Repayment Strategy 13 min

How to Apply for RAP (Step-by-Step, 2026)

How to Switch to RAP (Step-by-Step, 2026)

Updated on October 26, 2026 Published June 29, 2026

To switch from SAVE to RAP, submit the income-driven repayment plan request at studentaid.gov/idr and choose the Repayment Assistance Plan. It is the same free form used for a first enrollment; there is no separate RAP application. Before you switch, the free Finology Software RAP calculator shows what your RAP payment would be.

You choose the Repayment Assistance Plan on the income-driven repayment plan request at studentaid.gov/idr, the same free form used for IBR, and it covers first-time enrollment and a switch from SAVE, PAYE, IBR or ICR. Have your FSA ID ready, along with consent for the IRS to share your tax information (or your latest federal tax return) and your family size. RAP is open to Direct Loans. A Parent PLUS loan stays on a standard plan, and a consolidation loan that repaid one can use ICR or a standard plan, so check your loan types before you file.

Compare first. See RAP next to IBR and the Standard plan on your own income in the RAP payment calculator, or pick a tool from our free student loan calculators.
Check your loans. Sign in at studentaid.gov to see your current plan, loan types and balances.
Consolidate only if your loans need it. Older FFEL loans move to a Direct Consolidation Loan first; Direct Loans go straight to step 4.
File the IDR plan request at studentaid.gov/idr and select the Repayment Assistance Plan.
Keep paying until your servicer confirms the new plan and payment, and save a copy of your submission.

For advisors

Moving a client to RAP? Finology Software reads the client’s federal loan file, shows the plans each loan can still elect, and produces the report you hand them before you file.

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Update, October 12, 2026: the first SAVE deadlines passed on September 29. If you were on SAVE, your servicer’s transition notice started a 90-day window on the date it was sent, not on a shared calendar date. The earliest of those windows closed on September 29, 2026. If you miss yours, you are placed on the Standard or Tiered Standard plan and billing begins, whatever your income. Notices are still going out in tranches roughly two weeks apart through December, so a later notice means a later deadline. Roughly 6 million of the 7.5 million borrowers who were on SAVE had not chosen a new plan as of mid-September.

Run your own numbers

Enter your loans and income to see RAP next to the new Standard plan and IBR. Free, no account, on the same engine advisors use.

Estimates for education only, not financial advice.

What RAP is, in one line

RAP, the Repayment Assistance Plan, is the new federal income-driven repayment plan. It bases your monthly payment on a tiered 1% to 10% of your full adjusted gross income (AGI), minus $50 per dependent, with a $10 minimum. It waives unpaid interest so your balance does not grow, and it adds a principal match so your balance falls by up to $50 each month you pay on time. If you want to see the math on your own income first, use our RAP payment calculator guide, or the RAP vs IBR calculator to see RAP next to IBR.

How do I apply for RAP?

RAP has no application of its own. You request it on the standard income-driven repayment (IDR) plan request at studentaid.gov/idr, the same free online form used for IBR, and you choose the Repayment Assistance Plan on it. Federal Student Aid lists RAP among its income-driven repayment plans and states that to repay your federal student loans under an IDR plan, you need to fill out an application.

You sign in with your FSA ID, and the fastest route is to give consent for the IRS to send your federal tax information straight into the application. Federal Student Aid says that consent speeds up processing, removes the need to upload income documentation yourself, and lets your plan recertify automatically each year. The same application covers first-time enrollment and switching from SAVE, PAYE, IBR or ICR. Everything worth checking before you file is in the steps below.

Run it on your own numbers

Before you switch, see what the new plan actually does to your payment and your payoff date. The calculator is free and needs no account.

Estimate your payment Or track it in a free account

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Should you switch to RAP?

Switching makes sense for some borrowers and not others. You are a likely candidate to consider RAP if:

You were on SAVE, which has been struck down, and you need to choose a new plan anyway.
Your current monthly payment feels high relative to your income, and an income-driven payment would lower it.
You are pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness and want a qualifying income-driven plan. RAP counts for PSLF, though it is not always the lowest payment, see RAP and PSLF.
You want the interest waiver and the $50 principal match that RAP provides.

It may not be the right move if you already have significant forgiveness progress on an older plan like IBR that produces a lower payment, or if a non-income-driven plan already fits your budget. The honest answer depends on your numbers, which is why step 1 below is to compare before you commit.

Who can apply for RAP

RAP is a federal income-driven repayment plan for federal Direct Loans. You can apply whether you are entering repayment for the first time or moving from another plan such as SAVE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR.

Direct Loan borrowers: apply directly through the IDR application. No consolidation needed.
Older FFEL program loans: these generally need to be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan before they can access income-driven plans, including RAP. Consolidation has trade-offs, so check the consequences before you file.
Parent PLUS borrowers: RAP is not available for Parent PLUS loans. A consolidation loan that repaid a Parent PLUS loan can access ICR only, not RAP. See the Parent PLUS cliff for what changed and what your options are.

What you need before you apply

Your FSA ID (your studentaid.gov login).
Your adjusted gross income, and your spouse’s if you file taxes jointly. Filing jointly combines both incomes; filing separately uses only yours.
Your number of dependents. RAP subtracts $50 per month for each dependent you can claim.
Your loan details: which loans you have, balances, and your current plan. You can see all of this after logging in at studentaid.gov.
Income documentation, or simpler, authorization for the IRS to transfer your tax information directly inside the application.

Not sure what your payment would be? RAP charges a tiered 1% to 10% of your full AGI, minus $50 per dependent, with a $10 monthly minimum. Our RAP payment calculator shows the math on your own numbers before you commit to anything.

