UK repayment observatory · Plans 1, 2, 4 & 5
Understand what your student loan will really cost.
Model your monthly deduction, lifetime contribution and likely write-off using your remaining balance, not a generic graduate estimate.
Rules verified
2026/27 repayment rules
Checked
27 August 2026
Which student loan plan are you on?
Pick the closest match. Your plan is also shown in your student finance account.
Not sure? Find my plan in 3 questionsEvery figure stays on your device. Illustrative purposes only.
These are example figures, not yours: a £35k salary and a £45k balance. Replace them to see your own outlook.
Your model
Adjust the variables that shape your projection
Loan plan
Started uni September 2012 onwards (England: up to July 2023). England and Wales. Written off after 30 years.
Official defaults: repayment thresholds for 2026/27; interest verified as of 27 August 2026. Projections hold those values constant unless you change them below for a custom scenario.
Salary projection
To model extra monthly payments, use the overpayment section below your results.
Your repayment outlook
This balance is unlikely to be repaid in full.
Starting monthly deduction
£42
Plan 2 deduction
Modelled outcome
Written off April 2055
28 years and 8 months
You are projected to repay £14,487 of your £45,000 balance, with £111,375 cancelled in April 2055.
Expected total contribution
Mandatory and modelled voluntary repayments
£14,487
Interest added through the projection
Includes interest later cancelled at write-off
£80,862
Balance written off
April 2055
£111,375
Salary where repayments exceed interest
Approximate crossover under the current interest assumptions
£60,400
Salary projected to clear the loan
Minimum constant salary in this model
£66,700
What is driving this result
- You'll repay 32% of your loan (£14,487) before £111,375 is written off in April 2055.
- At this salary, the loan would still be written off even if you made extra repayments.
- Your balance is growing. Monthly interest (£147) is higher than your repayment (£42).
Show workings, assumptions and official sources
Plan 2 starting mandatory repayment
(£2,917 monthly pay − £2,449 monthly threshold) × 9% = £42
GOV.UK repayment ruleRuleset 2026/27 · checked 27 August 2026. Rates and thresholds are held constant unless you customise them.
Official write-off rulesIllustrative model: rates and thresholds stay constant unless you customise them, and a full study-period interest phase is not simulated. Plan 1 and Plan 4 older cohorts need the first-loan timing option and date of birth above. Modelling limitations.
Your figures stay in the link; no account is required.
Monthly cash flow
Estimated payslip
England and Wales tax model
How gross pay is divided
£2,917
- Gross monthly pay
- £2,917
- Income Tax12.8% of gross
- −£374
- National Insurance5.1% of gross
- −£150
- Student loan1.4% of gross
- −£42
Estimated take-home
£2,351
80.6% of gross pay
- Total deductions
- £565
- Student loan share
- 1.4%
The repayment timeline
Follow the balance through time.
The line shows how interest and repayments interact under the active assumptions. In this projection the balance starts at £45,000 and ends with write-off april 2055, after a lifetime contribution of £14,487.
Lifetime contribution
£14,487
01 · Today
£45,000 balance
02 · Repayment crossover
£60,400 salary
03 · Modelled outcome
Write-off April 2055
Compare salaries
What changes with salary?
Scrub through salaries, inspect where the outcome changes and pin up to three comparisons. This comparison uses mandatory repayments only.
Your model
Comparison
Salary
£35,000
£35,000
Monthly
£42
£42
Outcome
Written off April 2055
Written off April 2055
Total paid
£14,487
£14,487
0/3 comparisons pinned
Decision test
What if you paid extra?
At this salary, the loan would be written off. Paying extra would cost you more without changing that.
ISA Comparison Tool
Compare current Cash ISA, Stocks & Shares ISA, and Lifetime ISA rates from UK providers.
View ISA comparisonPlain-English answers
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does a UK student loan get written off?
- Plan 1 loans taken out before September 2006 are written off when you turn 65. Plan 1 loans from September 2006 onwards are written off 25 years after the April you were first due to repay. Plan 2 loans are written off after 30 years. Plan 5 loans are written off after 40 years. Plan 4 (SAAS / Scotland) write-off depends on cohort: first loan payment on or after 1 August 2007 is usually 30 years after the April you were first due to repay; older loans can be written off at age 65 or after 30 years, whichever comes first. This calculator’s Plan 4 estimate uses only the newer 30-year rule. Any remaining balance is cancelled automatically.
- What is the repayment threshold for Plan 2?
- The Plan 2 repayment threshold for tax year 2026/27 is £29,385 per year (£2,448.75 per month for monthly payroll). You repay 9% of everything you earn above this threshold. If your income falls below the threshold, repayments stop automatically.
- What is the repayment threshold for Plan 4?
- The Plan 4 (SAAS / Scotland) repayment threshold for tax year 2026/27 is £33,795 per year (£2,816.25 per month for monthly payroll). You repay 9% of everything you earn above this threshold.
- How is student loan interest calculated?
- Interest uses academic-year rates (usually set from the previous March’s RPI on 1 September), not the tax year. Rates in this calculator are verified as of 27 August 2026: Plan 2 charges between RPI and RPI+3% after study (3.2%–6.2% through 31 August 2026). A 6% policy cap for Plan 2 and postgraduate loans applies from 1 September 2026. Plan 5 is RPI only. Plan 1 and Plan 4 use the lower of RPI or Bank Rate + 1%. Projections hold the verified snapshot constant.
- Is it worth overpaying my student loan?
- It depends. If you're unlikely to clear the full balance before it is written off, overpaying usually means paying more than you need to. The rest is cancelled anyway. If you will repay in full either way, overpaying can save interest. Use the overpayment section above to compare the numbers for your situation.
- What happens if I don't earn above the repayment threshold?
- If your income is below the threshold, you make no repayments that year. Your loan continues to accrue interest but you owe nothing until your income rises above the threshold again. This has no negative impact on your credit score.
Continue the analysis