UK student loan repayment calculator — what you actually pay
All five plans with the correct thresholds, the postgrad stacking rule, and — if you enter your balance — an honest projection of whether you'll clear it before the write-off.
Student loans take a fixed percentage of income above your plan's threshold: 9% for Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5, 6% for Postgraduate. On £35,000 with Plan 2 that's £49 a month in 2025/26. Postgraduate loans stack on top of an undergraduate plan. Balances are written off after 25–40 years depending on the plan, so many graduates never repay in full.
- Personal allowance
- £28,470 Plan 2 threshold
- Applies in
- Same deduction rules UK-wide (Plan 4 = Scottish loans)
- Calculation
- Percentage of income above the threshold
For the years-to-clear projection
| Plan | Threshold | Rate above it | Written off after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,065 | 9% | 25 years |
| Plan 2 | £28,470 | 9% | 30 years |
| Plan 4 | £32,745 | 9% | 30 years |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | 9% | 40 years |
| Postgraduate | £21,000 | 6% | 30 years |
The five plans in one minute
Every plan works the same way — a percentage of income above a threshold — and differs only in the numbers. Plan 1 (£26,065), Plan 2 (£28,470), Plan 4 (£32,745) and Plan 5 (£25,000) all take 9%; Postgraduate loans take 6% above £21,000. Repayments come out through PAYE alongside tax, or through Self Assessment if you’re self-employed.
The write-off is the half of the system nobody explains: Plan 2 and Plan 4 balances vanish 30 years after you became liable to repay, Plan 5 after 40 years, Postgraduate after 30, Plan 1 typically after 25. Repayments never chase you beyond that. For anyone unlikely to clear the balance in time, the “loan” functions as a time-limited graduate tax — which is why overpaying it early is so often the wrong move.