Free tool
Student loan payoff calculator
Updated November 6, 2026. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Enter a student loan balance, interest rate, and the fixed monthly payment you can actually send. You'll see an estimated months-to-clear figure, total interest, and one calm sentence you can adapt. This is a fixed-payment sketch only—not a servicer quote, not an income-driven plan estimate, and not financial advice.
How to use the number
- If the payment does not cover the first month's interest, raise the payment or free cash elsewhere before the balance grows.
- Compare a few realistic payments rather than trusting one rosy scenario.
- Federal income-driven plans and forgiveness programs need official tools and counseling; this page does not replace them.
- For multiple debts with different rates, see the free debt payoff calculator (snowball vs avalanche sketch). For a card balance, see the credit card payoff calculator.
What to say when cash or pay is the bottleneck
Knowing the payoff sketch is step one. Saying the next line on a bill, rent, raise, or offer call is where people freeze. The Bills Kit ($19) gives word-for-word lines for bill and landlord moments plus Call Mode. If pay is the lever that funds the payment, see the Offer Kit ($29). One-time purchase, 14-day refund on both.
Get the Bills Kit, $19 Get the Offer Kit, $29
How is the payoff timeline calculated?
Each month the calculator adds interest at APR ÷ 12, then subtracts your fixed payment. It repeats until the balance is cleared (or hits a 50-year safety stop). Total interest is the sum of those monthly interest charges. If the payment is at or below the first month's interest, the balance never shrinks.
Does this cover federal IDR, SAVE, or income-driven plans?
No. Those plans recalculate payment from income and family size, and some pause or forgive interest differently. This page sketches a fixed monthly payment against a balance and APR only. For federal plan options, use the official StudentAid.gov or Federal Student Aid tools and a qualified counselor.
Is this a payoff quote or financial advice?
No. It is simple arithmetic on the balance, APR, and payment you type, plus a sample sentence you can adapt. It is not a servicer quote, consolidation offer, tax advice, forgiveness estimate, or a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
Does this include fees or changing rates?
No. Origination fees, capitalization events, variable rates, deferment, forbearance, and day-count methods are not modeled. Re-run the sketch when any of those change.
Guidance only, not legal, financial, or tax advice. The calculator does simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter.