Last reviewed: September 29, 2026.
The SAVE student-loan repayment plan is over. A court order ended it in March 2026, and starting July 1, 2026, loan servicers began sending 90-day transition notices in waves — pick a new plan within 90 days of your notice, or get auto-enrolled in one. The earliest deadline was September 29, 2026, and later waves run into early 2027.
This quiz walks through the five questions that determine where you stand: your deadline wave, what happens if you do nothing, and which plans are worth comparing side by side. It's a starting point for a conversation with your loan servicer — not a recommendation. Your servicer's notice and the federal Loan Simulator at studentaid.gov have your exact numbers.
This tool runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
Put this quiz on your site
Common questions
Why did the SAVE plan end?
A court order ended the SAVE Plan in March 2026. On March 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education announced that borrowers in the SAVE forbearance would have to transition to a new repayment plan, with servicers sending 90-day notices in waves starting July 1, 2026.
What happens if I miss my 90-day deadline?
Borrowers who don't choose a new plan within 90 days of their notice are automatically placed in the Standard Repayment Plan or the new Tiered Standard Plan, depending on loan disbursement dates. Neither plan is income-based, and payments are generally higher than under SAVE.
I'm pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Does my new plan matter?
Yes — a lot. Only qualifying repayment plans keep PSLF progress counting. Standard (10-year), Income-Based Repayment, and the new Repayment Assistance Plan generally qualify; Tiered Standard and Consolidation Standard generally do not. SAVE borrowers pursuing PSLF must switch to another qualifying plan to remain eligible.
What is the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)?
RAP is a new income-driven federal repayment plan that launched July 1, 2026. Monthly payments are set from 1% to 10% of income depending on earnings, and it's one of the main alternatives for borrowers leaving SAVE.
Sources
- MOHELA / Federal Student Aid, SAVE Plan FAQ: a court order ended the SAVE Plan in March 2026; servicers are notifying borrowers in waves between July 2026 and October 2026 with 90 days to choose a new plan; borrowers who don't choose are automatically placed in the Standard Repayment Plan or the new Tiered Standard Plan — mohela.studentaid.gov, accessed September 29, 2026.
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, "Key Changes in Federal Student Loan Repayment": the SAVE Plan is no longer available; borrowers get 90 days from their servicer's notice; non-choosers are automatically placed into the Standard or Tiered Standard plans; SAVE borrowers working toward PSLF must switch to another IDR plan to remain eligible — nyc.gov, accessed September 29, 2026.
- Protect Borrowers, "What Current Borrowers Need to Know Ahead of July 1, 2026" (fact sheet, June 2026): on March 27, 2026 the Department of Education announced SAVE forbearance borrowers must transition; legacy IDR plans (PAYE, ICR) remain available until they sunset in July 2028 for borrowers who don't take new loans — protectborrowers.org, accessed September 29, 2026.
- InvestigateTV (June 15, 2026): the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) launched July 1 with payments from 1% to 10% of income; Income-Based Repayment sets payments at 10% to 15% of discretionary income; the Tiered Standard Plan has terms of 10, 15, 20, or 25 years depending on balance — InvestigateTV, accessed September 29, 2026.
- Dollar illustrations in the quiz results are the author's own arithmetic at the stated assumed rate — hypothetical illustrations, not quotes or predictions. Your servicer's notice and the federal Loan Simulator at studentaid.gov carry your actual numbers.
