Student Loan Income Comparison Calculator
Compare student loan repayments across different income levels and loan plans on 2026-27 thresholds, to understand how a salary change affects what you pay.
Want your own repayment figure instead? The monthly repayment calculator gives your monthly figure: it covers all five plans including Plan 4 and a Postgraduate Loan, handles an undergraduate plan and a Postgraduate Loan taken together, shows the working behind every figure, and gives you monthly, weekly or annual amounts.
Open the monthly repayment calculatorYour Current Situation
Plan thresholds, 2026-27
Annual repayments at £35,000
How this is worked out
(£35,000 − £26,900) × 9% = £729
Plan 1 threshold for 2026-27. On a payslip that is £60 a month, worked out against HMRC's floored £2,241 monthly threshold and rounded down to a whole pound.
How this is worked out
(£35,000 − £29,385) × 9% = £505
Plan 2 threshold for 2026-27. On a payslip that is £42 a month, worked out against HMRC's floored £2,448 monthly threshold and rounded down to a whole pound.
How this is worked out
(£35,000 − £25,000) × 9% = £900
Plan 5 threshold for 2026-27. On a payslip that is £75 a month, worked out against HMRC's floored £2,083 monthly threshold and rounded down to a whole pound.
Rates, assumptions and sources
Every figure below is the 2026-27 published figure, read from this site's single source of truth at page-render time[source]. The 6% Plan 2 and Postgraduate interest cap covers the 2026/27 year only and is not assumed to continue[source].
| Plan | Threshold | Rate | Interest | Written off | Threshold freeze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,900[source] | 9% | 4.1%[source] | 25 years[source] | Uprated annually — no freeze announced |
| Plan 2 | £29,385[source] | 9% | 4.1% to 7.1% by income, capped at 6% for 2026-27[source] | 30 years[source] | Frozen at £29,385 until April 2030 |
| Plan 5 | £25,000[source] | 9% | 4.1%[source] | 40 years[source] | Frozen at £25,000 until April 2027 |
Write-off is counted from the April after the course ends, not from the course-end date itself, and the Plan 2 interest bands (£29,385 lower, £52,885 upper) are frozen alongside the Plan 2 repayment threshold.
This calculator also assumes
- Annual figures
- Rate × income above the annual threshold
- Monthly figures
- PAYE deduction, rounded down to a whole pound
- Assumed pay pattern
- Even pay each month, no bonus or overtime
Growth, inflation and long-run interest figures are assumptions, not published rates. Change them and the projection changes.
Income Comparison
| Annual Salary | Plan 1 | Plan 2 | Plan 5 | Best Option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £20,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | No repayment |
| £25,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | No repayment |
| £30,000 | £279 | £55 | £450 | Plan 2 |
| £35,000 | £729 | £505 | £900 | Plan 2 |
| £40,000 | £1,179 | £955 | £1,350 | Plan 2 |
| £45,000 | £1,629 | £1,405 | £1,800 | Plan 2 |
| £50,000 | £2,079 | £1,855 | £2,250 | Plan 2 |
| £60,000 | £2,979 | £2,755 | £3,150 | Plan 2 |
| £70,000 | £3,879 | £3,655 | £4,050 | Plan 2 |
| £80,000 | £4,779 | £4,555 | £4,950 | Plan 2 |
| £100,000 | £6,579 | £6,355 | £6,750 | Plan 2 |
Related Calculators
Understanding Student Loan Repayments Across Income Levels
Your student loan repayments depend not just on your loan amount, but significantly on your income level and which loan plan you're on. This calculator helps you understand how different salaries affect your repayments across the three main UK student loan plans.
Want your own figure, not a comparison?
The monthly repayment calculator gives your figure per payslip: all five plans including Plan 4 and a Postgraduate Loan, an undergraduate plan and a Postgraduate Loan together, monthly, weekly or annual amounts, and the working behind every figure. For the whole life of the loan — total repaid, total interest and your write-off date — use the main calculator on the homepage.