Sources
Citing a regulation is not the same as checking whether it is in force. This table does both.
A court can vacate a regulation while its text stays in the Code of Federal Regulations, because removing the text requires the agency to publish a removal. So the presence of a rule in the eCFR is not evidence that the rule can be enforced.
There is a live example on this page. The 2025 rule narrowing PSLF employer eligibility was vacated on 30 June 2026, one day before it was due to take effect, and Federal Student Aid states that the Department cannot enforce it. The text is still sitting in 34 CFR 685.219(b)(30). Anyone citing the CFR alone would report it as current law.
Policy constants version 2026-08-25, which is the date of the most recent check of any constant against its primary source. Each row was read directly from the source, not from a summary of it, on or before that date, and each constant in the code carries its own verified date.
| What we rely on | Authority | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RAP payment bands, applied to entire AGI with no poverty deduction | 34 CFR 685.209(b)(2) | In force |
| RAP payment formula: base / 12, less $50 per dependent | 34 CFR 685.209(f)(5) | In force |
| RAP spousal proration, then a $10 floor applied last | 34 CFR 685.209(g)(3) | In force |
| RAP interest waiver: uncovered accrued interest is not charged | 34 CFR 685.209(h)(4)(i) | In force |
| RAP matching principal payment, up to $50 per on-time payment | 34 CFR 685.209(o)(2)(i) | In force |
| Paying extra advances the due date and forfeits the match and waiver | 34 CFR 685.209(o)(3)(i) | In force |
| RAP forgiveness after 360 payments over at least 30 years | 34 CFR 685.209(k)(7) | In force |
| RAP months do not count toward IBR, PAYE or ICR forgiveness The paragraph credits a payment under any income-driven plan "except the Repayment Assistance Plan". | 34 CFR 685.209(k)(4)(i)(A) | In force |
| Teacher Loan Forgiveness is capped at $5,000, or $17,500 for a highly qualified mathematics, science or special education teacher, after five consecutive complete academic years The higher tier requires the borrower to have been a highly qualified teacher for all five years under 685.217(c)(6). | 34 CFR 685.217(a)(2) to (a)(4) | In force |
| The same years of teaching service cannot earn both Teacher Loan Forgiveness and PSLF The bar is on receiving a benefit for the same qualifying teaching service under another specified programme, so the two can be earned in sequence but not for the same years. | 34 CFR 685.217(c)(12) | In force |
| The SAVE / REPAYE plan is vacated and unavailable to any borrower The rule was vacated in its entirety except the provision governing which deferment and forbearance periods count toward income-driven forgiveness. 34 CFR 685.209(a) still lists REPAYE, which is exactly why the text of the CFR is not by itself evidence that a plan is available. | District court judgment 10 March 2026, on remand from the Eighth Circuit 9 March 2026 | Not enforceable |
| Interest restarted on loans in the SAVE litigation forbearance from 1 August 2025 Not retroactive. Months spent in that forbearance count toward neither PSLF nor income-driven forgiveness, which is the part borrowers are most often surprised by. | Federal Student Aid implementation guidance | In force |
| IBR months do count toward RAP forgiveness, including $0 months Read with the row above, this makes RAP a one-way door for anyone whose fallback is income-driven forgiveness. | 34 CFR 685.209(k)(8)(i)(C)(4) | In force |
| RAP eligible loans include defaulted loans; Parent PLUS excluded | 34 CFR 685.209(d)(4) | In force |
| Discretionary income is 150% of the poverty guideline for IBR and PAYE, 100% for ICR | 34 CFR 685.209(b) | In force |
| A borrower with 60+ REPAYE payments since 1 July 2024 may not enrol in IBR | 34 CFR 685.209(c)(3)(ii) | In force |
| PAYE and ICR are closed to new enrolment and terminate 30 June 2028 | 34 CFR 685.209(c)(4), (c)(5), (c)(7) | In force |
| Tiered Standard terms of 10, 15, 20 and 25 years by balance; $50 minimum Applies only to Direct Loans made on or after 1 July 2026. | 34 CFR 685.208(c)(1) | In force |
| Qualifying repayment plans for PSLF, including RAP and the payment-amount test The payment-amount test is why Tiered Standard qualifies below $25,000 and not above it. | 34 CFR 685.219(b) | In force |
| PSLF payment count on a consolidation loan is a weighted average from 1 September 2024 | Federal Student Aid, PSLF program page | In force |
| A consolidation loan that repaid a Parent PLUS cannot continue to qualify for PSLF The Department’s borrower-facing page states this plainly, but the rulemaking preamble has been read the other way. Confirm with your servicer or the PSLF Help Tool. | Federal Student Aid, PSLF program page | Unresolved |
| The 2025 rule narrowing PSLF employer eligibility Vacated by two federal district courts one day before its effective date. Federal Student Aid states the Department "can't enforce" it and that the illegal-activities certification language "will have no effect". The definition still appears at 34 CFR 685.219(b)(30) because a vacatur does not remove text from the CFR. This calculator models no employer haircut. | 90 FR 48966, vacated 30 June 2026 | Not enforceable |
| Income-driven forgiveness is federally taxable from 1 January 2026 | ARPA s.9675, expired 31 December 2025; 26 U.S.C. 108(f) | In force |
| 2026 federal poverty guidelines | HHS / ASPE 2026 Poverty Guidelines | In force |
| Servicemember 6% interest cap applies to pre-service obligations The cap attaches to the obligation, not to whether the loan is federal. | 50 U.S.C. 3937 | In force |
| Deferment and forbearance entitlements | 34 CFR 685.204 and 685.205 | In force |
| The IBR knockout for post-July-2026 loans: borrower-level or loan-level The codified text reads loan-level, the preamble reads borrower-level, and 685.209(c)(3) carries no borrower-level condition. The calculator takes the less restrictive reading and says so on screen. | 34 CFR 685.209(d)(5) against the rulemaking preamble | Unresolved |
Primary sources we read directly
- 34 CFR 685.209, income-driven repayment plans
- 34 CFR 685.208, repayment plans including Tiered Standard
- 34 CFR 685.219, Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- Federal Student Aid, Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- HHS ASPE, poverty guidelines
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
What we deliberately do not publish
Lender interest rates. We have no way to verify that an advertised rate is one you would actually be offered, advertised ranges usually require autopay and excellent credit, and rate tables go stale quickly. The calculator asks for the offer you have in hand instead.
A state-by-state tax table for forgiven debt. State treatment varies and changes. A stale fifty-state table would create more errors than it prevents. The tool takes a rate you supply.
If a row here is out of date or wrong, tell me. Corrections are logged on the editorial policy page.