Will you actually pay off your student loan?
Forecast your monthly repayments, total interest, and whether your balance clears or gets written off — instantly, right in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Balance vs. total paid
How your outstanding loan shrinks against what you've paid in.
Yearly interest vs. repayment
When interest outpaces repayment, your balance grows.
| Year | Start bal. | Salary | Interest | Paid | End bal. |
|---|
Same balance and salary applied across every UK plan.
Frequently asked questions
📍 Find your plan
Plan 1
English or Welsh students who started before 1 Sep 2012, or Northern Irish students. Threshold £26,900 · 9% · Write-off 25 years.
Plan 2
English students 1 Sep 2012 – 31 Jul 2023, Welsh students from 2012. Threshold £29,385 · 9% · Write-off 30 years.
Plan 4
Scottish students. Threshold £33,795 · 9% · Write-off 30 years.
Plan 5
English students starting on or after 1 Aug 2023. Threshold £25,000 · 9% · Write-off 40 years · Interest = RPI only.
Postgraduate
Master's / doctoral loans (England & Wales). Threshold £21,000 · 6% · Write-off 30 years.
📋 2026/27 Thresholds & Interest
Sources: GOV.UK / Student Loans Company announcements for 2026/27. Interest rates apply from Sep 2026. Thresholds effective April 2026.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How does the calculator work?
If you are on Plan 1, 2, 4, 5 or a postgraduate loan, you only make repayments if your pre-tax salary is above the repayment threshold. You repay 9% of earnings above the threshold (6% for postgraduate). This tool projects repayments each year using your inputs and assumptions about salary growth, inflation and interest until the loan is repaid or written off.
When do you start repaying?
The earliest you'll start is the April after you leave your course (or April 4 years after the course started if studying part-time). You only repay if you earn more than the threshold. Repayments stop if you stop working, income falls below the threshold, you clear the balance, or the loan is written off.
What are Plan 1 loans?
You're on Plan 1 if you're an English/Welsh student who started before 1 Sep 2012, a Northern Irish student (from 1998), or certain EU students in the same periods. Northern Ireland still uses Plan 1.
Should I overpay?
For many on Plans 2 and 5 the loan is written off before it is fully repaid, so voluntary overpayments may never be recovered. Use the overpayment field to see the impact for your own numbers.
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About these estimates
Estimates, not financial advice. Check the assumptions and sources on this page before making a decision. Results may be inaccurate and government policy can change. Do your own research. You use this information at your own risk.