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You need to pay back:

• Tuition Fee Loans
• Maintenance Loans for living costs
• postgraduate loans - for example, a Master鈥檚 Loan or Doctoral Loan

You do not need to pay back other student finance, for example grants and bursaries. You will have to repay any overpayments if you receive more of any type of student finance than you鈥檙e entitled to.

You still have to repay your student loan if you leave your course early.

When you start repaying your loan and how much you pay depends on which repayment plan you鈥檙e on.

How to repay

How you repay your loan depends on whether you鈥檙e employed or self-employed.

You can make extra repayments in your online account and by card, bank transfer or cheque.

Keep your payslips and your P60 for your records - you鈥檒l need them if you want to get a refund.

If you leave the UK for more than 3 months

You must tell the Student Loans Company (SLC) if you鈥檙e leaving the UK for more than 3 months - for example, if you go travelling or if you move overseas.聽

Tell SLC by updating your employment details.

You鈥檒l be expected to keep repaying your loan unless you can give proof (for example, a recent bank statement) that your overseas income is below the threshold.

If you do not tell SLC, you could build up debt (鈥榓ccrue arrears鈥�) on your account. You鈥檒l need to pay arrears back on top of your regular repayments.

If you return to the UK after more than聽3聽months away

You must update your employment details when you return to the UK after more than 3 months away.

If you do not, you鈥檒l continue repaying your loan at the rate for the country you鈥檝e been living in. That could mean:

• paying more than you need to
• you鈥檙e charged a higher rate of interest

Sign in

Sign in to your online account if you already have one.

When you start repaying your loan and how much you repay depends on your repayment plan.

If you鈥檙e not sure which repayment plan you鈥檙e on, you can sign in to your online account to check.

If you applied to Student Finance England

The repayment plan you鈥檙e on depends on when you started your course and what type of course you studied.

If you started your course on or after 1 August 2023

You鈥檒l be on Plan 5 if:

• you鈥檙e studying an undergraduate course
• you鈥檙e studying a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• you take out an Advanced Learner Loan

You鈥檒l be on a Postgraduate Loan plan if you鈥檙e studying a postgraduate master鈥檚 or doctoral course.

You鈥檒l be on Plan 2 if you take out a Higher Education Short Course Loan.

If you started your course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023

You鈥檒l be on Plan 2 if:

• you鈥檙e studying an undergraduate course
• you鈥檙e studying a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• you take out an Advanced Learner Loan
• you take out a Higher Education Short Course Loan

You鈥檒l be on a Postgraduate Loan plan if you鈥檙e studying a postgraduate master鈥檚 or doctoral course.

If you started your course before 1 September 2012

You鈥檙e on Plan 1.

If you applied to Student Finance Wales

The repayment plan you鈥檙e on depends on when you started your course and what type of course you studied.

If you started your course on or after 1 September 2012

You鈥檙e on:

• Plan 2 if you studied an undergraduate course or a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• a Postgraduate Loan plan if you studied a postgraduate master鈥檚 or doctoral course

If you started your course before 1 September 2012

You鈥檙e on Plan 1.

If you applied to Student Awards Agency Scotland

You鈥檙e on Plan 4, whether you studied an undergraduate course or a postgraduate course.

If you applied to Student Finance Northern Ireland

You鈥檙e on Plan 1, whether you studied an undergraduate course or a postgraduate course.

If you think you鈥檙e on the wrong plan

Check which plan you鈥檙e on by signing in to your online account and downloading your 鈥榓ctive plan type letter鈥�. Then ask your employer which plan they have you on.

If it鈥檚 different from the plan in your letter, show this to your employer so they can update your payroll details. You can get a refund if you paid back too much of your loan because you were on the wrong plan type.

You鈥檒l only repay your student loan when your income is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan, unless you鈥檝e been overpaid.

Your income is the amount you earn (including things like bonuses and overtime) before tax and other deductions.

The threshold amounts change on 6 April every year.

The earliest you鈥檒l start repaying is:

• the April after you leave your course
• the April 4 years after the course started if you鈥檙e studying part-time and your course is longer than 4 years
• April 2026 if you鈥檙e on Plan 5

Your repayments automatically stop if either:

• you stop working
• your income goes below the threshold

If you have a Plan 1 student loan

You鈥檒l only repay when your income is over 拢501 a week, 拢2,172 a month or 拢26,065 a year.

If you have a Plan 2 student loan

You鈥檒l only repay when your income is over 拢547 a week, 拢2,372 a month or 拢28,470 a year.

If you have a Plan 4 student loan

You鈥檒l only repay when your income is over 拢629 a week, 拢2,728 a month or 拢32,745 a year.

