Selecting a federal student loan repayment plan depends on your financial goals and your situation.

Standard repayment offers fixed monthly payments and may be a good fit for borrowers seeking predictable costs.

If you want smaller monthly payments, graduated or extended repayment may work for you, if you are eligible.

• Standard: Higher monthly payments, lower lifetime costs, though the structure and terms may vary depending on when your loans were disbursed
• Graduated: Payments increase gradually over time, somewhat higher lifetime costs
• Extended: Lower monthly payments over a longer time period, higher lifetime costs

We can help you weigh the benefits and costs of each plan and find the right one for you. Make it a habit to review your repayment plan every year to make sure it's still a good fit for you, especially as federal repayment options may change over time. ECMC Solutions repayment counseling is available if you’d like one-on-one support.

Repayment Plan Comparison Calculator
Follow the link below to the U.S. Department of Education's repayment plan comparison calculator and compare repayment plans to find the payment plan that fits your financial situation.

Repayment plan comparison calculator

Get in-depth information on federal student aid programs, applying for financial aid and repaying student loans at StudentAid.gov the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website.

Standard repayment allows you to pay your loan(s) over 10 years in 120 equal monthly installments. Because you begin paying down the principal balance immediately, standard repayment may cost you less over the life of the loan compared to some other plans.

Key features of standard repayment:

• The same payments each month
• Minimum $50 payment amount until the loan is paid in full
• Maximum 10-year term for Stafford and PLUS loans, with a three-year extension if a loan balance remains because of a variable interest rate
• Automatically entered unless a different repayment plan is selected

Standard repayment for new loans follows updated terms introduced in recent changes. While it still offers predictable monthly payments, the structure and available term lengths may differ based on the amount borrowed.

Key features:

• Fixed monthly payments
• Term length determined by loan balance, with options ranging from 10 to 25 years
• Automatically entered unless a different repayment plan is selected

Graduated repayment is designed for those who have a low salary early in their repayment period, but anticipate higher incomes in the future. Payments start low and gradually increase over time.

Graduated repayment is a compromise between standard repayment and the higher lifetime costs of extended repayment.

Key features of graduated repayment:

• Lower monthly payments that increase over time
• No payment is more than three times the lowest payment
• Payments must cover interest
• Maximum 10-year term for Stafford and PLUS loans, with a three-year extension if a loan balance remains because of a variable interest rate

Graduated repayment is not available for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026.

Borrowers with more than $30,000 in federal student loans through a single loan program, can lower their monthly payments by extending their payments for up to 25 years. While it does save money in the short term, extended repayment may create higher lifetime costs. This is due to the fact that more interest will accrue on the loan balance and the borrower will make payments over a longer period of time.

Key features of extended repayment:

• Designed for borrowers with more than $30,000 in federal student loan debt in a single loan program (i.e., FFEL or Direct Loan)
• Lowers monthly payments by extending the loan term up to 25 years
• Fixed or graduated (increasing over time) payments
• Much higher lifetime costs

Extended repayment is not available for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026.