SAVE Plan’s End Could Raise Student Loan Payments by More Than 1,400% for Certain Families. Here’s Who.

Households earning between $90,000 and $100,000 a year with four tax dependents would face the steepest percentage increase in student loan payments if they switch from SAVE to the Repayment Assistance Plan, according to a new report.

Freedom Debt Relief detailed that monthly payments would climb from $33.21 under SAVE to $512.50 under RAP, an increase of 1,443%. The additional expense would total $479.29 a month, or $5,751.48 annually.

The findings come as millions of former SAVE borrowers face individual 90-day deadlines to choose another repayment plan. The analysis identifies which household profiles would experience the sharpest payment increases if they select RAP, with families supporting multiple dependents occupying several of the highest positions.

Freedom Debt Relief modeled 60 predefined household profiles using payment rules released by the U.S. Department of Education and federal poverty guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services. The profiles covered different income levels and tax situations, ranging from zero to four dependents.

The ranking reflects percentage increases rather than the largest additional dollar costs. Households earning $90,000 to $100,000 with four dependents lead because their modeled SAVE payment was relatively small compared with the amount due under RAP.

Families earning $60,000 to $70,000 with two dependents ranked second. Their monthly payment would rise from $14.71, the lowest SAVE payment among the 10 highlighted profiles, to $225 under RAP.

That change represents a 1,430% increase, adding $210.29 to monthly expenses and $2,523.48 over a year. Despite having the lowest RAP payment among the three highest-ranked groups, these households would experience nearly the same percentage jump as the first-place group.

Third were households earning $80,000 to $90,000 with three dependents. Their modeled payments would increase from $44.79 to $416.67 a month, an 830% rise. The difference amounts to $371.88 monthly, or $4,462.56 annually.

Families earning $100,000 to $125,000 with four dependents ranked fourth, with payments increasing from $106.13 to $737.50. That would add $631.37 a month and $7,576.44 annually, a 595% increase.

Lower-income families also appeared among the most affected. Households earning $50,000 to $60,000 with one dependent ranked fifth, facing an increase from $26.29 to $179.17 monthly. Their additional annual expense would reach $1,834.56, reflecting a 582% payment increase.

"Now middle-income families, particularly those earning $60K–$100K with multiple dependents, face some of the steepest percentage increases in the study," a Freedom Debt Relief spokesperson said.

"SAVE's calculation was calibrated around household size in ways that new plans don't replicate at the same income levels." The spokesperson pointed to a family of five earning $95,000 that would have paid approximately $33 monthly under SAVE, illustrating how the previous calculation accommodated larger households.

The remaining profiles show how income and dependents produce different outcomes. Households earning $90,000 to $100,000 with three dependents would face $5,712.48 in additional annual payments. Those earning $70,000 to $80,000 with two dependents would pay another $3,373.44 annually.

The largest dollar increase among the 10 highlighted profiles falls on households earning $125,000 to $150,000 with four dependents. Their payments would rise from $210.29 to $945.83 monthly, adding $8,826.48 annually, despite a lower percentage increase of 350%.