If you have a Plan 5 student loan

You鈥檒l only repay when your income is over 拢480 a week, 拢2,083 a month or 拢25,000 a year.

If you鈥檙e on a Postgraduate Loan repayment plan

If you took out a Master鈥檚 Loan or a Doctoral Loan, you鈥檒l only repay when your income is over 拢403 a week, 拢1,750 a month or 拢21,000 a year.

Early repayments

There鈥檚 no penalty for paying some or all of your loan off early.

Repaying an overpayment

The Student Loans Company (SLC) will write to you if you鈥檙e paid more student loan or grant than you鈥檙e entitled to.

You must repay this separately from the rest of your student loan.

Read more about repaying an overpayment.

How much you repay depends on your income - the amount you earn (including things like bonuses and overtime) before tax and other deductions.

You鈥檒l repay a percentage of your income over the income 鈥榯hreshold鈥� for your type of loan, depending on how often you get paid.

The income thresholds are different for each plan type.

Plan type	Yearly income threshold	Monthly income threshold	Weekly income threshold
Plan 1	拢26,065	拢2,172	拢501
Plan 2	拢28,470	拢2,372	拢547
Plan 4	拢32,745	拢2,728	拢629
Plan 5	拢25,000	拢2,083	拢480
Postgraduate Loan	拢21,000	拢1,750	拢403

You鈥檒l repay either:

• 9% of your income over the threshold if you鈥檙e on Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5
• 6% of your income over the threshold if you鈥檙e on a Postgraduate Loan plan

The examples show how much you鈥檇 repay depending on your income and plan type:

If your income changes during the year

You鈥檒l make a repayment if your income goes over the weekly or monthly threshold for your plan (for example, if you鈥檙e paid a bonus or overtime). You can ask for a refund at the end of the tax year if your annual income is less than the yearly threshold for your plan.

Interest

How much interest you鈥檙e charged depends on which plan you鈥檙e on. You鈥檙e currently charged:

• 4.3% if you鈥檙e on Plan 1
• 4.3% if you鈥檙e on Plan 4
• 4.3% if you鈥檙e on Plan 5
• 7.3% if you鈥檙e on a Postgraduate Loan plan

If you鈥檙e on Plan 2

While you鈥檙e still studying, you鈥檒l be charged 7.3% interest. The interest rate will change either:

• on 6 April after you finish or leave your course
• on 6 April 4 years after the course started, if you鈥檙e studying part-time and your course is longer than 4 years

After this time, you鈥檒l start being charged interest based on your annual income.

Annual income	Interest rate
拢28,470 or less	4.3%
拢28,471 to 拢51,245	4.3%, plus up to 3%
拢51,245 or more	7.3%

You can find out more about:

• how Plan 1 interest is calculated and interest rates for previous years
• how Plan 2 interest is calculated and interest rates for previous years
• how Plan 4 interest is calculated and interest rates for previous years
• how Plan 5 interest is calculated and interest rates for previous years
• how Postgraduate Loan interest is calculated and interest rates for previous years

If you鈥檙e on more than one plan type

How much you repay depends on which of your plan types has the lowest repayment threshold and whether or not you have a Postgraduate Loan.

If you do not have a Postgraduate Loan

You鈥檒l repay 9% of your income over the lowest threshold out of the plan types you have. You鈥檒l only have a single repayment taken each time you get paid, even if you鈥檙e on more than one plan type.

If you have a Postgraduate Loan

You鈥檒l repay 6% of your income over the Postgraduate Loan threshold (拢21,000 a year) and 9% of your income over the lowest threshold for any other plan types you have.

If you have more than one job

You鈥檒l only make repayments from jobs where you鈥檙e paid over the threshold for your plan type, not your combined income.

If you鈥檙e self-employed

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will work out how much you repay each year from your tax return. Your repayments will be based on your income for the whole year.

If you鈥檝e already made repayments from a salary, HMRC will deduct them from the amount you have to repay.

Your repayments will be taken out of your salary at the same time as tax and National Insurance if you鈥檙e an employee. Your payslips will show how much has been deducted. You should check your employer has you on the correct repayment plan.

There鈥檚 no penalty if you make extra repayments to pay some or all of your loan off early.

If you鈥檙e self-employed

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will work out how much you pay from your tax return. You pay at the same time as you pay your tax.

If you鈥檙e an employee and you do a tax return

If you earn over the minimum amount, your employer will deduct loan repayments from your salary.

Check your payslips or P60 to see how much of your loan you鈥檝e paid off during the tax year. You鈥檒l need to include this information when you fill in your tax return.

If you leave the UK for more than 3 months

You must update your employment details to let the Student Loans Company (SLC) know you have left the UK.聽

You will need to continue to repay your loan unless you provide evidence that your income is below the threshold.

