Loans on £50k salary
Estimated monthly repayments at a gross salary of £50,000 — a higher-salary scenario useful to compare interest impacts and repayments across plans.
Salary
£50,000
Highest payment
£188/month
Typical repayment
£160–£400/month
Approx range at £50k
Estimated monthly repayments at £50k
| Plan | Threshold | Rate | Estimated monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,065 | 9% | £180 |
| Plan 2 | £28,470 | 9% | £161 |
| Plan 3 | £30,000 | 9% | £150 |
| Plan 4 | £32,745 | 9% | £129 |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | 9% | £188 |
| Postgraduate | £21,000 | 6% | £145 |
£50k salary context
A £50,000 salary is above the UK median and represents a successful early-to-mid career position. At this income level, student loan repayments become substantial monthly deductions.
Key insight: At £50k, you're well above all plan thresholds, meaning you'll be making significant monthly repayments regardless of your plan type. The differences between plans become more about interest accumulation than monthly payment amounts.
Annual repayment totals
Here's what £50k salary means in annual repayments:
Postgraduate loans have a lower repayment rate (6% vs 9%), which is why the monthly amount is lower despite having the lowest threshold.
Interest implications at £50k
At this salary level, interest rates become critical:
⚡Plan 2 Warning
At £50k, you're near the threshold where Plan 2 interest hits RPI + 3% (≈6.2%). Your balance may still grow despite monthly payments.
⚠️Check your Plan 2 interest
💰Plan 4 & 5 Advantage
These plans have flat interest rates (≈3.2%) regardless of income, meaning your payments at £50k will reduce the balance meaningfully.
Combined loans (UG + PG)
If you have both UG and PG loans, repayments are separate and stack — you may see two separate deductions each month.
📝 Example: Plan 2 + Postgraduate at £50k
Plan 2 UG: £161/month
Postgraduate: £145/month
Total: £306/month (£3672/year)
This is approximately 7% of gross salary in loan repayments.
Take-home pay impact
At £50,000 gross salary, your monthly take-home (after tax, National Insurance, and student loan) varies by plan:
Without student loan: ≈£3,150/month
With Plan 1: ≈£2,970/month (£179 less)
With Plan 2: ≈£2,989/month (£161 less)
With Plan 4: ≈£3,020/month (£129 less)
With Plan 5: ≈£3,982/month (£168 less)
These are approximations. Actual take-home depends on tax code, pension contributions, and other deductions.
Important
Important: These are simplified estimates. Pension contributions and tax codes affect repayable income; use our calculators for precise figures.
See your exact repayments
Model your situation with our calculators for precise monthly repayment figures and how multiple loans interact.