Tiered Standard Plan
A fixed-payment federal student loan plan whose length, 10 to 25 years, depends on how much you owe.
The Tiered Standard Plan replaces the old Standard Plan for Direct Loans first paid out on or after July 1, 2026. Payments are fixed and at least $50 a month.
The maximum term is 10 years if you owe less than $25,000, 15 years for $25,000 to under $50,000, 20 years for $50,000 to under $100,000 and 25 years for $100,000 or more. Payments on this plan don't count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Example
$30,000 at 6% falls in the 15-year tier, so the payment is about $253 a month.