On July 1, 2026, federal student loan servicers begin sending notices to the 7.5 million borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan, telling them to exit and choose a different repayment plan. This isn't a rumor or a proposal — it's the U.S. Department of Education's announced timeline for winding down a plan that has been in court-ordered limbo since 2024. The same day, two brand-new plans become available. If you're in SAVE, the decision in front of you matters, and the clock is real. Here's the plain-English version of what's changing and how to think about your options.
Why the SAVE Plan is ending
The SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) Plan launched July 1, 2024 as the most generous income-driven repayment plan to date. Within weeks, federal courts enjoined parts of it, and by early 2025 an appeals court had blocked the entire plan. Borrowers enrolled in SAVE were placed into an administrative forbearance — payments paused — while the litigation played out. That forbearance started at 0% interest, but interest began accruing again on SAVE loans on August 1, 2025.
In December 2025, a settlement formally ended the plan. The Department of Education has now set the operational timeline: starting July 1, 2026, servicers begin notifying SAVE borrowers to transition to a legal repayment plan, and each borrower gets at least 90 days — per the specific deadline their servicer communicates — to make the move.
If you've been in the SAVE forbearance, your payments have been paused but interest has been adding up since August 2025. That's worth knowing as you plan: the longer balance you re-enter repayment with reflects that accrued interest.
The two new plans launching July 1, 2026
The same 2025 budget reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21) that wound SAVE down also created two new repayment tracks. Both become available July 1, 2026.
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) — the new income-driven option
RAP is the income-driven successor. Your monthly payment is a share of your adjusted gross income (AGI) on a sliding scale:
- Payments range from 1% to 10% of AGI, rising one percentage point for each additional $10,000 of AGI.
- The minimum monthly payment is $10 for borrowers with AGI of $10,000 or less.
- Your payment is reduced by $50 for each dependent you claim.
RAP also has two borrower-protective features built into the statute:
- Interest waiver: if your monthly payment doesn't cover that month's accruing interest, the unpaid interest is waived rather than added to your balance.
- Principal match: if your payment doesn't reduce your principal by at least $50, a subsidy makes up the difference, so your balance falls by at least $50 every month.
The repayment term runs 30 years, after which any remaining balance is addressed under the plan's terms. RAP is for federal Direct Loans; Parent PLUS loans and consolidation loans that include a Parent PLUS loan are not eligible.
Tiered Standard Plan — the fixed-term option
The Tiered Standard Plan is not income-driven. It's a predictable, fixed-payment schedule where your repayment term is set by your total balance:
| Total balance | Repayment term |
|---|---|
| Up to $24,999 | 10 years |
| $25,000 – $49,999 | 15 years |
| $50,000 – $99,999 | 20 years |
| $100,000 or more | 25 years |
There's no income recertification, no payment tied to what you earn, and no forgiveness horizon. Borrowers with higher balances get more time and lower monthly payments; borrowers with smaller balances pay off faster. If you value certainty and your income comfortably covers the fixed payment, this is the straightforward choice.
Confirm your federal options before you consider refinancing
RAP and the Tiered Standard Plan are federal programs — most borrowers should evaluate them first. If you've already confirmed you have no forgiveness path and stable income, ClearValue Lending publishes independent, side-by-side reviews of student loan refinancing lenders.
Compare refinancing lenders →What happens if you do nothing
This is the part to internalize: inaction is itself a choice, and not a great one. If you don't transition within the 90-day window your servicer communicates, you are automatically enrolled into a standard plan — either the Standard Repayment Plan or the new Tiered Standard Plan.
Automatic enrollment can land you on a higher monthly payment than you would have selected, especially if an income-driven plan like RAP would have produced a smaller payment for your situation. The borrowers who come out of this transition best are the ones who open the servicer notice, run their own numbers, and choose deliberately before the deadline.
How to choose between RAP and the Tiered Standard Plan
There's no universally "best" plan — it depends on your income, balance, family size, and goals. A few honest decision points:
- If your income is modest relative to your balance, RAP's 1%–10%-of-AGI formula plus the $50-per-dependent reduction usually produces a lower monthly payment than a fixed schedule. The interest waiver and principal match also protect you from a ballooning balance.
- If your income is stable and high enough to cover a fixed payment comfortably, the Tiered Standard Plan gives you predictability and a defined payoff date with no annual income paperwork.
- If you're pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you generally need to be on a qualifying income-driven plan — confirm with your servicer that your chosen plan keeps you on track, because the plan you pick affects whether your payments count. (For the basics, see our explainer on what student loan forgiveness is.)
Run your actual numbers in the official tools at StudentAid.gov before you commit. The Federal Student Aid loan simulator lets you compare estimated payments across plans for your specific loans.
Where refinancing fits — and where it doesn't
Some borrowers will look at this transition and wonder whether to refinance their federal loans into a private loan instead. Be careful here. Refinancing federal loans into a private loan is a one-way door. You permanently give up:
- Income-driven repayment — including RAP and its interest-waiver and principal-match protections.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness, including any qualifying payments you've already made.
- Federal forbearance and deferment protections.
For most borrowers in SAVE — especially anyone with a forgiveness path, variable income, or the possibility of a career change — staying federal and choosing RAP or the Tiered Standard Plan is the safer move. Refinancing tends to make sense only when you've confirmed you have no PSLF path, your income is stable, and the rate difference is large enough to justify giving up federal protections.
If you've already worked through that analysis and concluded refinancing is right for your private loans (or for federal loans you're confident you don't need protections on), comparing lenders carefully is the next step. ClearValue Lending publishes independent, side-by-side reviews of student loan refinancing lenders — ranked by fit, never by who pays. See our guide to the best student loan refinancing companies in 2026, our explainer on how to choose between federal and private student loans, and the answer to how student loan refinancing works before making an irreversible decision.
What to do this month
- Watch for your servicer's notice starting July 1, 2026. Read it carefully — it states your specific deadline. You get at least 90 days from that communication.
- Pull up your loan details at StudentAid.gov. Confirm your total balance, loan types, and current servicer so you know which new plans you're eligible for.
- Run the plan comparison. Use the official loan simulator to compare RAP against the Tiered Standard Plan for your income and balance. Factor in dependents — they reduce your RAP payment.
- If you're chasing PSLF, verify your plan keeps you qualified before you switch.
- Don't let it auto-enroll you. Choosing deliberately almost always beats the default.
The end of SAVE is disruptive, but the replacement plans are real options with real protections built in. The borrowers who do worst are the ones who ignore the notice. The borrowers who do best treat the next few months as a deadline to make one informed decision.
ClearValue Lending is a financial-education and comparison platform — not a student loan lender, servicer, or financial advisor. This article summarizes publicly available federal program information as of May 2026; repayment-plan rules, dates, and formulas can change. Always verify your options and deadlines with your loan servicer and the official federal resources at StudentAid.gov before making any decision about your student loans.