Answers · UK 2025/26

What is my take-home pay on £26,000 with a Plan 5 student loan in 2026/27?

On a £26,000 salary with a Plan 5 student loan in 2026/27, you pay £2,686 Income Tax, £1,074.40 National Insurance and £90 student loan repayment, leaving £22,149.60 take-home pay -- about £1,845.80 a month.

Last updated: 3 July 2026Last reviewed: 3 July 2026How we verify

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For a £26,000 salary in 2026/27, taxable income after the £12,570 Personal Allowance is £13,430, entirely within the 20% basic rate band, giving £2,686 Income Tax. National Insurance is 8% of £13,430 above the Primary Threshold, giving £1,074.40. Plan 5 student loans (for most students starting courses from August 2023) repay 9% of income above a £25,000 threshold, which is much lower than the older Plan 1 (£26,900) or Plan 2 (£29,385) thresholds -- at £26,000 salary, the £1,000 above the Plan 5 threshold generates a repayment of £90. Combined deductions of £3,850.40 leave £22,149.60 take-home pay a year, around £1,845.80 a month or £425.95 a week. Because the Plan 5 threshold is frozen at £25,000 rather than rising with inflation, borrowers on this plan start repaying at a lower salary than those on Plan 1, Plan 2 or Plan 4, and the freeze means more of their income becomes liable to repayment each year as wages rise. Use the Student Loan Repayment calculator to see how a pay rise or salary sacrifice would change your repayment.