How to switch from SAVE to RAP, step by step

Step 1: Confirm RAP is actually your best option

Before you file anything, compare RAP against your current plan and any other plan you qualify for, on your real income, family size, balance, and forgiveness goal. The lowest monthly payment is not always the lowest lifetime cost. Skipping this step is the most common way borrowers end up on the wrong plan.

Step 2: Find out what plan and loans you have today

Log in at studentaid.gov, or check with your loan servicer, to see your current repayment plan, your loan types, and your balances. This matters because the path to RAP can differ depending on your loans. Confirm which of your loans are federal Direct Loans, since the income-driven repayment options apply to Direct Loans.

Step 3: Check whether consolidation is part of your path

For many borrowers with Direct Loans, switching to RAP is simply an application, no consolidation needed. But some loan types are not directly eligible for income-driven plans until they are consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan first. This commonly applies to older FFEL program loans and, in particular, to Parent PLUS borrowers, whose route into income-driven repayment has historically run through consolidation. Consolidation has trade-offs, it can reset progress toward forgiveness and change your interest rate, so do not consolidate without checking the consequences first. If you are unsure whether your loans need to be consolidated to access RAP, confirm with your servicer or studentaid.gov before you file.

Step 4: Apply through the income-driven repayment application on studentaid.gov

The standard way to enroll in a federal income-driven plan is the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) application at studentaid.gov. You submit the IDR application and select the income-driven plan you want. The application asks for your income information and family size, and you can typically authorize the IRS to transfer your tax information directly, or provide income documentation. You can also start an income-driven repayment request through your loan servicer. Note: the studentaid.gov application is the official enrollment route, but exact wording and screen-by-screen steps on the site change over time, so follow the prompts on the live application rather than memorizing a fixed sequence.

Step 5: Submit, then watch for confirmation from your servicer

After you submit, your loan servicer processes the request and confirms your new plan and monthly payment. Keep paying on your current schedule until the switch is confirmed, and keep a copy of your submission. If you do not see confirmation within a reasonable window, follow up with your servicer.

After you switch: recertification

Income-driven plans require you to recertify your income and family size once a year. Your servicer tells you your recertification date. If your income or family size changes, your payment can change at recertification. Missing recertification can cause your payment to rise, so put the date on your calendar. Keeping your information current is how your RAP payment stays tied to your actual income.

What to watch for

If your notice has not arrived yet, comparing plans now lets you enroll on day one of your window and keep the choice in your hands. Notices continue in tranches through December 2026.

Do not switch blind. Compare lifetime cost, not just the monthly payment, before you apply.
Consolidation can reset forgiveness progress. If consolidation is part of your path, understand what it does to your payment count before you file.
Protect your PSLF count. If you are pursuing forgiveness, check your payment count on studentaid.gov before changing anything, and keep employer certifications current.
Mind the timing if you are on SAVE. SAVE borrowers receive a transition notice and a 90-day window to choose a new plan; do not let a default plan be chosen for you.
Recertify every year. Missing it can raise your payment.

Frequently asked questions about applying for RAP

Where do I apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan?

At studentaid.gov, on the income-driven repayment plan application (studentaid.gov/idr). It is free, and the same application covers both first-time enrollment and switching from another plan such as SAVE, PAYE, IBR or ICR. You do not need to pay anyone to file it.

Can I sign up for the RAP plan online?

Yes. The income-driven repayment application is completed online at studentaid.gov using your FSA ID. Giving consent for the IRS to transfer your federal tax information directly into the application speeds up processing and lets your plan recertify automatically each year.

How long does a switch to RAP take?

Your servicer processes the request after you submit it and sends a confirmation with your new plan and monthly payment. Giving consent for the IRS to share your tax information speeds up processing, according to Federal Student Aid. Keep paying on your current schedule until the confirmation arrives.

Do I have to change to RAP?

Not everyone. RAP is one option among several. Borrowers on SAVE need a new plan because SAVE has been struck down, and borrowers on PAYE or ICR must move because those plans are being eliminated no later than July 1, 2028. If you are on IBR with significant forgiveness progress and a lower payment, staying may be the better choice.

How do I switch from SAVE to RAP?

How do I switch from SAVE to RAP and keep PSLF?

You submit the income-driven repayment application at studentaid.gov and select RAP. RAP is a qualifying repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, so payments you make on it count toward the 120. Qualifying payments you already earned on an earlier plan are not erased when you change plans. See RAP and PSLF for the months that count and the ones that do not.

I switched from SAVE to RAP. Was it the right plan?

Check three things on your own numbers: your PSLF months, RAP’s $10 monthly minimum, and IBR’s shorter forgiveness term. On a $60,000 balance at 6.5% with $60,000 of income, single with no dependents, RAP is $250 a month and IBR is $301, yet IBR costs less over the life of the loan, $87,017 against $99,240 including the estimated tax on forgiveness, because IBR forgives after 20 years for borrowers who first borrowed on or after July 1, 2014 and RAP forgives after 30. Compare both in the RAP vs IBR calculator, and if you work in public service, start with RAP and PSLF.

Can I apply for RAP for my mom’s Parent PLUS loan?

No. RAP is not available for Parent PLUS loans. A Direct Consolidation Loan that repaid a Parent PLUS loan can access Income-Contingent Repayment only, not RAP. Also note that only the borrower on the loan, the parent, can apply for a repayment plan on it.

Get the switch right the first time

Switching plans is a decision you make once and live with for years, so it is worth getting right. A student-loan advisor using Finology Software compares RAP against your current plan on verified math, shows your real payment, payoff date, total cost, and any forgiveness tax, and confirms whether consolidation is part of your path, so you switch on purpose, not on a guess.

Ready to switch to RAP the right way? Get matched with a student-loan advisor who runs your numbers on verified math, or create a free account.