If you do not update your details, you could build up arrears on your account. You鈥檒l have to repay these even if your income is below the threshold for your repayment plan. You will need to repay any arrears separately to your monthly repayments.

To make sure you鈥檙e repaying the correct amount, you鈥檒l need to update your employment details each year.

Repayment thresholds for different countries

The rules for repayment are the same as in the UK, apart from different repayment thresholds for each country.

If you鈥檙e abroad, your repayment amounts are based on:

• the minimum amount under Plan 1 for that country
• the minimum amount under Plan 2 for that country
• the minimum amount under Plan 4 for that country
• the minimum amount under the Postgraduate Loan plan for that country

Once SLC have told you how much you need to repay, you can make repayments:

• through your online account
• by International Bank Transfer (IBAN)

Online account

Sign in to your online account to:

• make a one-off or set up recurring card payments using an international debit card
• set up a Direct Debit

You can also use your online account to update your contact details and make extra repayments.

International Bank Transfer

To transfer money from a non-UK bank account, use the following details:

IBAN: GB37NWBK60708010027254
SWIFT: NWBKGB2L
NatWest Government Banking Team
NatWest Customer Service Centre
Brampton Road
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 0QX

Use one of these as your reference:

• customer reference number
• grant reference number (if it鈥檚 for a grant repayment)

If you return to the UK after more than 3 months away

You must update your employment details when you return to the UK after more than 3 months away.

If you do not, you鈥檒l continue repaying your loan at the rate for the country you鈥檝e been living in. That could mean:

• paying more than you need to
• you鈥檙e charged a higher rate of interest

Checking your repayments

You can check your repayments and balance in your:

• annual statements from SLC
• online account

If your contact details change, you must update them in your online account.

Avoid paying more than you owe

If you have nearly repaid your loan, you may be able to make your final repayments by Direct Debit instead of from your salary.

This makes sure your employer will not accidentally take more than you owe.

SLC will contact you in the final year of your loan repayments to let you know how to set up a Direct Debit.

Keep your contact details up to date in your online account.

You can choose to make extra repayments towards your student loan. These are in addition to the repayments you must make when your income is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan. There鈥檚 no penalty if you make extra repayments.

You might not benefit from making extra repayments because your loan will be written off at the end of the loan term. Before you make an extra repayment, check when your loan will be written off.

You should speak to a financial adviser if you鈥檙e unsure whether you should make extra repayments or not.

If you decide to make an extra repayment, you can choose how it is applied to your loan. For example, you can use it to reduce the total balance of your loan or to reduce the balance of a specific plan (if you have more than one plan).

If you do not choose how the repayment is applied, the Student Loans Company (SLC) will decide how it鈥檚 applied for you.

If you鈥檙e a full time student from Wales, you may be able to get 拢1,500 of your Maintenance Loan written off.

Make a repayment without signing into an account

You can towards your loan or someone else鈥檚 without signing into an online account.

You need the person鈥檚 surname and customer reference number.

Make extra repayments from the UK

You can make extra repayments:

• through your online account
• by bank transfer
• by cheque

Online account

Sign in to your online account to:

• make a repayment using a debit card
• set up a Direct Debit

Bank transfer

To make a bank transfer or set-up a standing order from a UK bank account you must use the following bank details:

Account name: Student Loans Company
Sort code: 60 70 80
Account number: 10027254

Use one of these as your reference:

• customer reference number
• grant reference number (if it鈥檚 for a grant repayment)

Your payment will not be applied to your student loan account if you do not use your reference number.

Cheque

To pay by cheque make your cheque payable to Student Loans Company Ltd and send it to:

It takes longer to process cheques than payments made by debit card or bank transfer. Your cheque will be backdated so you will not build up additional interest because of the delay.

Make extra repayments from overseas

You can make extra repayments:

• through your online account
• by International Bank Transfer (IBAN)

Online account

Sign in to your online account to:

• make a one-off or set up recurring card payments using an international debit card
• set up a Direct Debit

International Bank Transfer

To transfer money from a non-UK bank account, use the following details:

IBAN: GB37NWBK60708010027254
SWIFT: NWBKGB2L
NatWest Government Banking Team
NatWest Customer Service Centre
Brampton Road
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 0QX

Use one of these as your reference:

• customer reference number
• grant reference number (if it鈥檚 for a grant repayment)

Your payment will not be applied to your student loan account if you do not use your reference number.

Pay your loan off in full

Call or contact SLC on social media to find out:

• the total amount you owe (this is called the 鈥榮ettlement amount鈥�)
• the date you need to pay by (this is called the 鈥榮ettlement date鈥�)

You鈥檒l need your latest payslip if you鈥檙e employed.

