If you haven’t borrowed money yet, or if you haven’t consolidated your loans into a legacy Income-Driven Repayment plan (IDR), you only have one option: the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Both the new RAP plan and the older IDR plan cap your payment at a percentage of discretionary income. Recertification not only keeps you in an income-based repayment plan, but it also determines how much you have to pay per month. You could be removed from your income-driven calculation, and your servicer may automatically switch you to a fixed repayment plan. If you have private student debt and want to lower your payments, refinancing student loans may be a useful strategy.