You repay a percentage of income above your plan threshold, not a percentage of your full salary. On a £35,000 salary, Plan 2 is roughly £42 a month and Plan 5 about £75, while postgraduate or combined loans can change the total further. Use the calculator above to see your exact figure.

Many borrowers do not repay in full before write off, but it depends on plan, earnings and balance size. Higher earners and borrowers with smaller balances are more likely to clear the debt. Others mainly make income-based repayments until any remaining balance is written off.

Your plan depends on when you started university and where you studied. Plan 1 covers anyone who began before September 2012 in England or Wales (and all Scottish borrowers). Plan 2 is for courses that started between 2012 and 2023. Plan 5 applies from August 2023 onwards in England. Use our Plan Finder tool if you're unsure.

Repayments begin the April after you finish or leave your course, but only if your salary is above the threshold for your plan. In 2026/27, Plan 2 starts above £29,385 a year (£2,448 a month) and Plan 5 above £25,000 a year (£2,083 a month). Other plans have different thresholds, so always check the rules for your own loan.

Voluntary overpayments only make sense if you are likely to clear the balance in full and save more in interest than you could gain elsewhere. For many borrowers, pensions, savings or other debts are the better use of spare cash. Use our Overpayment Calculator to model your scenario, or read our guide: Is Overpaying Worth It?

Pension contributions lower your repayable income because student loan deductions are worked out after pension is taken off. Somebody earning £35,000 who puts 5% into a pension would have repayments calculated on £33,250 instead. That makes pension saving an efficient way to reduce what you repay. Enter your pension percentage in the calculator above to see the difference.

You must tell the Student Loans Company if you leave the UK for more than three months. Repayments continue based on your overseas income, and the SLC sets a threshold for each country. Interest still builds up while you are abroad. Visit our international guide for details on how different countries are handled.