Once you know the total you owe, you can pay by debit card over the phone, bank transfer or cheque.

If you do not pay the settlement amount by the settlement date, you鈥檒l need to contact SLC again. This is because the amount you owe might have changed. You鈥檒l only need to provide any recent payslips or calculations since you last called.

Contact the Student Loans Company

You can ask for a refund if:

• you鈥檝e paid more than the total amount you owe
• your annual income was below the threshold
• you started making repayments before you needed to
• you鈥檝e repaid more than you need to because your employer had you on the wrong repayment plan

If you pay back more than you owe

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will tell your employer to stop taking repayments from your salary when you have repaid your loan in full. It can take around 4 weeks for salary deductions to stop.

This means you may pay back more than you owe.

If you have paid too much the Student Loans Company (SLC) will try to:

• contact you to tell you how to get a refund
• refund you automatically (this will appear in your bank account as 鈥�SLC 搁别肠别颈辫迟蝉鈥�)

You can check your loan balance in your online account.

If you鈥檝e overpaid and have not heard from SLC you can ask them for a refund.

If your annual income was below the threshold

Your income is the amount you earn (including things like bonuses and overtime) before tax and other deductions.

You can ask for a refund if you made repayments but your income over the whole tax year (6 April to 5 April the following year) was less than:

• 拢26,065 a year for Plan 1
• 拢28,470 a year for Plan 2
• 拢32,745 a year for Plan 4
• 拢21,000 a year for Postgraduate Loan

If your annual salary is less than this, your employer may still have deducted repayments. For example, if you were paid a bonus that put you over the monthly threshold for your plan, they would deduct a repayment for that month.

You will not get a refund for any repayments until after SLC have confirmed your annual income with HMRC. This will not happen until after the end of the tax year. You can only ask for a refund for tax years that have ended.

If you鈥檙e repaying a combination of Plan 1, Plan 2 and Plan 4 loans, you can only get a refund if your income was less than the lowest threshold.

Check which repayment plan you鈥檙e on if you鈥檙e not sure.

You can check previous thresholds if you ask about a refund on repayments made before this tax year.

If you started repaying before you needed to

If a deduction is taken from your salary before you鈥檙e due to start repaying, you can ask for a refund.

If your employer had you on the wrong repayment plan

You can get a refund if you鈥檙e on Plan 2 or Plan 4 but your employer had you on another plan. Check your employer has you on the correct repayment plan.

How to ask for a refund

If your annual income was below the threshold for the previous tax year

Sign into your聽student loan repayment account and ask for a refund.

If you need a refund for any other reason

Contact the Student Loans Company with your customer reference number.

When your student loan gets written off depends on which repayment plan you鈥檙e on.

When Plan 1 loans get written off

When your Plan 1 loan gets written off depends on when you were paid the first loan for your course.

If you were paid the first loan on or after 1 September 2006

The loans for your course will be written off 25 years after the April you were first due to repay.

If you were paid the first loan before 1 September 2006

The loans for your course will be written off when you鈥檙e 65.

When Plan 2 loans get written off

Plan 2 loans are written off 30 years after the April you were first due to repay.

When Plan 4 loans get written off

When your Plan 4 loan gets written off depends on when you were paid the first loan for your course.

If you were paid the first loan on or after 1 August 2007

The loans for your course will be written off 30 years after the April you were first due to repay.

If you were paid the first loan before 1 August 2007

The loans for your course will be written off when you鈥檙e 65, or 30 years after the April you were first due to repay 鈥� whichever comes first.

When Plan 5 loans get written off

Plan 5 loans are written off 40 years after the April you were first due to repay.

When Postgraduate Loans get written off

If you鈥檙e a student from England or Wales, your Postgraduate Loan will be written off 30 years after the April you were first due to repay.

If you鈥檙e a postgraduate student from Northern Ireland, you鈥檙e on Plan 1.

If you鈥檙e a postgraduate student from Scotland, you鈥檙e on Plan 4.

If someone with a student loan dies

The Student Loans Company (SLC) will cancel the person鈥檚 student loan.

You need to let SLC know that the person has died and provide evidence (for example an original death certificate), as well as the person鈥檚 Customer Reference Number.

If you can no longer work because of illness or disability

SLC may be able to cancel your loan if you claim certain disability benefits. You鈥檒l need to provide evidence (for example a letter from the benefits agency) and your Customer Reference Number.

You need to update your details if you:

• leave the UK for more than 3 months (for example, you go travelling or move overseas)
• return to the UK after more than 3 months away
• get a letter or email from the Student Loans Company (SLC) asking you to update your employment details

SLC use these details to work out if you should be repaying your loan.