UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator
See your student loan repayment at your salary, and compare it across all five repayment plans.
Your Student Loan Repayment
Monthly Repayment
£20
Annual Repayment
£235
At £32,000, your student loan repayment is about 0.7% of your salary.
What you'd repay at this salary on each plan:
What Is the UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator?
UK student loan repayments work like a tax band: you pay a fixed percentage of your income above your plan's specific threshold, and nothing at all below it — it has nothing to do with your outstanding loan balance directly and everything to do with your current salary. This calculator shows your repayment at any salary, and — since which plan applies isn't always obvious — compares what the repayment would be across all five current plans side by side, so you can check your own plan matches what you'd expect.
It also handles a detail that surprises some graduates: if you have both an undergraduate loan and a Postgraduate Loan, both repayments apply independently and simultaneously — one doesn't pause while the other is being repaid, and they're calculated against their own separate thresholds.
UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator Formula
Repayment = max(0, Salary − Plan Threshold) × Repayment Rate
How Is the UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator Calculated?
Each plan has its own threshold and rate: Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, and Plan 5 all repay at 9% of income above their respective thresholds, while the Postgraduate Loan repays at a lower 6% above its own, lower threshold. Below your plan's threshold, you make no repayments at all — the calculation only applies to the portion of salary that exceeds it, similar to how a tax band only taxes income above its starting point.
If you have both an undergraduate plan and a Postgraduate Loan, each is calculated completely separately against its own threshold and then added together — there's no combined threshold or shared allowance between them.
UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator Example
At a £32,000 salary, repayment varies significantly by plan: Plan 4 (Scotland) has the highest threshold at £33,795, so this salary falls entirely below it — £0 repayment. Plan 2 (threshold £29,385) repays about £235/year, while Plan 5 (the lowest threshold, £25,000) repays about £630/year — more than double Plan 2's figure, for the exact same salary.
At £45,000, someone with both a Plan 2 loan and a Postgraduate Loan repays about £1,405 on Plan 2 plus £1,440 on the Postgraduate Loan — a combined £2,845/year, since both apply independently rather than one replacing the other.
How to Use the UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator
Step 1
Enter your annual salary.
Step 2
Select your student loan plan.
Step 3
Check the Postgraduate Loan box if you also have one alongside your undergraduate plan.
Step 4
Review your repayment and compare it against every other plan.
Benefits
- Shows your specific repayment plus a full comparison across all five current UK student loan plans.
- Correctly models simultaneous undergraduate and Postgraduate Loan repayments, which apply independently.
- Uses verified 2026/27 Student Loans Company repayment thresholds.
- Simple, focused tool for just the student loan question, without needing to enter pension or other details.
- Free, instant, and runs entirely in your browser.
Common UK Student Loan + Salary Calculator Scenarios
Scenario 1
Checking your expected student loan repayment before or after a salary change.
Scenario 2
Confirming which plan you're actually on by comparing the repayment figures against your payslip.
Scenario 3
Understanding the combined cost of an undergraduate loan plus a Postgraduate Loan.
Scenario 4
Budgeting around an upcoming pay rise's effect on student loan repayment.
Scenario 5
Comparing plans if you're unsure which one applies to your specific circumstances.
Understanding Your Result
Your repayment figure is what's deducted specifically for your student loan, on top of Income Tax and National Insurance — it's calculated purely from your current salary and plan threshold, regardless of how much you originally borrowed or how much you still owe. The comparison table shows exactly how much your specific plan matters — the same salary can produce a meaningfully different repayment depending on which plan applies.
If your salary is below your plan's threshold, your repayment is genuinely zero — this isn't a minimum payment situation, no deduction happens at all until your income crosses that specific line.
Tips
- If you're not sure which plan you're on, check your Student Finance account online or your P60/payslip, which should show your specific plan type.
- Repayment is based on your income in each pay period through PAYE, not a smooth annual average — a bonus or overtime in a specific month can trigger a higher repayment that month even if your annual salary is close to the threshold.
