Because the 2026 student loan overhaul is confusing enough without another black-box tool.
StudentLoanTools was started in September 2026, at the exact moment the federal student loan system changed more than it had in 20 years: the SAVE plan was struck down, a brand-new plan called RAP went live, and millions of borrowers were told to pick a new plan โ fast.
We found that the official tools didn't even cover the new plan yet, and the calculators that did exist were built for big lenders trying to sell you something. So we built our own.
Formulas come from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1, 119th Congress) ยง80503, cross-checked against loan servicer documentation (Edfinancial) and independent statutory analysis (Student Loan Planner). Poverty lines use the official HHS 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines. Every page cites its sources, and every calculator is verified against hand-computed test cases before launch.
Because student loan repayment is financial content (what Google calls "YMYL" โ Your Money or Your Life), we hold ourselves to high standards: every page states a clear date it was last updated, cites authoritative sources, and carries a disclaimer that our estimates are not official or personal financial advice. When rules change, we update the math first and the wording second.
Found a mistake or a change in the rules? Tell us โ we fix math errors fast.