For a resident, fellow, or new attending with federal loans.
PSLF or payoff? See both totals before you choose.
Enter your balance, your income path, and the payments you have already banked. The planner totals the PSLF track against aggressive payoff, in dollars and months, so you see what each path costs.
Run my numbersFree. Your result shows on this page. No email needed to see it.
Both tracks, dollars and months.
Prefilled values are a hypothetical example so you can see how it works. AGI and rates are for exploration, never facts. Rules as of 2026-09-30.1
Your two tracks
| Line | PSLF track | Aggressive payoff |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly in training | $350.00 | $350.00 |
| Monthly after training | $2,500.00 | $4,914.66 |
| Total paid | $222,600 | $307,479 |
| End of the road | Month 120: $134,567 forgiven, tax-free | Month 96: balance zero |
| Tax on forgiveness | $0 | $0 (no forgiveness) |
PSLF track: $222,600 paid over 120 months, $134,567 forgiven tax-free. Payoff track: $307,479 over 96 months. Difference: $84,879.
What this planner assumes
- Single filer. Enter AGI directly; we suggest gross pay minus pre-tax retirement contributions.
- One weighted rate for all Direct loans. Income flat within each phase.
- No spouse, no state tax, no investment returns on cash differences.
- Rules as of 2026-09-30. RAP applies to both loan-date buckets.
- This planner compares RAP-based PSLF against payoff only.
Email me my plan.
Optional. The result is already above; the email only saves you a copy with your inputs as plan text.
A balance like a phone number, and pressure to refinance it.
You are still in resident mode with a balance that looks like a phone number. Every month you make a payment, and every month someone tells you to refinance it away.
Refinance now and the payment drops. It feels like progress. But refinancing federal loans into private ones ends your PSLF clock for good.1If you had five years of qualifying payments banked, those years are gone in one signature. That is the expensive mistake people are afraid of, and it happens quietly.
Nobody can tell you which path wins without your numbers: your balance, your income as it grows, your payment count, your family size. This page runs them.
A wrong PSLF or refinance call can cost six figures (hypothetical scale; your numbers will differ). Ten years of income-driven payments followed by tax-free forgiveness2, 3 is worth the most to the highest balances; aggressive payoff wins when the balance is small enough to kill fast on an attending salary. The crossover sits somewhere in the middle, and it moves with your income.
The cost of waiting is smaller than the cost of refinancing wrong. An extra year of qualifying payments while you decide still counts. A refinance you regret cannot be undone. These are structural facts about the program, not predictions. Your totals are above.
What the planner totals.
| Line | PSLF track | Aggressive payoff |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly payment | Income-driven amount from your income path | At the refinance rate you type, labelled hypothetical |
| Total paid | Out of pocket over remaining qualifying payments | Principal plus total interest to zero |
| End of the road | Amount forgiven, tax-free, months to freedom2, 3 | Months to zero balance |
| Downside to watch | Program rules can change; the citation dates tell you how fresh this page is | Refinancing ends your PSLF clock for good1 |
Primary-source fact check.
PSLF rules, qualifying payment definitions, and income-driven plan formulas come from the Federal Register final rule of May 1, 2026 and studentaid.gov, each with a check date. Refinance math uses the rate you type, labelled hypothetical, never stated as a market fact. Then a named human reviews the page before it publishes. Program rules change, and the citation dates tell you how fresh this page is.
Checked before it publishes.
Review process: a named reviewer checks each guide before it publishes (see How we check the numbers).
Logical proof: the crossover math is all on screen. Move your attending income up and watch payoff pull ahead. Add qualifying payments and watch PSLF pull back. The page argues with itself in the open, which is exactly what you need before a six-figure call.
Under 2 minutes to your first answer.
- Enter your federal loan balance and qualifying payments made so far.
- Enter your current income and your expected attending income.
- Enter a hypothetical refinance rate to test the payoff side.
- Read both totals on the page. No email needed to see the answer.
- Optional: email yourself the plan. One email, the "where did you hear about us" question, unsubscribe anytime.
Questions doctors ask.
Does PSLF work for doctors?
Yes, for doctors at qualifying employers. Make 120 monthly payments on Direct loans while working full time for a government or nonprofit employer, and the remaining balance is forgiven tax-free2, 3. Residents at nonprofit hospitals accrue months even on low income-driven payments2. The planner above totals your track against payoff.
At what point is PSLF not worth it?
When your balance is small enough to kill quickly on an attending salary, payoff usually wins; when ten years of income-driven payments plus tax-free forgiveness total less than payoff, PSLF wins2, 3. The crossover moves with your income. Type your numbers above and read which total is lower.
Does PSLF forgive the entire loan?
It forgives the remaining balance after 120 qualifying monthly payments, tax-free2, 3. Payments you already made are gone; only what is left at month 120 is forgiven. That is why a high balance with qualifying employment is worth the most.
Do you have to pay back student loans while in residency?
Generally yes, once grace ends; but income-driven payments can be very low (the Repayment Assistance Plan minimum is $10 a month; some older income-driven plans can be $0 for borrowers still on them), and those payments count as qualifying PSLF months with full-time qualifying employment2. Confirm your status with your servicer, and keep certifying your employment every year.
Is PSLF forgiveness still happening?
Yes. The rules on this page are current as of 2026-09-30, and the Repayment Assistance Plan counts as a qualifying repayment plan1, 2. Program rules can change, so confirm big decisions against studentaid.gov or your servicer before you act.
See both totals before you sign a refinance or coast on PSLF.
It takes under 2 minutes.
Email me my planThe result is already on this page. The email only saves you a copy.
Sources
Every claim above traces to one of these primary pages, each opened and checked on the date shown.
- PSLF qualifying plans including RAP: Federal Register: RISE final regulations (2026-08556) (RAP $10 floor, $50 per dependent, 360 payments over at least 30 years, interest subsidy, principal match). Checked 2026-09-30.
- PSLF rules and IDR answers: studentaid.gov: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (Direct Loans only, 120 payments, full time, qualifying employers) and studentaid.gov: IDR Plan FAQs (tax table). Checked 2026-09-30.
- Federal tax treatment of forgiven loans: IRS Topic 431 and studentaid.gov: PSLF buyback (forgiven amounts aren't considered income for federal tax). Checked 2026-09-30.