Model repayments year by year for UK Plan 2, Plan 5 and Australian HECS-HELP, with your real marginal tax rate and the write-off date.
Forecast UK Plan 2, Plan 5 and Australian HECS-HELP repayments year by year. See your real marginal tax rate and when the loan is written off.
UK Plan 2 & 5
Australian HECS-HELP
Year-by-year table
Frequently asked questions
Do I repay 9% of my whole salary?
No. On UK Plan 2 and Plan 5 you repay 9% of the income above the repayment threshold, so someone earning £5,000 over the threshold repays £450 a year. The forecast applies this rule to every year of your projected salary.
Will my student loan be written off?
UK Plan 2 loans are cancelled after 30 years and Plan 5 loans after 40 years if a balance remains. Whether that happens depends on your income and the interest rate. The forecast shows the year the loan clears or the amount that would be cancelled.
Should I overpay my student loan?
It depends on whether you expect to clear the loan. If the forecast shows a balance being written off, extra repayments mostly increase what you pay without changing what is cancelled. If the loan clears, overpaying saves interest. Test a higher and a lower salary before deciding, and take advice for your own circumstances.
Why does the tool ask for inflation and threshold growth?
UK interest is linked to RPI inflation, and repayment thresholds usually rise over time. By default the thresholds grow with inflation. Set threshold growth to 0 to see the effect of thresholds that stay frozen.
Are the thresholds up to date?
The defaults are the published 2025/26 figures. Repayment rules change every year, so open the Advanced section, check the current numbers on gov.uk or studyassist.gov.au, and edit any value. Your changes stay in the page and are never sent anywhere.
What is the 71% marginal rate?
In England, between £100,000 and £125,140 the personal allowance is withdrawn, which makes an effective 60% income tax rate on each extra pound. Adding 2% National Insurance and the 9% student loan repayment gives roughly 71%. The forecast warns you when your projected salary passes through that band.