- finished another 24 hour shift as medical resident and looked at the debt
- paid what i could from resident salary but the total barely dropped
- none of the other residents talk about it but this debt is heavy
- i just want a date when this debt will finally be over
DebtPayoffPlanforMedicalResidents
See the exact date your medical resident debt is gone — without connecting your bank.
One hundred eighty thousand at the start of residency on a $62,000 PGY-1 salary is the math of medical training: you are an attending in waiting, paid like a third-year associate at a law firm with none of the law firm's hours. Interest at 6.8% accrues at $1,020/month — your minimum payment under the standard plan is $2,068, which is roughly half your post-tax monthly take-home. Most residents sign up for IDR because the standard math is impossible.
Avalanche is the right method, but the strategic question for residents is when to deploy it. During residency, prioritize SAVE/PAYE-capped payments and let the higher-rate Grad PLUS loans accrue interest under the federal subsidy. Once you finish residency and your attending salary lands, switch to aggressive Avalanche on the highest-rate loans. The $250k+ attending salary makes a 2-3 year accelerated payoff feasible if you do not let lifestyle creep absorb the income.
On $180,000 at a blended 6.8%, the standard 10-year minimum is $2,068/month and total interest runs $68,000. Most residents cannot afford this on PGY-1 salary; PAYE caps payments at 10% of discretionary income (roughly $300/month at PGY-1). After residency at $250k attending income, $5,000/month payments finish the loan in 41 months at $25,000 interest — versus $68,000 interest on the standard plan.
Pre-loaded with a typical resident portfolio: $130k unsubsidized + $40k Grad PLUS + $10k credit card. Your numbers stay on your device — no bank login, no NSLDS lookup. The math runs locally — see the methodology. PSLF is a separate calculation; this models the cash math.
Pre-loaded with a typical medical resident debt profile
Update with your actual numbers after you unlock the full calculator.
Recommended: Avalanche for this debt profile.
Your 16-point rate spread means Avalanche saves you significantly more.
Your exact date is waiting. Enter your real numbers to see it.
One-time. No subscription. No bank login. Your numbers stay on your device.
Common questions
IDR (SAVE or PAYE) during residency, almost always. PGY-1 income cannot support $2,000/month standard payments without skipping basics. SAVE caps payments at 5-10% of discretionary income; the unpaid interest accrues but does not capitalize. Switch to aggressive Avalanche the month you start as attending — the income jump from $62k to $250k+ creates immediate capacity for $4,000-6,000/month payments.
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