Answers · UK 2025/26

When do I start repaying my student maintenance loan in 2026/27?

You start repaying the April after you leave your course, and only once your income is above your plan threshold: GBP 25,000 for Plan 5, GBP 29,385 for Plan 2, GBP 26,900 for Plan 1, GBP 33,795 for Plan 4. You then pay 9% of income above the threshold; the postgraduate loan is 6% above GBP 21,000.

Last updated: 10 June 2026Last reviewed: 10 June 2026How we verify

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Repayment of a student maintenance loan is income-contingent, meaning it depends entirely on what you earn, not on how much you borrowed. You do not start repaying until the April after you finish or leave your course, and even then only if your income is above the threshold for your repayment plan. For 2026/27 the thresholds are GBP 26,900 for Plan 1, GBP 29,385 for Plan 2, GBP 33,795 for Plan 4 (Scotland) and GBP 25,000 for Plan 5 (most new English students who started from August 2023). For all of these undergraduate plans you repay 9% of income above the threshold. A separate Postgraduate Loan is repaid at 6% of income above GBP 21,000 and can be collected at the same time as an undergraduate loan. Worked example: on Plan 5, earning GBP 30,000, you pay 9% of (GBP 30,000 minus GBP 25,000) = 9% of GBP 5,000 = GBP 450 a year, about GBP 37.50 a month, taken automatically through PAYE. If you also have a Postgraduate Loan, you would additionally pay 6% of (GBP 30,000 minus GBP 21,000) = GBP 540 a year on top. If your income drops below the threshold, repayments automatically stop. The loan is written off after a set period that varies by plan, and any remaining balance is cancelled with no further liability. The interest charged does not change when you start repaying. Use the Student Loan Repayment calculator to estimate your monthly deduction, and check your plan type on GOV.UK.