- If you have both an undergraduate and Postgraduate Loan, budget for both repayments together, since they don't offset each other.
- Student loan thresholds are reviewed periodically — recheck this calculator if you know a new tax year's figures have been announced.
- Voluntary overpayments are possible if you want to clear your loan faster — see the UK Student Loan Payoff Calculator in this category for how that affects your total repayment timeline.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming all student loan plans have the same threshold and rate — they don't, and the difference can be substantial at the same salary.
- Forgetting that a Postgraduate Loan repayment is separate from and in addition to an undergraduate plan repayment, not a replacement for it.
- Confusing the repayment threshold with a minimum salary requirement to have a loan at all — repayment simply doesn't start until you cross the threshold.
- Assuming this calculator's outputs reflect your total outstanding loan balance rather than just the ongoing repayment based on current salary.
- Not accounting for how a bonus or overtime payment can temporarily push a single month's repayment higher, even if it evens out over the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which student loan plan am I on?
It depends on when and where you started your course — check your Student Finance account, your P60, or a recent payslip, which should show your specific plan (1, 2, 4, 5, or Postgraduate).
Do I pay anything if my salary is below the threshold?
No — student loan repayment only applies to income above your plan's specific threshold; below it, no repayment is deducted at all.
Can I have both a Plan 2 loan and a Postgraduate Loan at the same time?
Yes — many people who did a postgraduate degree after an undergraduate degree funded by a loan have both, and both repayments apply simultaneously and independently, calculated against their own separate thresholds.
Does this repayment reduce my loan balance directly in a predictable way?
It reduces your outstanding balance, but interest also accrues on that balance continuously — for many borrowers, especially on Plan 2 and Plan 5, interest can outpace repayments for years, meaning the balance doesn't necessarily shrink steadily even while you're repaying.
What happens if I stop earning above the threshold?
Repayment stops automatically once your income (or you leave PAYE employment and report reduced income) falls back below your plan's threshold — there's no repayment obligation on income below it.
Is student loan repayment the same as a tax?
It's collected through the same PAYE system as Income Tax and National Insurance and works similarly (a percentage above a threshold), but it's technically a loan repayment, not a tax — the money reduces your specific loan balance rather than funding general government spending.
Why is Plan 5's threshold lower than Plan 2's?
Plan 5 applies to students who started courses from August 2023 onward under updated loan terms — its lower threshold (and other differences from Plan 2) reflect the newer repayment terms set by the government for this cohort.
Does this calculator account for self-employment income?
It models PAYE-style repayment based on salary — self-employed borrowers repay student loans through Self Assessment instead, calculated similarly but assessed annually rather than per pay period.
Will my student loan eventually be written off?
Yes — each plan has a specific write-off period (varying by plan, often 25 to 40 years from when you became eligible to repay) after which any remaining balance is cancelled regardless of how much you've repaid; not modeled in this specific repayment-focused calculator.
Does a pay rise always increase my student loan repayment?
Only the portion of the rise that's above your plan's threshold gets the repayment rate applied — if you're already well above the threshold, essentially all of a raise adds to your repayment; if you're near or below it, only part (or none) of the raise does.
Can I make extra voluntary repayments?
Yes — you can make additional payments directly to reduce your balance faster, though whether this makes financial sense depends heavily on your specific plan, interest rate, and expected income trajectory; see the UK Student Loan Payoff Calculator in this category for that analysis.
Can I share my student loan repayment result as an image?
Yes — tap Share and, on supported devices, your result is shared as a branded image card, not just a text link.
References
Important Information
This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only and is not financial or tax advice. Uses confirmed 2026/27 Student Loans Company repayment thresholds and rates; does not model interest accrual, write-off timelines, or self-employment repayment via Self Assessment. Confirm your specific plan and balance with your Student Finance account or the Student Loans Company directly.
Last updated: August 2026