Student loan repayment calculator
Work out what comes out of your pay for your student loan, and what you take home after it.
2026 to 2027 thresholds from HMRC, checked 13 November 2026.
Result
On £30,000 a year, Plan 2 repayments are £4.00 a month if you are paid monthly.
repaid a month, before any other loan
| Item | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | £30,000.00 | £2,500.00 |
| Income Tax | −£3,484.20 | −£290.35 |
| National Insurance | −£1,394.40 | −£116.20 |
| Student loan | −£55.00 | −£4.00 |
| Take-home pay | £25,066.40 | £2,089.45 |
- Take-home £25,066.40 (84%)
- Income Tax £3,484.20 (12%)
- National Insurance £1,394.40 (5%)
- Loans £55.00 (0%)
That is £482.10 a week. Tax code 1257L, paying tax in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Of a £1,000 pay rise you would keep £630.00, so 37% goes in deductions.
Show the workings
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-free pay from tax code 1257L | £12,570.00 allowance, which code 1257L covers up to £12,579.00 | £12,579.00 |
| Taxable pay | £30,000.00 − £12,579.00 | £17,421.00 |
| Basic rate | £17,421.00 × 20% | £3,484.20 |
| National Insurance | £17,430.00 above £12,570.00 × 8% | £1,394.40 |
| Student loan, Plan 2 | £615.00 above £29,385.00 × 9%, rounded down to the pound | £55.00 |
| Take-home pay | £30,000.00 − £3,484.20 tax − £1,394.40 National Insurance − £55.00 student loan | £25,066.40 |
What this leaves out or assumes
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland Income Tax rates, a standard Personal Allowance and National Insurance category A.
- Tax-free pay follows the tax code, as payroll and HMRC's own take-home pay estimator do: code 1257L gives £12,579 a year, not £12,570, which is up to a few pounds less tax.
- Worked out over the whole tax year. Payroll works out each payday on its own, so a monthly or weekly payslip can differ by a few pence, or by more in a month with a bonus.
- Student loan deductions are rounded down to the pound, as in HMRC's estimator. Payroll rounds them down each payday.
Where the figures come from
- Personal Allowance, 2026 to 2027: £12,570 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Range of allowances each tax code number covers: £10. Source: HMRC PAYE Manual PAYE11065: suffix codes, calculating the number. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Basic rate of Income Tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland): 20%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Basic rate band: taxable income it covers (England, Wales and Northern Ireland): £37,700 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Higher rate of Income Tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland): 40%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Taxable income above which the additional rate applies (England, Wales and Northern Ireland): £125,140 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Additional rate of Income Tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland): 45%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- National Insurance primary threshold: £12,570 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- National Insurance upper earnings limit: £50,270 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Employee National Insurance between the primary threshold and upper earnings limit (category A): 8%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Employee National Insurance above the upper earnings limit (category A): 2%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Student loan Plan 2 repayment threshold: £29,385 a year. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Student loan deductions above the threshold: 9%. Source: HMRC: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027. Checked 13 November 2026.
Repayment thresholds 2026 to 2027
You repay 9% of your pay above your plan's threshold, and 6% above £21,000 for a postgraduate loan. If you have both, you repay both.
| Plan | For people who | Threshold a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | Applied to Student Finance England or Wales and started before 1 September 2012, or applied to Student Finance Northern Ireland | £26,900 | £2,241.66 |
| Plan 2 | Applied to Student Finance England and started between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023, or to Student Finance Wales and started on or after 1 September 2012 | £29,385 | £2,448.75 |
| Plan 4 | Applied to the Student Awards Agency Scotland | £33,795 | £2,816.25 |
| Plan 5 | Applied to Student Finance England and started an undergraduate course on or after 1 August 2023 | £25,000 | £2,083.33 |
| Postgraduate loan | Took a postgraduate master's or doctoral loan | £21,000 | £1,750.00 |
Which plan you are on is in your Student Loans Company account and on GOV.UK.
Monthly repayments by salary
| Salary | Plan 1 | Plan 2 | Plan 4 | Plan 5 | Postgraduate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £20.00 |
| £30,000 | £23.00 | £4.00 | £0.00 | £37.00 | £45.00 |
| £35,000 | £60.00 | £42.00 | £9.00 | £75.00 | £70.00 |
| £40,000 | £98.00 | £79.00 | £46.00 | £112.00 | £95.00 |
| £50,000 | £173.00 | £154.00 | £121.00 | £187.00 | £145.00 |
| £60,000 | £248.00 | £229.00 | £196.00 | £262.00 | £195.00 |
Payroll works out the deduction each payday on that payday's pay, and rounds it down to the pound. If your pay goes over the threshold in some months and not others, you repay only in the months it is over. Repayments stop when the loan is paid off or written off.
Interest and when your loan is written off depend on your plan. GOV.UK explains repaying your student loan.