
- Over $80,000 to $90,000: 8%. $90,000 pays $600.
- Over $90,000 to $100,000: 9%. $100,000 pays $750.
- Over $100,000: 10%. $150,000 pays $1,250.
Each bracket includes its upper edge: $50,000 is in the 4% bracket and $50,001 is in the 5% bracket.
Dependents and the $10 floor
After dividing by 12, subtract $50 for every dependent you claim on your federal return. On a separate return, only the dependents on your own return count. The payment can't fall below $10, so at lower incomes additional dependents stop helping: at $30,000 of AGI the payment is $50 with no dependents and $10 with one or more.
That makes RAP's family allowance flat, unlike IBR, where each extra person raises the income protected from the payment by 150% of the poverty guideline. For larger families at modest incomes, compare both on the RAP vs IBR calculator.
Bracket edges, and what a lower AGI can save
Crossing into a new bracket adds one percentage point on your entire income at once. Moving from $80,000 to $80,001 adds $66.67 a month, or $800 a year, for one extra dollar of income. The table below the chart shows the cost at each edge.
AGI is the figure that matters, not salary. Contributions that come off before AGI, such as a traditional 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b), an HSA, or a deductible traditional IRA contribution, lower it. Someone a few hundred dollars over an edge may save more in RAP payments than the contribution costs in take-home pay. The RAP calculator flags this whenever you are within $10,000 of the edge below. Check any tax move with a tax professional; the payment table is only one part of that decision.
Why your servicer's number may differ
Servicers use the AGI on the return the IRS shares with them, or the documentation you provide, and they recalculate once a year. If you are married filing jointly and your spouse has federal student loans, the payment is split by balance share. Your servicer's repayment disclosure explains its own calculation. See how to apply for what that notice includes.
The bracket edges
RAP applies one percentage to the whole AGI. Crossing an edge by a single dollar moves every dollar of income into the next bracket, so the payment jumps. This table is computed with the same engine as the calculator.
| AGI at the edge | Rate at the edge | Payment at the edge | Payment $1 over | Cost of the last $1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | 1% | $16.67 | $33.34 | +$16.67 a month ($200 a year) |
| $30,000 | 2% | $50.00 | $75.00 | +$25.00 a month ($300 a year) |
| $40,000 | 3% | $100.00 | $133.34 | +$33.34 a month ($400 a year) |
| $50,000 | 4% | $166.67 | $208.34 | +$41.67 a month ($500 a year) |
| $60,000 | 5% | $250.00 | $300.01 | +$50.01 a month ($600 a year) |
| $70,000 | 6% | $350.00 | $408.34 | +$58.34 a month ($700 a year) |
| $80,000 | 7% | $466.67 | $533.34 | +$66.67 a month ($800 a year) |
| $90,000 | 8% | $600.00 | $675.01 | +$75.01 a month ($900 a year) |
| $100,000 | 9% | $750.00 | $833.34 | +$83.34 a month ($1,000 a year) |
Common questions
What are the RAP income brackets?
AGI of $10,000 or less pays $120 a year. Above that, each $10,000 band adds one percentage point: 1% for $10,001 to $20,000, up to 9% for $90,001 to $100,000, and 10% for any AGI over $100,000. The percentage applies to the whole AGI.
Are the RAP brackets adjusted for inflation?
The regulation writes them as fixed dollar amounts and nothing in it indexes them, so a raise can move you into a higher bracket over time even if your real income hasn't grown.
How much do dependents lower the payment?
$50 a month for each dependent claimed on your federal tax return, but the payment never goes below $10. At $35,000 of AGI the payment is $87.50 with no dependents and $10 with two.
Does this chart work for married couples?
For a joint return, look up the couple's combined AGI. If your spouse also has federal student loans, your payment is that amount times your share of the couple's balances. The calculator on the home page does the split for you.