Federal

Repayment Assistance Plan

Easy application

Tax filing not required

The repayment assistance plan (RAP) is a financial support program from the Canadian government, to help people having financial difficulty and cannot make repayments towards their student loan. Depending on your income, you may qualify for lower payments or no payments at all.

If you are approved for RAP, the Government of Canada will pay the interest owing on your outstanding loan that your reduced payment does not cover, ad start to pay down both the principal and interest after 60 months of RAP or 10 years after you finish school.

As long as you stay eligible for repayment assistance, the balance of your loan will continue to be paid down until it is paid in full.

You may qualify for repayment assistance if:

  • you live in Canada or:
    • are a reservist or spouse of a reservist deployed abroad, or
    • are on an international internship for a year or less
  • your loans are in repayment, that is at least 6 months have passed since you graduated or left school, and
  • you are up-to-date on your loan payments

If your family income is less than a certain amount per month, you may not need to make payments on your student loans for a period of 6 months.
If you earn more than the income thresholds shown below, you may still qualify for reduced monthly payments.

Income thresholds

You can apply for repayment assistance as soon as you start to repay your student loans and anytime while in repayment.

To apply for repayment assistance:

If you qualify, you have to reapply every 6 months to continue on the plan.

To discuss your options:

Contact the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC). Borrowers from Manitoba and Prince Edward Island will also need to contact their province.

Last updated: November 28, 2022